What’s up, everybody! I’m 31 years old. I was born and raised in eastern Pennsylvania and am now living it up down in sunny South Florida. I started skateboarding with my older brother after getting my first board for Christmas in 1999.
It was a Toy Machine deck with the iconic mutated fists graphic, and I loved it. From then on, I would eat, sleep and breathe skateboarding. If you weren’t obsessed with skating, we didn’t really have anything in common.
Considering how much time I spent on my board, I progressed quickly and worked my way into earning a couple of sponsorships. I went on tour with 5boro skateboards as a youngin’, was flowed shoes by Nike Sb and Osiris before that. I also rode for a local skate shop. Then, as I gained more exposure, my passion for this beautiful art started to fade. I experienced a few recurring injuries and then slowly fell out of love with my obsession in my later high school years.
I started having other interests that aligned with the kids in my neighborhood, and that easy-going lifestyle appealed to me for a while. Keep in mind, I loved to skate, but I took my craft about as seriously as you could almost immediately. So, after some time, it started feeling more like a job than a passion, and the love began to gradually diminish.
During this hiatus away from Skate Life, I developed some passions I still value to this day. I’m very health oriented, so I love to work out, run, shoot hoops, eat well, meditate, and take in the sunshine. I’m actually in the process of becoming a health and wellness coach to help people feel better and live healthier lives.
Let’s get back to why we’re here. So, about 3 years ago, I was getting a haircut at the barbershop. One of the barbers brought his skateboard in, and I asked if he would let me rip it around the parking lot for a bit. His trucks were too loose for my liking, but that experience was still enough to reignite my flame, so I went and bought a board the next day.
But what really brought my love back for skateboarding was when I tragically lost my older brother in 2022. It devastated me and presented extreme challenges to my mental health. I developed severe anxiety and thought I would never escape the trauma.
And then skateboarding came back into my world full force, ultimately saving my life. The feeling I get when I push around my smooth, blacktopped neighborhood streets is better than anything else in this world. I skate every single day again and I’m starting to get consistency and style back with every session. I’m forever thankful for this beautiful creation, and I’m so psyched to be back on my board.