I first started skateboarding back in ‘92. At that time, skateboarding was not quite as mainstream as it is today; many considered it to be a profligate and rogue activity. The fashion, attitude and culture of the sport were grassroots and niche. Skateboarders did not fit into mainstream fashion circles and the apparel of choice (baggy jeans and tees, hats and sneakers) was heavily ridiculed.

Almost immediately, skateboarders were marked as “druggies”, “hoodlums” and “degenerates” that vandalized public property and had no respect for authority. As a result, many parents discouraged their kids from becoming involved. In their eyes, football or other team sports were more respectable and healthier choices.

In my neighborhood, kids who enjoyed skating away sunny afternoons had more serious things to worry about than what their parents thought. It was not uncommon for groups of anti-skater thugs (aka “homies”) to roam the streets looking for skaters to beat down and sessions to bust up. A group of friends and I were once skating at a local spot when a pack of these skater-hating thugs approached. “Do a fuckin’ trick, skater,” one said. After some resistance, a friend of mine tried to get all fancy and impress them by busting a 360 flip - only to miss and fall. Two seconds after getting up, he was punched square in the face for not landing the trick. This sort of thing was not rare.

In my opinion, the previously mentioned stereotypical adult perceptions and the risk of getting beat down by narrow-minded individuals is what made skateboarding that much more fun. People didn’t skate because it was a trend, or the cool thing to do. They skated because they loved it. And because it wasn’t yet mainstream, the sport was relatively affordable and skate shops were few and far between. I clearly remember being able to by a complete set-up (deck, trucks, and wheels) at Division on Lonsdale in North Vancouver for around 95 bucks.

Fast-forward to the 2000’s

You know that song “I used to love her” by Common? In the song, he talks about how the corporate infiltration of hip-hop is essentially counterproductive to what it’s supposed to be about. Sadly, like hip-hop, skateboarding went mainstream and was pimped-out by execs as well. The result: a destroyed identity, unaffordable prices, and mainstream commercial adoption. Not too long ago, rocking a pair of DC’s indicated you skated, and skaters use to hate on big names like Nike. Now, wearing DC’s means that you have really shitty taste in shoes and SB’s are all the rage.

Unfortunately, hard goods (decks, trucks and wheels) - the most important components for partaking in skateboarding - continued to increase in price as well. That setup you once were able to purchase for under $100 will now run you $200 plus. Recently, I even saw a campaign on Muska’s website encouraging kids not to buy blank skateboard decks because they are jeopardizing the deck industry. Instead kids are encouraged by pro’s to spend $100 on a pro-model with graphics (that just get scraped off anyway), just so they can rake in millions.

All this industry bullshit makes me like non-profit projects like “CreateAskate” so much more. Instead of kids buying overpriced corporate-branded decks, they can attend a DIY program that teaches them to make one from scratch. Overall, the program looks fun, practical and educational. I wish it was around when I was a kid.

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