Auto Body & Paint
Ethiopian Khris (EC) stands on Anaheim Street in front of an ‘Auto Body and Paint’ business. He stands his ground next to a giant crack in the road in a land of earthquakes and gorgeous golden sunsets. EC has an automatic body built for the physical demands of dropping hammers first go. There’s something more important than the body and exterior paint: the rider’s personality.
When he skates he gives his best. The Little Caesar’s graphic paint bounces light onto the street. The character eats a slice of pizza ‘all day’ inside the laurel’s wreath as a picture of how often one practices skateboarding tricks. There’s another skateboarder, clutching his skateboard like books and folders down a high school hallway. He’s clothed with maroon jeans and a clean white t-shirt and walks westward to begin his skateboarding sessions at ‘Ghetto Park’.
EC’s shirt is emblematic of the skateboarder’s dream of pushing forward to become all they can be in the action-sport they love. There’s a sick sense of envy in the successive lines of questions that are comprehensively built up toward the crescendo of being a professional skateboarder. There exists a hierarchy of products and distribution based on merit from local skateboarding shops’ sponsorship of local skateboarders. The shop recruits, both corporate and mom and pop, the young ripper.
A simple t-shirt begins the relationship between the shop owner and skateboarder to more expensive items like skateboards, skateboard hardware and shoes as their ability and skill level becomes more proficient and noteworthy among the skate locality. The word on the street spreads fast. The arrayed apparel and essential equipment does not last long according to the duration and dedication graphic per rider; it’ll need refreshing.
During the pursuit of a greater level of skateboard trick proficiency the statistics are not know in regards to how many boards, bearings, wheels and the like will snap, break or wear down to uselessness. Skateboarders in this district of Long Beach operate on shoestring budgets for the supplies to skate like the shoestring holding up their jeans. Often times professional skateboarders give away their clothes, shoes and skateboard hardware to the youth who they often see at skate locales like historic Cherry Park. EC is by no means a skateboarder who’d wear a shirt like this considering his professional ability not only in skateboarding, but also in clown dancing as featured on the documentary film ‘Rize’ and jujitsu. He’s got his own story. However, he has aspirations like other skateboarders no matter what level they’re at. He’d like to achieve more by daily putting forth the demanding fundamentals. His drive goes deeper inside the created soul than the words written by a brand maker.
“Can I have: your shirt? your board? your shoes? your life?” Regardless of where these products come from a shop, friend or industry skateboarder it’s a sign of being cared for and to keep pushing forward. The brand name of a skateboard company is easily screen printed onto a cotton shirt to remind and carry forth their mission. The next step upward within the context of sponsorship between a company and notable skateboarders is a deck with their signature style painted on the belly of the board.
One of the top ways a professional skateboarder is distinguished from other company riders is when a pro-model shoe is designed for their particular style and functional use in the field. Given so much attention in the spotlight of a company produced video parts, magazine ads and articles, skate tours and interviews, the professional skateboarder takes on a larger than life persona.
The life, as written on the t-shirt, is fulfilling the purpose given to you in the form of talent, treasure and time. The pro-rider gets to do what he or she loves. The few that reach this level of recognition and market sustainability give back in many ways to the resource challenged communities where skate parks are being built by major skate companies, politicians and the thriving local skateboarding community. Living your life is paramount.
The influential push of how top pro-riders live their lives through adversity and triumph trickles down to the hundreds of youths who pack out local skate parks. They keenly search, read and watch their favorite pro-riders careers progress and add it to modify their own work in progress until they receive the next promotion.
What is the essence of life? There is destruction and creation all around us. Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”