6 years ago, @the_papa_les interviewed me for a "Day Jobs" feature in @skateslate. I anticipated a small feature tucked within the print mag. Lo and behold, my good friend @maxdubler (a phenomenal photographer & industry mainstay) surprised me with this cover. It was a surreal moment and an honor for which I'm still incredibly grateful. There are lots of elements to the photo - some obvious, like the @midsvan #M4L & @pushculture patches, #MidsLids helmet and OG Midsboy @eastcoastmac chasing me down in his vintage M5; some subtle, like the left sleeve of my leathers bulging from my wrist brace and KT tape, with a G-Form padded slide puck backer / extender. (I had purchased a Push Culture Season Pass and raced all year with a broken scaphoid, before finally getting surgery). In terms of @emgeeevents context, I was only hosting 2 events, neither of which were IDF-sanctioned: #CentralMass6, the biggest-ever @centralmassskatefestival with $5,000 prize purse and over 400 competitors; and the ill-fated #BurkeFreeride. (Good riddance to Ary Quiros Jr. & Sr.; they’re finally facing prison time btw.) Soon after, I would take the reins of both #KillingtonWC and #GravityFest, building out a 3-event series and season pass product of my own. Thanks to Marc Dean and Neil “DrNo” Orta for entrusting me to carry the torch and build upon their organizing efforts. Fortunately, what the photo *doesn't* show is that I had missed the apex and taken a sub-optimal outside line, while filming with longtime @orangatangwheels teammate @colinmartian. With the longboard industry going through a pretty serious resurgence, it’s fun to reminisce on the years past and think about where things will go from here. I’m happy to remain entrenched in the industry after all these years, through all its ups and downs. I remain true to the closing words in my interview: “My experience is local shops are the backbone of skating… behind each shop is an owner who spends hard-earned money to invest in brands, support the scene and hopefully break even. People run shops because they love skateboarding and their community. Support your local shop!” Action 📸s: Max Dubler, Killington and Burke VT, 2015 (at Killington Resort) https://www.instagram.com/p/CShpJuCpy_2/?utm_medium=tumblr
