Beyond the Grind: Skateparks as a Community Hub
By Bella-Mia Saborio
Stepping into the skatepark feels like entering another world. For outsiders, it’s easy to buy into the stereotype of a chaotic hub of bruises, booze, and wasted youth. But stay long enough, and you realize it’s the opposite. Beneath the scraped knees and cigarette smoke is a community raw, restless, and deeply alive.
20-year-old Esteban Perez “Soldao” is a skater by day and a film producer by night. With his own YouTube account and over 1000 followers on Instagram, he was inspired by retro-style recordings and made it his passion to do the same, traveling to clubs and skateparks to catch the raw intensity of the world.
But Soldao isn’t alone. With the help of his friends, these boys create content of their skateboarding filming tricks and vlogs, allowing for a larger community to bond and learn.
Dylan Johnson is a graphic design student with a dream to make his own brand of clothing. Inspired by the act of free living and endless opportunities, he aims to make limitless more than a concept, but instead, a physical idea.
The thing is, this search for identity doesn’t always start with school, or work, or the future everyone else lays out for you. Sometimes it starts right here, standing at the edge of a ramp, board in hand, heartbeat quickening.
Because in the end, dropping in isn’t just about rolling into a ramp. It’s about hurling yourself into life with no hesitation, no fear, and no restraints. The skatepark is where that philosophy comes alive, proving that what looks like chaos to outsiders is, in reality, a community defined by creativity, ambition, and resilience.
