Absurd Walls

In my experience skaters are the best people to hang out with, and the people I respect most in this world. You simply can't do better. Skateboarders are people who are willing to endure physical pain and fail repeatedly for hours or even days in the pursuit of doing something cool. There's no other reason to skate really. If you're interested in money or power, you'll bounce right off of skating. The people who stick with it do so because they value doing cool stuff more than it costs them in broken wrists and time.

Skaters don't get political, they don't brag about their car or their house, and they don't judge. The only people who can't get along with skaters are cops and posers.

A poser doesn't just mean someone who adopts the skate lifestyle without genuinely caring about skating. Anyone who traffics in bullshit is a poser. Snake Oil Salesmen, Gurus, Politicians. All Posers. Skaters have a knack for identifying these people.

Skaters are also much better than any other group I've encountered in fostering community. In my town, the skaters regularly work together to put on concerts and barbecues. When someone shows up to the skatepark and is willing to push themselves to get better, skaters will be there to help them.

Writing about this feels like stolen valor. I have skated my entire life, but I don't feel that I've earned the distinction of 'skater'. I went to college and got a corporate office job. I don't skate nearly as much as I used to, but no amount of selling out has killed the core identity that brought me to skating, and that skating instilled in me.