After a handful of GIF- and text-based posts, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I simply prefer to make videos. Sure, I enjoy making the endlessly-looping animations and getting a little wild with words, but I miss being on board myself. To make a GIF I set up the tripod, hit record, and wait as the skater-in-question tries and tries again to nail that trick. Though the dope-ass animations may pull you out of reality for just a moment, they have forced me to play a passive role and I will have no more of that! I am a skateboarder and, to maintain my sanity, I must be on my board as often as possible. I have moved on to version 2.0 of my column: 60-seconds of skateboarding in NYC, filled to the brim with the radness that is New York City and its inhabitants.
Steven Vera—team rider for Bustin Boards, Orangatang Wheels, Triple 8, and a slew of other rad companies—called me up the other day and we arranged a meeting in Lower Manhattan. Vera demonstrated what he does best by throwing down some traditional skateboarding moves on a not-so-traditional skateboard, and I rolled alongside as the wind caressed my hair and the smell of warm trash drifted into my nostrils. It was delightful and I cannot wait to do it again.