England has a long & rich skate history. From the historic Radlands contests in the 1990’s which helped put guys like Geoff Rowley, Tom Penny & more English skaters on the map, to Southbank which has been skated since the 1970’s.
Check out this piece SLS created with the help of Geoff Rowley, Korahn Gayle, Winstan Whittier, Paul Richards, Long Live Southbank, Jenna Selby & Louis Woodhead. Donate & learn more about Long Live Southbank’s mission to restore sections that have been closed off since 2004. Go to llsb.com and follow them on Instagram at @longlivesouthbank!
The Kroksbäck Skatepark was originally built in Malmö, Sweden for the Vans Park Series World Championship final in 2016. Once the event was over the skatepark was left behind for the city to enjoy and what has developed since is more than we expected. In particular, a group of local kids have picked up skateboarding for the first time and have made the skatepark their second home. This is a story about that community and the power of skateboarding.
Our journey with Nate Viands started over 3 years ago when his Dad Scott reached out to REAL after Nate was diagnosed with Leukemia a few months before his 4th birthday.
Nate couldn’t play normal sports with other kids because of the shared germs that could be life threatening to his weakened immune system. Scott, who had grown up skating in Philly but had been off the board for over a decade, thought he could use skateboarding as a way for them both to take their minds off the rigorous cancer treatments. A quick trip to Exit Skateshop and Nate has been skating relentlessly ever since…
A simple ‘Thank You for making a board small enough for my son’ message has grown into a friendship with the Viands family that REAL wouldn’t trade for anything.
REAL flew Nate out to SF to surprise him with a new Actions REALized board to raise money for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Needless to say he skated non-stop the entire time.
See all the photos from his trip to SF as well as the LTD REALentless Board and Shirt, benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on https://actionsrealized.com.
Don’t stop pushing Nate. Just take a break once and awhile, you’re making the rest of the team look bad…
Matt Pepe drops this edit from the Jam For Jack Event WINNERS- 16 & Under: Payce Kessler, Logan Truesdell, Jeremy Plyer. 2 Trick Line: Leeym Kessler, Brandon Sandt, Jeremy Plyer. Speed Shades Race: Jeremy Plyer & Leeym Kessler. 6 Stair Best Trick: Brandon Sandt, Leeym Kessler, Logan Truesdell. Game of SKATE: Dan Seaton.
The youth of Arvin, California rallied to get a skatepark in their small agricultural town. With the help of the Tony Hawk Foundation and local community organizations, they convinced their local leaders to support their efforts, and this was the result. It’s amazing what a little youthful energy and optimism can do!
