The mid 80's in America saw the decline of vert skating, and the closing of skateparks across the country. The sport was once again truly underground, left to a hardcore group of kids that would not give it up. Skate or die, they used to say. So they found new places to skate on the street. Handrails and stairs in front of office buildings and malls, park benches, the curb, anywhere. Usually in public, often while being chased by security guards.
Street skating has evolved in America with the rise in popularity of the sport in general. The old slogan, skateboarding is not a crime doesn't really apply any more. It's not a crime - it has gone mainstream. Many skateparks include all the rails and curbs, eliminating the need to run from the cops. Street skaters can now have a viable career as a pro.
Those kids in Havana remind me of the original street skaters from the late 80's and early 90's. They will skate on anything, anywhere. Watching them, I wished they could come skate our beautiful Venice Skatepark, and I also realized that street skaters in America have it easy. Many kids here don't really know what street skating used to be.
Skaters in Havana make their own skateparks out of public spaces. Fortunately for them, every fountain is dry, so they get a broom, sweep them out and skate in them. Public benches, handrails, the curb - anywhere. I saw young kids practicing ollies on broken concrete and dirt. If you can do it there, you can do it anywhere!
In Cuba, a phrase left over from Che's revolution 52 years ago. Patriar o Muerte, looms on a public monument, meaning "fatherland or death." They were born long after that revolution, but in the way that all boys must, they are forming their own. Their leader is ironically named Che, and their motto seems to be, Patinar o Muerte. Skate or die.
Oh, and I'm pretty sure they have skated on that monument. Definitely while being chased by guards. These guys are the Original Street Skaters.
Ahi na'ma!
Posted by: Betty Esperanza | 05/29/2011 at 09:33 PM
Awesome! So good to see these shots. Well done.
Posted by: Lisa Brockman | 06/01/2011 at 08:38 AM
Amazing Ashly, thanks a lot by this pictures!
Posted by: Elvis | 06/02/2011 at 12:08 PM
So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :)
Posted by: supra shoes | 10/25/2011 at 10:01 AM
http://legalusdrugstore.com/10.jpg
penn presbyterian medical center pharmacy http://legalexclusivepharmacy.com/catalog/Depression/Lithium.htm cvs pharmacy hours Brand Cialis kmart pharmacy recruiter iowa ambien cr pharmacy online
Posted by: beequeVinee | 02/13/2012 at 12:58 AM