The photo, from 2010, says it all. Gastón Torres has just won his first competition at the inauguration of the skatepark San Vicente in Godoz Cruz, Mendoza. He happily lifts his skateboard while his DC Shoes t-shirt can be seen. 14 years have passed and now it is proudly displayed again in the DC Summer Ollie Tour, the trip that the brand’s team made along the Atlantic coast looking for the highest jump on a skateboard, a novel idea that began in the middle of last year, in Abasto, to celebrate International Skateboarding Day.
Exactly that day he turned (23) years old who today enjoys the twists and turns of life. “Being part of this team is an honor for me and, at the same time, I feel like it’s something very crazy. From that photo with that shirt to being a member of that professional team is a dream,” admits Kinki, as he is known in the community. One of the many intrastories that this trip had, which also included Chino Moral, Gael Dobar and Joel De Castro, three other figures of national skateboarding, and passed through Villa Gesell, Miramar and Mar del Plata.
It all started in MdP, when the team waited for the natives of Córdoba (Joel) and Mendoza (Kinki) to leave for Gesell aboard two Ford 4x4s. There they performed a demo for local skaters and then the first jumping tournament was held, the famous ollie that athletes must do to jump a fence supported by a structure. As they pass, the bar is raised and the event gains in climate.
The winners were Axel Mansilla from Mar del Plata and, among the girls, Guada Orellano from Mar de Ajó, winning the prize of 100,000 pesos in cash. Then the destination was Miramar, with the same dynamic, although with a larger call. A local girl and Ezequiel Norniella won, with a climate that was growing…
The third and last stop was Mardel and the legendary Bristol skatepark, with a record crowd. Orellano repeated in the ladies and in the men, Emanuel Bacchiocchi from Mar del Plata had revenge, who had competed in the other two events and this time he was finally able to win. pocketing the $100,000 and surprising everyone by donating 10,000 to whoever did the best trick in the ladder sector.
A special moment of the tour that everyone agreed on. “It was crazy how all the kids got motivated and started throwing heavy artillery. It gave us a beautiful closing to the event”Kinki said. “It was a party and a summary of what the spirit of skateboarding is,” said Chino. “I really loved the dynamic of the Ollie Contest. The setup of the spots was spectacular and the challenge of having to jump something, rather than doing a normal ollie, seemed like a great idea to me,” Gael contributed. There was a coincidence that the three winning boys jumped the same, 97 centimeters, which is why they share the leadership of the national table, in the search for the author of the highest ollie.
There were several days of coexistence for the team, who when they didn’t have an event, went to a different spot in the city to walk and have a great time. In Mardel, hotbed of great national and world skateboarding talents, they passed through places near the port, the Tatú Martínez ramp on Luna Roja beach and on the La Perla boulevard, among other places. The daily dip in the Honu Beach resort was also a must, where the boys even took the opportunity to surf some waves…
“The best thing about the tour was being able to share with guys who have an abysmal power over skateboarding and after sharing these days I realized that they are also incredible people. For me it was special because I really didn’t expect them to join me on the trip. What surprised me most was the reception., since everywhere we went they treated us luxuriously and made us feel at home. It is beautiful that DC has that positioning and recognition in various places outside of the skateboarding scene,” analyzed Kinki, the team’s new ambassador.
“I love tours because you are always doing different things and in this case, being my first with the team, I especially enjoyed it. We had a great time. And what surprised me was how well organized everything was, especially the routine of each day. We never lost time, we made the most of every moment,” said Joel, the new great promise of national skateboarding, who explained the pride of belonging.
“Being in the DC team is very important for my career because since I was very young I dreamed of having the brand as a sponsor. I always liked his products and how he handled himself with his team, now being inside makes me proud and I hope this bond lasts a long time,” admitted the man from Córdoba, who is also already part of the Argentine Olympic team.
The great present and future of the team members could be confirmed at the end of the tour, when two of them shone in the most important competition of the summer. Dobar won a special tournament for him, the same one he played as a child eight years ago (see photo). Moral also finished third. “It was something very nice because the first time I was there I remember that, as always in those beginnings, everyone was three times my age. And now being able to win it means a lot. I loved it, especially being able to enjoy it because, as my parents tell me, ‘if you don’t enjoy what you do, you have nothing’. Happiness is not a goal, it is the path and luckily, in this tournament, as on the tour, I had a great time. We saw new places, we had fun and now the best is coming,” said Gael.
Dobar appeared on the big scene as the great jewel of skateboarding, almost a decade ago, and today it is a great reality, with a promising future. “The whole process has not been easy, from a very young age until today, to improve myself and get here, basically because it requires a great sacrifice, but today I am very motivated, with many goals and a constant fight to improve myself. A friend once told me: you go for everything or you go for nothing. And so I go,” Gael closed.
The kids go for everything, yes, but they don’t forget to enjoy the journey.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
