This happened in September 2017 and i had been off skating for 5-6 months because of a bad ankle injury that wouldn’t heal. Was going thru a pretty rough patch and eventually sold my electric guitar that i had invested alot of money on for the 1/3 of its value to get myself fixed.
Didn’t really know/cared but it was around the time of the Dime glory challenge and it was my 2nd day back on board and i’m skating this park on my own. When i came in, i saw a bunch of “gangster” looking dudes chilling at a corner of the park which i really didn’t pay attention to because i was just stoked to have an empty park to myself.
Start warming myself up: do 2 footplant to tail on the QP, go for a bs bigspin disaster and got it 2nd try and hear clappings coming from the dudes chilling and i just ignored it.
Then i’m on the pyramid about to go down to do a judo plant to tail and hear someone roll up and get off board behind me. I turn around and it’s Jimmy Cao.
I’m like “holy fuck, is this Jimmy Cao?!”. He goes “yeah!” Then i immediately tell him that 30 minutes prior to coming to the park i had just looked up his name on YT expecting to see new footage. Then he cuts me off and says jokingly “and you expected to see me here?”.
I answered back that i didn’t even know he was here and that i just fucking loved his style and his video parts. He thanked me and i told him it was my 2nd day back on board since a bad injury and that i had to sell my guitar in order to get myself fixed. Then he kinda reacted as if he was hurt to hear what i just said and i just said “it’s all good man, shit happens”.
So i ask him if he was here to film for a new Skatemafia video or something and he tells me that he came with the Skatemafia dudes for the Dime glory challenge. So i’m like “no way! I totally forgot about that, wait... is Wes Kremer also there?”
He goes “yeah man! Wes, Jamie, Tyler, all the dudes are there man come chill with us!”
So i go “nah man, i know you guys travel all over the world and have a shit ton of kids annoy you all the time and last thing i want is to bug you guys(i was 26 btw)”.
So he goes back to the crew, they start shredding the park and at some point Wes comes up to me and strikes a conversation with me but i was so dumbfounded that i couldn’t manage to chat with him so it was kinda awkward. Told him i had just gotten back to skating, he told me “get some!” And went back to skating.
A little later Tyler Surrey had been working for a Nollie bs blunt to fakie on the Prefontaine bank right next to the park. At some point i just stood up with a block of parafine and asked if he needed some wax. He just glared at me seemingly pissed and said “yeah...”.
Waxed the bank, threw back to block at me and landed his trick 1st or 2nd try after that. I fucking yelled when he landed it and he came up to me all smiling and shit and fist bumped me.
Later i was chilling on some bleachers talking to some kids and one of the kid told me “hey your friend is gesturing towards you”.
It was Tyler, he had put his board on the bench and gave me a “peace” sign and took off.
Kids told me that i should take the board and i said that i had just bought a new one and i’d rather let someone who needs one take it.
In hindsight, i kinda regret not having taken the board but whatever.
Got 2 more short stories but don’t feel like posting them right now.