While RiverFest was winding down, these skaters were just getting started, at the skate park down from the YMCA — Every type of skater: blades, skates, boards. And all customized to the extreme: some sets of roller blades have been made custom with Air Jordan toppers, which seem to be pretty popular.
Skateboarding used to be a simple way to practice surfing when you couldn’t get to the ocean, now the tradition is nearing 70 years in the making, and hotter than ever.
One of the fun things about going to a skate competition is the variety of people: just about every type of person in San Angelo was watching these skaters dig in, as they swooped and rode the rails.
Austin, a local skater, breaks down his routine for getting the perfect ride:
“Just wax on the bottom, to protect the graphic, and then I rebuild the trucks every three or four times—you typically don’t want to do it too often or the bearings wear out…”
On the sidelines, skaters swapped tips about the best modifications, and discussed the benefits of one skate park to another.
