Editors Note: Ours is a family that grows every day. The people we’ve touched (our readers and friends), hung out with, experienced music and life with – are our life blood. Nothing speaks more to that than today’s jumpoff, which comes from a dear friend and brother of the Soul Dynamic family. He’s a family member who’s taken his love of skating and made it his livelihood. The courage in that statement alone is enough to fill books. Our friends name is Phranklyn Qee-ros and he recently went on a trip, with his extended skate family (Gravity Skateboards), down to his home country of Panama. This scenic documentation is brought to you by his own production company Dead Flowerz, along with some beautiful words written by Robbie Lyons that serve to properly sum up their journey. Enjoy this and enjoy today.
What is there to say about skateboarding in Panama? First of all, there is an unspoken unity amongst the skaters, a bond unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. The skaters are hungry, and committed to their craft. There is serious dedication to grow the community and bring legitimacy to the scene. Skaters look out for each other and make sure everyone is taken care of. There are no ulterior motives, strictly skaters doing what they’re doing for the love.
Since the scene is still young, there are some seriously uncharted terrains. We were some of the first people ever to skate some of the spots we did. Not to mention, there are so many spots to skate that it’s any skateboarder’s dream. A simple push through the city will provide a plethora of fun and challenging obstacles. Not to mention, pedestrians and bystanders seemed to be genuinely interested in what we were doing. It wasn’t like skating in the states, where skateboarders are a dime a dozen, we stood out everywhere we went. Sometimes the attention we attracted was good, sometimes negative — either way this trip provided so much to us, and not just in our skateboarding. The life lessons we all learned won’t soon be forgotten, and the memories will be cherished forever. Our brotherhood is bulletproof after this trip, and that’s the truth. Plant seeds, grow hope. We grow everywhere.
