Revisiting an old feeling

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It's my birthday soon and I am buying myself a skateboard
I'm turning 29 and I would like to skate again.Again, is not completely accurate.
In high school, I had friends who skateboarded and it was something I had an interest in since I was a kid. I first got on a board when I was 7 or 8 but not really having any kind of motor skills to skate like my cousin and his friends stopped that pretty quick.
So, in High School when people are begining to identify with certain cliques, it was brought to my attention by a girl in my grade that hip-hoppers don't skate. She herself, at the time, was part of a group that had some skaters in it, but it was obvious that she knew jackshit about skateboarding. This was back in 96 so she obviously never watched a Muska video part or watched any footage coming out of N.Y or Philly. Anyway, so with a little slight to my ego I latched on to a less judgemental group. I started inline skating but would still pick up a friend's board to try some tricks. But by the time I left high school I had left both behind with my youth.
Throughout University and afterwards I still felt drawn to skateboarding and the cultures surrounding it. I was being drawn by the nothing to prove nothing to lose attitude that is rampant in skateboarding. In high school that was the biggest draw for me. I never felt that way with the inline community. At a time when I felt I had everything to prove and everything to lose it was nice to feel akin to a skateboard culture that was the opposite. It sounds weird but it gave me hope and confidence at times in high school and university when I didn't feel so confident. But all I had to do was pick up an issue of Transworld and get lost in the imagery of this culture that was speaking to me. I never thought I could give back to it by skating so I got into the art and fashion and spectating aspect. Now, after being obsessed with The Berrics and the Skate video games, I was tempted to pick up a board again and revisit a feeling that I haven't had in a while.

I hope to be kick flipping and pulling shuv-its by the time May rolls around.

When I see you.

Style Inspiration Series 4

Shout out to HUF S.F!

It's funny how somethings that are at one time part of a counter culture movement can come to the very front of the culture it was turning away from. When skateboarding started in the 70s (as we know it now) it was viewed as an activity by burnt out stoner surfers to do when the waves weren't hitting. Fast forward more than 30 years and it is a culture that drives commerce and dominates mainstream fashion (too many brands to link too, just trust me) and media (ditto).

I remember back in High School, when I was heavy into "extreme sports", like in-line and skateboarding, some of my more melanin proficient friends told me I was acting "white". They didn't know I first tried skateboarding when I was 7, and my black cousin was the one who taught me how. It's funny how little they actually knew about me or skateboarding. Thanks to Paul "P-Rod" Rodriguez, Terry Kennedy, Pharrell Williams, Lupe Fiasco and countless others ( I see you Eric Koston, Daewon Song, Stevie Williams, Kareem Campbell, Ray Barbee, Christian Hosoi, Steve Cabalero & Chris Pastras et.al) skateboarding has always been accepted (mostly) by "non-whites". More so than the excitement of the sport, it's the style and fashion attributed to the sport that has been picked up upon in recent years. And there's no doubt that those guys I mentioned above have style . Shit, Chris Pastras is a spokeman for WeSC, Pharrell owns Ice Cream/BBC, P-Rod is the Michael Jordan of Skateboarding both in ability and exposure and Steve Cabalero has one of the most successful (read:popular) Signature Skate Shoes of all time. I hope this doesn't seem like too much of a digression, but I felt it could add some depth to the post, y'know, before I get to posting related photos that I found on the interwebs. Even though I could probably write an essay on the impact skateboard culture has on our mainstream pop culture...hmmm...nah, who has the time? (Maybe I should find the time...)

Stolen from the interwebs!!!!

Nike SBs are amongst some of the most coveted limited edition sneakers

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Supra has smashed the market with their Skytops and NS (Non Skate) Collaborations, and mainstream clothing lines sponsor professional skateboarders.

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Thank God I never listened to anyone in High School to tell me how I should be acting or dressing, or doing...or else I wouldn't have know who this guy was (it's Stevie Williams...) when I saw him at Supreme L.A. DGK All Day!!!

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I never really let my affinity towards skateboard culture go. Instead I grew up, and found ways to keep it with me. Shout out to The Hundreds! Shit, I may even buy a board this summer and see if I can still kick-flip. (disclaimer: that is NOT me busting out the kickflip -heelflip?- on The Hundreds deck)...go visit www.theberrics.com if you need a daily skateboarding fix. Bangin'!!!

When I see you...