My name is Cameron Denny and I am a senior studying Computer Information Systems (CIS) at SUNY Fredonia. While I do have an interest in technology, I am also interested in many sports. Growing up, I enjoyed activities like soccer, table tennis, mountain biking, and snowboarding. However, I am especially passionate about skateboarding and the culture surrounding it.
I have been skateboarding ever since I can remember. After seeing my cousin skateboard at the age of two, I spent the next few months begging my parents for one of my own. As you can see in the image below on the left hand side showing me on a skateboard at just two and a half years old, they finally gave in.
I started off with a cheap skateboard from a large retail store like Walmart, with a deck made of cheap, poor-quality wood, plastic trucks and wheels, and bearings that would not spin very freely. This setup worked when I was just riding around as a toddler (and of course the Spider-man graphic was wicked cool), but I eventually grew into the mindset of wanting to try tricks and quickly realized the board I had been using would not cut it. I got my first quality skateboard during the summer of 2012 at the age of eight.
This new skateboard changed everything for me. My love for skateboarding was greater than it had ever been and I was no longer struggling to push and get myself rolling. I didn’t have to deal with the unreliability of the cheap plastic bushings for steering left or right, or worry about breaking the fragile deck from landing too hard. I felt so much more confident in my ability to progress, now not being held back by external factors. I was now ready to start learning tricks.
Within a year of getting my first quality skateboard I had learned how to ollie, kickflip, heelflip, Frontside/Backside 180, pop shuv-it, and the basics of skating on ramps/other skatepark features. This meant numerous trips to skateparks within the Buffalo area, and even a few trips to Canada (when I relentlessly pleaded to my parents). Each new park uniquely sparked my creativity to skate different obstacles and become a well-versed skater in both street and transition.
Although it is helpful to round out your skills, I primarily focus on street skateboarding. I am infatuated with the creative nature and technical prowess of the style. When skateboarding made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, it brought me so much excitement to see street style featured. With this more broadened exposure, I anticipate large growth and support for the skateboarding community. I look forward to seeing the future generation of skaters and all that they will contribute to the culture.
Being a Western New-Yorker, I had to improvise when I wanted to skate during poor weather conditions. Since there were not many local indoor skateparks and admission plus the gas to get there was expensive, I convinced my dad to research building a halfpipe in our basement. After figuring out all the measurements, my dad took a trip to Home Depot to buy the materials we would need. Building the halfpipe with him was not only a fun bonding experience, but provided me countless hours of entertainment and practice. The image below on the right hand side shows me with my skateboard on the halfpipe in my (very cluttered) basement.
As my skating reached the next level, I was ready to try out new skateparks and skate experiences. At the age of twelve, I was fortunate enough to go to “Woodward East”, a summer action-sports camp located in Woodward, Pennsylvania with over 24 skateparks as well as facilities for other action sports like dirt jump tracks for bmx, and gymnasiums for parkour, gymnastics, and cheerleading. This camp allowed me to immerse myself into all things skateboarding for a week and served to increase my drive to learn and progress.
Fast forward to the present day and I have to say that my appreciation for all that skateboarding has brought to my life, including some of my best friends and fondest memories, has really driven me to become a self-proclaimed ambassador for this action sport. I have brought multiple friends as well as my girlfriend into the world of skateboarding. Watching them progress and helping them along the way has also been very fulfilling.
As an extension of this ambassadorship, this website serves the primary purpose of providing both informative and opinion-based articles about skateboarding and related topics. These topics may include: current events, history, skatepark reviews, equipment reviews, how-to’s, and more. I hope this site will inspire other newly-found skaters out there looking for information about products and tutorials that can bring their skating to the next level and solidify their love of the hobby.
