It’s that time of the week where we all get to gather around the table at lunch, kind of like that scene in Mean Girls, to talk about what’s hot in skateboarding while we count calories and are secretly dying inside from social anxiety. These are the rules: On Wednesdays we wear pink and on Fridays we talk skateboarding. That’s so fetch!
Words by Maria Lima
First of all, before you read on, take 2 minutes out of your busy day and head over to sign the petition created to save the legendary Brooklyn Banks. The iconic spot of well-placed red bricks that you’ve seen in countless NYC edits is facing destruction. Brooklyn Banks is more than a physical place. It is a symbol of a culture, a place of gathering and community. Recent development plans and gentrification of neighbourhoods are a real threat to keeping important skateboarding history alive. We witnessed the same thing happening when the city wanted to put turf over the asphalt in Tompkins Square Park. You don’t even have to leave your house, just move your finger and do a few clicks and make a difference. Your voice matters, use it!
Friday 15th the video premiere of Mariah Duran and Jenn Soto for Adidas Skateboarding drops. Get the snacks ready, you know this is gonna be good. Mariah and Jenn have such a flow and a bag of tricks that really compliment each other. To my knowledge, Tyler Smolinski is involved with the filming which is equally promising. What’s sicker than getting a shoe with your name on it? Getting a shoe with your friend’s name on it. Congrats to both!
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In other news, Mason Silva now rides for Real skateboards. Good move! To be honest I can’t remember what he was on before? Ah yes, Element! It seems like everyone is leaving Element, am I right? Who knows why? I’m serious though, do you know? Give me the gossip.
Jenkem posted a great guide to filming yourself. It’s actually incredibly useful but it’s also a little bit sad (*insert Akon lyrics*). I miss hugging my friends after they land that trick they spent hours trying while I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. But then again, some of my best sessions have been when no one was waiting for me and I could take my time landing a trick. So go out there, get that awkward butt angle and make the local parking lot look fabulous. Also while you’re over at Jenkem be sure to check out the interview with Una Farrar aka Lil Tubsy.
Speaking of hanging out with friends, Jesse Alba posted a clip of him doing exactly that. A very wholesome feel-good edit that will make you wanna go drop in on some weird fence and land on your face.
Let’s now travel to Scandinavia for some news regarding the Swedish skateboarding culture and a documentary that was made to showcase it. Sweden is known for its yummy cardamom knots, its skateboarding high schools, and also being a country where it’s nearly impossible to buy alcohol, which is why people usually just go to Copenhagen instead. This documentary though is really cool and insightful if you’re interested in how skateboarders can team up with the government and cultural institutions to make skateboarding more accessible and understood by non-skaters. Do we care about being understood, I don’t know, but we do care about not being kicked out of a spot. And sometimes that requires a certain understanding.
Thursday May 14th 2020 marked one year since Ben Raemers, skateboarding’s best smile, took his own life. We all miss him. As you probably noticed on Instagram, Ben’s family and The Ben Raemers Foundation started the hashtag #SMiLeForRaemers to keep the memory of Ben alive and to end the stigma that often clouds issues of mental health within the skateboarding community. Remember it’s always a good day to check in on your friends. If you see they’re going through something, ask them if they are okay and if they need anything. There are many ways to reach out, even in these days of social distancing. Let’s take care of each other and not just ‘shut up and skate’.
