What happened to the kids you started skating with?

[fs1/2cab]

I'm from the suburbs of Berlin, low income area. I started skating 2003. From the people I started with, only one skates occassionally every few weeks. I try to go skate at least once a week no matter the weather.

Way too many people in the last 20 years to list them here. A few fell to drugs and booze. One older guy I often skated with works at a Vans store and still follows skateboarding but his back is kinda fucked.

From the crew around my age, most of them turned out fine. There is one who completely stopped skating because his ex girlfriend skated too. But he was/is an idiot anyway and was always blaming others for his problems.

It's not easy nowadays to get the whole crew together because of jobs, families and general adult responsibilities. Since the last year, I try to film a video but that will take a lot of time and we are all 30+ now.

[Air-Bear]

None of the 9yo pre-skatepark crew still skate. 
Kid 1 works in retail. Kid 2 now has a really good logistics job at a hospital. We sometimes go snowboarding together and he kinda keeps up to date on skating. Kid 3 is a meteorologist, that is all I know.

I started skating again when I was 15 and the local skatepark crew was pretty big. The kids I actually started with.

1. became a tattoo artist. He's the most ridiculously talented transition skater I know. Maybe steps on a board twice a year to do some barefoot backside airs.
2. Moved to a big city to get his second university degree. He still skates sometimes.
3. Became a (actually sucessful) musician, doesn't skate anymore. But he was never that into it anyway.
4. Is now an engineer and skates a lot.
5. Builds pumptracks, MTBK tracks, skateparks etc. He still skates sometimes but he has mostly switched to two wheels.

All in all, I think we turned out healthy enough. Everyone who's left over from back in the day has formed one big crew. Even some of the guys who taught me how to skate 15years ago still show up to the park sometimes.

[SHAQUEEFA]

My first neighborhood skate crew ..... Sheesh I think I'm the only one that doesn't have a criminal record. I grew up in a slightly above middle class neighborhood. Very regular looking houses, like I remember when the first 2 story house was built in the neighborhood and couldn't believe it.

But anyway, here is the lineup.

Chris - Did time I'm not sure for what but he was definitely chain smoking cigs and starting to get into weed at 14.
          Sometimes I drive through the old hood when I'm in the area just to look at everything. Saw him once in the garage
          of his parents house and decided not to stop. His little sister also became a stripper with a record.

Mikey and Stevie - two brothers with kinda young parents. Pretty sure both did time, but I know for sure Mikey did. Saw him
                            at a gas station randomly like 7-8 years ago and reluctantly gave him my phone number. He proceeded to
                            hit me up for weed and pills for the 2 months. Had to block him.

Aaron - Another young derelict. Did time for drugs and robbery I believe, but came out of it completely normal, did his
           community service at Salvation Army Thrift Store, and now he is the manager of the store. Total rehabilitation story.
            I actually saw him today when I went thrifting, he wears a tie to work everyday and seems to be doing really well.

Looking back I'm kinda surprised how these criminals came out of this normal ass neighborhood with normal ass houses and normal ass decent parents. I'm the only one that didn't break bad, besides all the criminal trespassing I did for the purpose of street skating.

[4Times4]

Since I'm old, at least 3 of my local kids growing up died. 1 as far back as the late 80s, 2 over the decades since. Others quit when street got popular and got married and only one other guy skated with me until our 40s, till he broke a hip and it ended him.

[hotservicedeli]

Sometimes I feel cringe to be the last left who still skates and other times pretty stoked i’m the last one of all my original friends who still skates. I try not to overthink why people in my life I knew who were die hard skate rats just all quit. Like all of them.. I really like that Jake Phelps quote, “If skateboarding ever gets too scary for you, then you were never meant to skate in the first place.” I think that applies to so much in life.

[Star Whores Episode I: The Fellatio Menace]

We had a little skate team in high school and would spend all year making monthly montages and full length videos.

For the ones I know about:

- One died in a car accident.
- Another became a sex predator.
- Another moved to SF and became homeless.

[Cousin Avi]

been skating with the same crew for 20+ years. Last year town hall opened a public skatepark and that's our HQ right now. Love them to pieces, even though we are reaching 40 as we speak.

[Allez_Jambon]

One of my friends brought a grenade to a gas station and only got around 30 bucks before getting caught and did a bid.

Another was caught up in the biggest heroin sale in the county. Idk who was doing what so he opened a barber shop and still scheming. I remember he used to collect Goosebumps books but couldn't read.

Another went away for a gun charge and which was more or less self defense (the way I've been told at least) and is also operating the barber shop. He's getting back into skating and is somehow not bad.

Another was in and out (new york and florida i think) and became a male stripper before returning to skating. He had a Riff Raff look going on doing switch varial heels down stuff. Rest in Peace.

The rest have normal townie lives but it's not interesting to mention. We still hang out to drink and grill when I go back home. One picked up the board again and is still really good. They all still think of skateboarding and have been watching more videos recently. It's funny seeing them come downtown with DVS Getz and 7.75 DGK boards from way back.

[rocklobster]

This thread started out entertaining and got depressing in a hurry.

[Heshrat]

A lot quit because injuries, my roommate and I grew up skating together and all our friends including myself who still skate diss him for getting kind of fat after quitting. He’ll hop on my board once in a while and mess around thought when we’re out
A lot of my friends in high school got into smoking weed and wanted to sit on the couch all day. I liked to smoke too but I always wanted to go out and skate.
Sometimes the park is empty and sometimes the park is full, I skate regardless

[OldieButFrenchie]

been skating with the same crew for 20+ years. Last year town hall opened a public skatepark and that's our HQ right now. Love them to pieces, even though we are reaching 40 as we speak.

Jealous. Hold on to it man....I rarely get to see the old crew, a lot of us live in different cities now.

anyways interesting thread (some of the stories are fucked! and jail seems to be a recurring theme in the US, kinda scary)
as for me, gonna mix 2 successive groups here....let's say my 80's bros and then 90s bros.

- one became a pretty famous designer. Still skates every once in a while. Surfs more.
- two work in IT, with families and pour their energy into ultratrails/marathons. it seems to be as consuming as skating was.
- one wanted to get away from society and lives in super secluded/foresty area....builds wooden furniture, also still skates every once in a while
- one started a business to take tourists on boating trips around Marseille. Still skates a bit I think....

I think I'm the only one still riding regularly at the moment. everyone turned out pretty good (except one BMXer adjacent to our crew who killed himself a few years back, maybe from CTE). and everyone bar one guy had kids !

[mrosk8]

first time in a long time reading 4 pages of comments here
nice one

[CHONGO]

Everyone either got heavily into wrenching on cars (still skated), went pro, or work just took over.

[tony volume]

Well, one became a Barber and I think he still occasionally skates, and moved to the phoenix, AZ area. Another one became a successful Tattoo Artist in the Longview, WA area and doesn’t skate much anymore. The most successful in skateboarding became a touring punk rock artist, then became a Trans Skater we all know as Cher Stauberry, haven’t talked to her much since I left for the Navy in 2019. Another one stopped skateboarding and got a DUI then moved up to Portland, got sober, had a kid, and I think he’s either in AZ or back home in the east bay.

I’m still skateboarding, but I work in the Maritime industry, make electronic music, and I am married and have a baby.

[ok boomer]

I'm from the suburbs of Berlin, low income area. I started skating 2003. From the people I started with, only one skates occassionally every few weeks. I try to go skate at least once a week no matter the weather.

Way too many people in the last 20 years to list them here. A few fell to drugs and booze. One older guy I often skated with works at a Vans store and still follows skateboarding but his back is kinda fucked.

From the crew around my age, most of them turned out fine. There is one who completely stopped skating because his ex girlfriend skated too. But he was/is an idiot anyway and was always blaming others for his problems.

It's not easy nowadays to get the whole crew together because of jobs, families and general adult responsibilities. Since the last year, I try to film a video but that will take a lot of time and we are all 30+ now.

This is why I don’t skate

[diplodocus]

None of them really skate anymore. I'm the last man standing. However one of them is filthy rich now, and just built a mini in his massive garage.

[CarcassToss]

Grew up in PHX AZ. Two acquaintances are current pros.

Out of the ~12 of us that skated the same parks and didn't end up with the Happy Medium group, 1 got really into cycling and has a normal job, one is super into Crossfit and BJJ and still skates once a week or so on the same setup he rode in 2007 and rips, 2 are my age with normal jobs and we skate 2-3x/week, and the rest are either dead or in jail. Opiates hit the area incredibly hard and we were all fairly well off kids which meant we had money to buy pills with or ways to get things easily despite the cost.

[MC3]

My best friend who I started skating with, the summer after we graduated high school, had an injury at a pool party that essentially paralyzed him from the chest down, with limited hand and arm movement. Had a few very rough years trying to get his life back in order. I've stayed close with him this whole time, and we still talk skating here and there. He's found new creative outlets (music, art, design) and we share common interests in those. Selfishly, I miss skating with him. The type of person who not only is fun to skate with, but actively motivates you to be better, whether that be friendly competition or just hyping you up. I'm really proud of him, he graduates college in a few weeks.

[50mm]

They are around...

The only one that still skates is an arrogant and insecure fuck that can't kickflip after 20 years. Everyone else in our group, despite our flaws, can actually have an honest and personal conversation and grew up. This guy never dealt with his problems and will put on different personalities for the different people that he may come across in a way so obvious that I find him revolting. On top of that, a shitty fucking friend. We've all been shitty friends at certain points in our lives but this one took it the furthest and never stopped.

[Jewel Runner]

We still get together at dinners every once in a while except for a friend that left the country and the only thing we know about him is thru Instagram stories

We had a big group of skaters but these are the ones that I keep contact with

1. works at a bank and is killing it on the stock market
2. works at an automotive factory
3. also works at an automotive factory and stopped skating because of a hernia on his back
4. used to work at a music magazine but turned to computer engineering

Only number 4 skates regularly but we haven't skated together in at least a year

Fortunately there weren't any drug/jail/death stories in our group nor our skate scene

[krookedjuice]

2 of the long time skate friends still skate.
aging and having real jobs and not living within 10 minutes of each other put a damper on skating

My best friend who was always down to skate and got me into skating unfortunately passed away right before the pandemic.

I definitely still hang with the crew still which i can appreciate.

[Anti waxxer]

My next door neighbor broke his shoulder when we were 15 and quit so he could surf. Now lives in Poland and rides crazy ass downhill mountain bike stuff.

Another friend became a Wall Street asshole that hasn’t skated in countless years.

Couple guys became big time photo/ video production people and I see them skate once in a blue moon.

Couple guys overdosed years ago but they hadn’t been skating

They all trip out that I skate as much as I do still and in my head I think to myself I don’t skate enough anymore.

[Jim and Dan]

Let's see:

1. One still skates, talk to him and see him every couple of years. Battled years of alcoholism, won't skate tranny after a hang-up on a pivot fakie in a pool resulted in a medivac for severe head trauma, got sober and now lives in his parents old house working masonry like his father did.
2. One had a kid at 16, fucked off for a while and now apparently has his shit together, doesn't skate.
3. One died of a drug overdose a couple years back.
4. One completely disappeared, always wondered what happened to him, his skating was so fucking rad even though he didn't skate much.
5. One I think battled addiction for quite a while, got clean, started a family and got back into skating in his 30s. I just saw some recent footage of him that got me really psyched.
6. If anyone knows what "Fred" Dunlop is doing, please let me know.
7. The last one is a current drug dealer and felon, always seemingly getting into some kind of serious trouble.

[Dr-Feelgood]

Same old story, life gets in the way.
One guy married with kids, moved away, probably has skated for years.
Other guy married kid, skates sometimes when i come visit but too busy to consistently skate and i dont get to see him enough anymore.
Other guy, dont communicate with anymore.
Other guy a coward who never really skated but pretended to like it cause it was cool to fit in i guess.

[bhristian]

Started skating in like 08/09 was homeschooled 6th and 7th grade but had two kids down the street I learned with then they moved never heard from them again

Skated pretty much solo until end of sophmore year created a crew cause my schools other crew wouldn't let me join. Out of the 8 kids that was in the crew I am the only one who stuck with skating after high school. My best friend only really skated in the crew for like 6 months then quit and joined the Navy. Everyone else got caught in either trying to be a rapper or working regular 9-5s. Funny enough I still currently skate with the only two kids from the rival crew that kept at it

I ended up joining the Navy as well and ended up making friends with the only other 2 skaters in the unit and like 3 civilians. We have all since left the military and moved to different states but we play Skater XL with each other all the time and go on skate trips with each other at least once a year and make crew videos from the trips.

Side note its crazy hearing how many of yall homies got into cars and quit, as I got heavy into cars and still am yet I still skate at least twice a week. How else am I gonna get to the park and these spots

[Groondor the Orc]

Everyone grew up into a sad middle aged man, they’re either fat losers with desk jobs or cucks with kids and some controlling bitch running their lives.

I’m the only one still free, single, living in my car, go anywhere drink all day skate all day. Fuck those losers anyway they chose that life.

[Banned from the room]

Idk where Abe is. He the good good homie who got me back on tricks. He was having some physical issues that got him off the board and on BMX. Which he's pretty fuckin good at.

Last time we spoke I didn't understand how I could help my bro. It was painful.

[SwitchNollieHeel]

All I’m getting from this, is that I need to check in on my life long skate homies before it’s too late. RIP TO ALL THE HOMIES LOST 😞

[OctopusJack]

• Jimmy O - Got too lost in the sauce on Hunter S. Thompson books, tried emulating what he did and drank himself into a fatass that stopped skating
• Patches - Too much weed smoking and useless shit going to jail repeatedly, fucked off to Colorado and still a mess
• Nate - Quit and became an insane power lifter and is built like a god damn mountain
• Tommy - Got himself a classic car, remodeled it and mostly focuses on doing mechanic stuff now
• Chuckie - Another car story, still does cars and HVAC but does dirt biking now
• Chris - New York living got a hold of him, he was good as shit and just let the skating go by the way side which was real sad. Out of all of us he was probably the only one with a real shot of at least getting sponsored. I just hear he got hooked on gambling sadly
• Vince - got into farming, bought a property off the grid with no internet but build a mini ramp on it, does electrician work
• Me - still skating and traveling, moved across the country and no fucks given what happens at this point
• Everyone else I can think of - Just slowly quit and just partied and got into that bullshit frat life in college and became alcoholics and cocaine addicts

Where I'm from, we really didn't have much as far as skate spots or even a decent skatepark for several years. I tell some people where I'm from as far as skating goes and people say how the fuck were you able to manage to skate anything, there's barely shit out there. Traveling and skating was the only way to keep me away from being bored as shit all the time

[CocoSantiagosKitten]

Meth, jail, MAGA, graphic designer, college professor, bodybuilder, MMA, Jesus, commercial actor... I think I'm the only one still actively skating.