MIDLAND, Texas — The game of skateboarding is straightforward.

“You see a skater. They’re a bloody, sweaty skateboarder, but when they might look previous that and see resilience. They’re conquering one thing of their thoughts, of their fears, and to rise above that, that is American life,” RTD Skatepark’s Robert Bremerman stated.

A wood board, wheels and an open area, however one thing deeper lies beneath this slice of “American life.” 

“That is the place I made all my associates. That is the place I realized. This park is the place I really feel like I realized probably the most, the place I progressed probably the most. It is simply one among my favourite locations out right here,” Midland skateboarder Gabriel Tavarez stated. 

RTD Skatepark has been the house for a lot of skaters within the Permian Basin since 2014. 

“Rock the Desert has at all times been cool for the final 10 years to allow us to present up, and it is at all times been free to hang around. Actually my coronary heart is to be a mum or dad. Create a protected area,” Bremerman stated. “Whether or not you skate, bike, scoot, otherwise you simply need to hang around, know you are protected right here.”

The skatepark has additionally turn into a spot for the athletes to really feel snug falling and getting again up even when it is arduous or after an harm. 

“I’ve had thought in my head like, ‘Ought to I even preserve skateboarding?’ I am in so deep. It is the place my individuals are. It is the place my coronary heart is at. It is actually aside of me,” Tavarez stated. 

This summer season these athletes will get to see part of themselves on the world stage with skilled skateboarding returning to the Olympics, this time in Paris, France. 

“It was sort of shunned up by individuals who have been like mature and like grown up, however now, it is being acknowledged as a sport and one thing that’s truly like tough, and it truly takes effort. Not one thing that simply bums do,” Tavarez stated. 

The video games could encourage some of us to attempt the game for themselves. Bremerman provided some recommendation. 

“I at all times say, ‘Worry makes you a poser.’ The wall of worry is 2 inches excessive. Step over it. There’s at all times somebody round that can assist you. So simply begin. Simply begin. Discover a board and simply begin,” Bremerman stated.