Darren Ho / Guest Post

Darren Ho

This photograph that you sent me, brings back a ton of memories. This is one of the very first pools that I rode with the full Z-Boy crew. I mean, every single one of them. It was a very intimidating situation. Luckily, I had the opportunity to ride with some of the Z-Boys in Hawaii and I was prepared as to what to expect. I was now on their home turf and the atmosphere was completely different. The reserved attitude they once extended in Hawaii had come and gone and they were not planning on holding back. Basically, if you didn’t have a tough skin, you could not make it with this group. They would have made an episode of Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Mean Tweets’ look like child’s play. Once I adjusted to the cultural shock and realized that the verbal assault going on was simply sarcasm, I quickly realized how lucky I was to be a part of this scene. This was their way of pushing each other to the next level both physically and mentally. Reading in between the lines and not taking it personal was key. Once I realized all of this, I was able to learn something different from each and everyone of them. I learned to adopt a “Sit down, shut up and watch” attitude and soak up knowledge from some of the greatest legends in skateboarding.

Thank you to Darren Ho for the words and Glen E. Friedman for the image. Skate - Ozzie

For more of Glen E. Friedman Burning Flags Press