Cuba's Skate Revolution - Part 1
Cuba's Skate Revolution by: Bryce Kanights
Throughout my lifetime as a skateboarder I've been more than fortunate to visit and explore far-reaching countries and diversified cultures all over this planet. However, none of those previous travel destinations come close to the surreal experience that I witnessed while on the streets of Cuba. This rare juggernaut of travel all began with an invitation from Dirty Jersey's very own Chris Nieratko with an invitation join him and several others for a goodwill journey to provide skateboards and goods to the Cuban skaters. Without any hesitation, I was all in - committed to the plan come hell or high water, despite the illegality of it all. My father and brother had visited Havana in the late 90s and returned with great stories of the Cuban culture and people with stunning photographs to back up their enthusiastic accounts - and ever since, I became attracted to visit the visually alluring, yet politically charged Caribbean island forbidden by US travelers.
Our collective and skate able crew included Chris and his pregnant wife Cris Nieratko, my wife Donna, Skatepark of Tampa's Barak Wiser, Rob Meronek, Ryan Clements and his fiancé Jenna Becker, Quim Cardona, Felipe Agudelo (owner of four skateshops in Columbia and discoverer of David Gonzales), Red Bull's team riders Ron Deily and Zered Bassett and his girlfriend Jenna Perry, Rick McCrank, Mike Anderson, Scuba Steve Chalme, and Tum Yeto's Tod Swank. Argentine filmmaker, Red Bull field rep and now part time Cuban resident Tomas Crowder was our group's connection and guide for this tour to Havana.
With his help and understanding of the Cuban government's inner workings we were able to clear customs at Havana's airport and roll more than 10 large travel bags full of skateboard gear, a half dozen board boxes and products into a land where the small population of skate starved kids really needed them. Tomas soon coined our weeklong mission to Havana as "Operation Skate Revolution" and from there on out, that is exactly what we set out to accomplish.
For the past few months Tomas had been in production with his new documentary film, "The Other Che" which features Havana's legendary skater/tattoo artist Che A. Pando Napoles (nicknamed after Che Guevara) who in his mid thirties is armed with DYI convictions and ethics to inspire and improve Cuba's small and fledgling skate community. While we were in town, Tomas proposed to document our visit and our interaction with Che and the Cuban skaters including a planned skate demo with the pro skaters from our group and the delivery of skate goods that we hauled into the country with us. His film crew was on hand and we were down for the cause. All systems go.
en aprox dos sem estare en cuba y me gustaria saber en que zonas de la hababa se concentra el skate me gustaria compartir y practiar alla! saludos y larga vida al skate!!!!!!!!!!!
Skating is a great. It is sometimes thrilling as well. Some antisocial people use skateboard to steel from someone and flee away. Havana is the place where a lot of people are interested to skate. I will definitely go their with some skate boards and distribute among their local people.
The bulk of the skating in Cuba takes place in the capital city Havana, which is absolutely sick for skating. To get a lot of skaters, the best place is a street called G23. If you get there with a load of skate boards you can speak to Che. He knows the demand there. The Cubans just love to skate.
I am a little Cuban skater and we are very grateful for the support that you drink to us to be able to develop the sports of skating in hogshead, We Would Like Very Much if we may maintain an intervening communication the mail, thank you very much
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thanks to all of you for your support to the cuban skateboarding family, really thanks for all, we hope to see you soon again. skate for life.