Touching words from GUY MARIANO.

I was just sitting at work watching Guy Mariano’s part in Full Flared and decided to read about his history in skateboarding and his comeback part in the new Lakia video. I came across this story that Guy Mariano wrote, its pretty deep but it makes you realize that sometimes we take what we have for granted. Check it out…

Thrasher Magazine, Nov, 2005 by Guy Mariano
I REMEMBER SKATERS for what they’ve done for skateboarding, not for what they got out of it. I don’t remember what kind of motorcycle Hosoi had but I remember his Christ air. I could tell you Duffy brought rails to a new level, Daewon’s got balance, Gino’s got style, Reynolds catches everything, and Koston’s never fallen off of the top-street-skaters list. In my memory, that’s what counts: what they had to offer, not what they got out of it.

I think being a pro skater is a privilege. It’s like some one feels you have something to offer and contribute, but that doesn’t give you the right to rape it. Making money is a good thing–if you do the legwork, you reap the benefits.

Once you put money in front of whatever you’re doing, that thing you’re doing will be affected in some way.

Skateboarding didn’t make it this far because everybody wanted to “come up.” Someone cared about it and wanted to make it nice for the next generation. People like Rick Howard and Stacy Peralta, both skaters themselves, started companies with motives of making sure the team was more like a family, making quality products for skaters or good videos and ads that reflected the teams.

That’s successful. Anything after that is a bonus.

Miracles happen in skateboarding. Ask Williams. It’s beautiful to see people who start off with so little achieve so much. People who have never left their hometowns now travel the world. For everybody there is a different story. To me, skating is more than a sport. It’s a lifestyle.

Along with all the miracles and great experiences, there is a flip-side.

My suggestion is not to invest your time and energy into things that aren’t positive and that can affect you in a negative way; you can get caught up in certain behavior that can stick with you for the rest of your life. It’s a free-spirited lifestyle and you have to find that structure within yourself. I can recall talking to Lance Mountain–this is around the time that Four Star started-and he was telling me about our roles as pros and the parts we play in skating.

I think my pride and ego didn’t help me at times; I probably could’ve paid more attention when people were looking out for me.

I’ve had a deep love for skating for as long as I can remember. It feels good to let it rise to the top and do it and talk about it. I’m grateful to Thrasher for making this possible. Reda, thank you for shooting this and just being a friend; let’s do another one.

The past is the past.

Today I’m with Lakai and back with the Girl family. Jason, I wouldn’t be at this place in life if it weren’t for you. To Rick and Megan for their faith and unconditional love, I am forever grateful …