https://www.skateism.com/lets-put-this-shit-to-bed/Intro:
Of all skateboarding’s ill-defined buzzwords, “core” seems to be the most popular and the most open to interpretation. It could describe a skater-owned company, a commitment to VX1000 footage and backside flips, or a sweaty skater icing their black eye with a PBR after being knocked down in a moshpit. Core is a rejection of authorities outside of skateboarding and reverence for those within it. It’s a strict set of values, a moral and aesthetic code for skaters who want to fit into established skate culture and, subsequently, gatekeep it. Core can mean that an individual is authentic in their dedication to skateboarding or just that they wear Vans and skate Anti Hero boards. With so many definitions, does core really mean anything at all? Or is it just a made-up nonsense word like hipster or liberty? Hoping to arrive at some objective definition of core, I reached out to the moguls of alternative skate media for their thoughts. Their answers varied enormously, proving that core is in fact completely subjective. There were, however, a few definitions that everyone generally recognized: 1) core is an aesthetic, based on clothing and trick selection, 2) core is about supporting skater-owned brands and shops, and 3) core is just about sincerely loving skateboarding and building a community around it.
Words by Max Harrison-Caldwell