Time flies. This is my son Ryden at 8 years old in the clip, trying to find anyway to skate the ramp I built to jump the Great Wall of China. It brings tears to my eyes looking at this. My kids grew up so fast
@rydenway is now 27,
@tavin_sabbath is 24, and
@rumimahina is 18. They were just kids it seems like yesterday. It makes me proud to see Ryden exploring his passion for skateboarding, just as I did at his age. All three of my kids are my everything and my purpose in life.
After 38 years of dedicating everything inside myself to professional skateboarding, Iāve realized there are more important things to focus on. My family, real friends, and my loyal fans are what truly matter. Being a dad and a mentor is more important than riding a skateboard at this stage of life. Iāve been blessed with amazing kids, but it saddens me to think about how much they suffered from my dedication to my career.
No career is more important than the time you dedicate to family. I said I would never retire, but after 28 surgeries and ongoing physical issues, Iāve come to realize my priorities need to shift. I want to be there for my family and share the wisdom Iāve gained over the years with everyone I can.
To celebrate my career and the 20th anniversary of the Great Wall jump, Iām working on a film with
@anandapictures . Iām also creating 120 limited-edition complete replicas of the board I used for that jump. These boards will come in beautiful shadow box frames, wrapped in Mike Blabac photos, signed and numbered by me. Iām stenciling, grip-taping, assembling, framing, boxing, signing, numbering, and shipping each one myself. Every board comes with a Zoom call with me, plus numbered photo prints signed by both me and Blabac. Stay tuned as this project unfolds, lots more details to come.
This project is in collaboration with
@professorschmitt @okskateboardsmfg @moondust_studio_inc ,
@planbofficial ,
@blabacphoto ,
@independenttrucks , and
@spitfirewheels