Last weekend I chilled with Philly’s finest skateboarder, Stevie Williams. Skating since his early teens, Stevie is credited with popularizing skateboarding among black youth.  Once Stevie recognized how much of an impact he’s had on the sport, as well as how much it has enhanced his life, he successfully transitioned from skateboarding to the boardroom.  A few of Stevie’s business ventures include building a multimillion dollar lifestyle skating company named Dirty Ghetto Kids or DGK for short, Educate to Skate Foundation, and a skate mansion debuting in Atlanta later this summer.  He’s also been featured in all five of Tony Hawk’s video games—American Wasteland, Project 8, Proving Ground, Tony Hawk Ride, and the newest release Tony Hawk Shred. Even with the amount of success he’s attained at the young age of 30, the international skateboarding icon isn’t content.  He is continuously brainstorming new ways to build an empire as well as give back to the same community that helped raise him.

While in Philly, Stevie and I were joined by ESPN’s E60 camera crew.  I tagged along as they shot footage of Stevie in his old hood for a feature story which will air later this summer during X Games.

Word quickly spread that Stevie was in town and was shooting at the popular Love Park in downtown Philly.  Once we arrived at the park, lots of Stevie’s friends and young admirers kick-pushed their way to the park excited to see his familiar face.  Love Park, a tourist attraction, and haven for homeless people is also where Stevie first learned to skate.  He’s spent countless hours at the park learning tricks and perfecting his craft.

Although Stevie made skateboarding popular in Philly, the cops in the City of Brotherly Love show the skaters no love.  As people grabbed their boards and ran from cops, I quickly learned that the city of Philadelphia does not support skateboarding at Love Park or any other place in the city.  Every time you ride your board, you risk getting a ticket from the cops.  However, you have a higher chance of getting away with it if you skate after 10pm.  The cops are more lax at that time.  While I was at the park, the skaters were chased away by police officers at least two times. This was amazing to me because no harm was being caused to anyone while they were skating.  Meanwhile, there were over two dozen homeless people chilling in the park.  Granted, they weren’t causing any harm to anyone either, but I’m just saying.  It seems as though the police officers could definitely make better use of their time by focusing on things that matter.  Also, there’s a fountain at the park filled with ankle deep water and large signs that say, “No Swimming in Water”.  However, those signs were ignored by families with toddlers wearing bathing suits, swimming in the water.  Did the cops say anything to them?  No.  I just don’t get it.  It’s not as if Philly is a model city which leaves the cops with so much free time forcing them to create work for themselves i.e. harass the youth on a Sunday afternoon.  Just leave them alone!

Anyway back to the kids.  I was filled with admiration watching those young skaterboys (and girl!) with their fearless spirits do their thing.  In order to master skateboarding, you must be disciplined and patient.  Watching them attempt the same tricks over and over and over again blew my mind.  Skateboarding, like all sports, requires lots of practice and certainly cannot be mastered overnight.  It’s a lot of repetition largely resulting in scrapes, bruises, and wrist sprains.  Never once did they complain about falling.  Never once did they look as if they were frustrated with trying.  Never once did they quit.  Then when you add the cops to the mix, it only makes the journey that more challenging.

The most inspiring takeaway from my time in Philly was seeing the impact Stevie has had on these youngsters.  He started skating at a young age just like them, but unlike them, he didn’t have someone lead the way.  I’m not sure if he’d consider himself a role model, but his actions speak volumes.  He spent hours talking and skating with the kids.  I don’t know many pro athletes that would spend that much time with their fans when cameras aren’t rolling.  I hope their time spent with Stevie will leave a lasting impression on them and continue to push them toward fulfilling their dreams.

Although I’ve spent lots of hours shooting with many athletes, this may have been my favorite shoot.  I was given the opportunity to understand Stevie’s story– where he comes from and what inspires him daily.  As I drove around the city with Stevie, ESPN, the crew, and Stevie’s dad, I immediately got it.  Like many other professional athletes, Stevie used skateboarding as a ticket out of the hood.  He recognized his talent and parlayed it into a profitable business.  Love it.

My respect and appreciation for the skills required to pursue skateboarding are currently on a hundred, thousand, trillion!  No…really!  I’m a fan!

If you’re unfamiliar with Stevie, get acquainted via this new G-Shock video posted below.

RANDOM NOTE: For the record, not all black skateboarders are skinny jean wearing blipsters (black hipsters) that rock out to punk rock or electronica (not to be confused with Jay Electronica).  Hip hop plays a huge part in their lives.  Completely unrelated, but I had to get that out there.  The media’s false portrayal of this teen segment irks me.

PUSH PLAY:  G-Shock Brand Ambassador Stevie Williams