Man, I could write a book on all the different groups I've been part of over the years—they all seem to end the same way. I'll just stick to the originals but change their names for privacy.
First, there's Mike, my next-door neighbor. We decided to become skateboarders together one day. He ended up taking the traditional path, working hard, starting a family, and doing the typical family things. No skating. Then there's my second skate friend, John. He was into skating too but got sidetracked by a girl, and they both ended up addicted to meth, which led to a lot of shady situations that nearly destroyed his life. Thankfully, in the last few years, he’s turned things around, found a great partner, earned his GED, and now works three jobs, seeming to really crush it.
Steve, John's former brother-in-law, was also one of my closest skate friends. We put in so much effort skating together, but he succumbed to the same fate. Influenced by his mother and sister, who have caused a lot of damage, he ended up losing control to drugs, cycling in and out of jail, and was recently arrested again for possessing a controlled substance in a school zone.
Our friend Rick ended up in prison for many years after nearly killing someone with a belt buckle. His life has been full of tragic events, and frankly, he's been a terrible father. Then there’s David, who became a recluse, likely due to meth addiction, lost all his teeth, and ended up marrying his cousin's ex-wife, raising his cousin’s kids. It’s a bizarre situation.
And then there’s Eric. His story mirrors the others with drugs and alcohol leading to multiple children being taken away by CPS.
All these devastating outcomes stemmed from their own actions, compounded by drug abuse, toxic relationships, and alcohol. It's clear there’s some deep psychological patterns here, likely tied back to their upbringing—many were abused as children, mimicking the destructive behaviors they saw at home.
I thought my childhood was messed up, but seeing this cycle continue is heartbreaking. It's tough watching people you grew up with making the local news for all the wrong reasons.
TLDR: None of them skate anymore. Their lives were derailed by drugs, alcohol, and toxic relationships.