A Skater Support Group
After 11-year-old Johnny befriended 11-year-old Ryder at a skating competition in Truckee, it made sense to Johnny’s mom, Michelle, that this should be the beginning of a skate crew.
“The goal initially was just to support each other, to travel together and to go to competitions together so that when they go to the competitions they aren’t intimidated,” Michelle said.
And so the Skate Pistols were born.
But what started as a support group amongst themselves, quickly became a group that loved supporting others.
The Skate Pistols have got serious skateboarding skills and also huge hearts for the community around them. Video above by Alexandra Mosher from one of their training grounds at Idlewild Park.
Handing out Sandwiches and Socks
It began with making bagged lunches and skating up and down the river into downtown Reno, handing out sandwiches and socks to people who were homeless.
“You could just see how good they felt about themselves when they did it,” Michelle said.
Then, Johnny and Ryder became junior coaches for Skate MD, an organization that uses skateboarding as therapy for children facing challenges.
Recently, the Skate Pistols also went to the Eddy House in downtown Reno to drop off food for at-risk and homeless youths, many of whom Michelle said are also skaters.
So who are these young, community-loving skaters? Let's meet them one by one.
Johnny on the homeless ... "Most of them have lost (money) to gambling and they’ve lost their homes and just lost everything so there’s a lot of homeless people. And it really sucks. And I want to help them." Photo by Alexandra Mosher.
Johnny Morrison
Q: How long have you been skating?
A: Since I was 4
Q: What do you like about skating?
A: It’s really fun and I get my mind off of school and other things that I have to do that are stressful. It just frees my mind.
Q: Do you think skating is something that you’ll do for a while?
A: Yeah, I want to be a pro-skater when I grow up.
Q: Tell me a little bit about the Skate Pistols?
A: Well we’re a team from Reno, Nevada and we go around and we help other people and we skate and just have a fun time.
Q: Tell me a little bit about feeding homeless people.
A: It was really fun, it just...I don’t know how to explain it. It made us feel good and we didn't want to be like them so we tried to help them as much as we can.
Q: Tell me about the members in your team what are they like?
A: They’re pretty crazy and funny and sometimes they get a bit mad.
Q: Get mad about what?
A: Skateboarding, if they can’t land a trick they’ll get a bit mad but it’s all fun.
Q: How would you end world hunger?
A: Uhm. Feed a lot of people?
Q: If someone asked you what Reno was like what would you say?
A: I’d say it’s crazy, there’s a lot of gambling a lot of weird stuff that happens but I mean, it’s pretty cool here.
Q:What do you think about the homeless population in Reno?
A: Well I mean it really sucks. Most of them have lost (money) to gambling and they’ve lost their homes and just lost everything so there’s a lot of homeless people. And it really sucks. And I want to help them.
Ryder on the homeless situation in Reno: "I think it’s a lot, way, a little way too much. Yeah because I know there’s a lot of people but it’s a lot. Just too many people." Photo by Alexandra Mosher
Ryder Howard
Q: How long have you been skateboarding?
A: Pretty much my whole life.
Q: Tell me about the Skate Pistols?
A: They’re nice but it’s like also fun at the same time but we uh, we always hand out sandwiches to the homeless and uh, I forgot what I was going to say.
Q: Tell me about that experience handing out sandwiches?
A: When you’re done it always makes you sad that you’re done because it’s so much fun and it makes you happy while you’re doing it.
Q: What’s fun about it?
A: Just to see the expression on the homeless's faces and to get called really nice.
Q: What do you think about the homeless population in Reno?
A: I think it’s a lot, way, a little way too much. Yeah because I know there’s a lot of people but it’s a lot. Just too many people.
Q: What do you think about the fact that women make .79 cents compared to men making a dollar?
A: Cause men work harder? I don’t know.
Sevannah on the homeless population ... "It also makes me feel kind of sad because I don’t really like people being homeless especially kids because I don’t want them to not have a family." Photo by Alexandra Mosher.
Sevannah Barkman
Q: How old are you?
A: I’m nine.
Q: How long have you been skating?
A: About three years
Q: Why did you start skating?
A: Because my brother kind of motivated me because we forgot that we had cruiser boards one time and then my brother wanted to start skating and motivated me so I started skating.
Q: What do you think about skating?
A: I think it’s really cool because it’s really close to surfing and I really like surfing.
Q: So tell me about the Skate Pistols?
A: Uhm they’re kind of like a group of skaters that work together as a team like feeding the homeless and stuff and just helping each other out if they need it.
Q: Why do you like it?
A: I like it because we’re all a group and we’re all like friends and stuff and we’re all skaters.
Q: How did you join?
A: Well I was at a Truckee skate competition, I was doing that and they were still my friends and I just got handed over a T-shirt and yeah.
Q: Tell me about feeding the homeless what was that like?
A: It was really cool. We went to go to this place called the Eddy House and we got to feed some kids and stuff. We went in there and dropped off some food.
Q: What was that like?
A: Uhm it was really cool, like it felt really, I kind of felt tingly inside because I’ve never been there before and I get shy a lot. But it was really cool.
Q: If someone were to ask you what Reno is like what would you say?
A: I would say probably kind of really hot and cold at the same time. And a lot of mountains and stuff and really windy and rain sometimes and yeah.
Q: What do you think about the homeless population here?
A: Well the homeless population is kind of low but kind of high too cause, it also makes me feel kind of sad because I don’t really like people being homeless especially kids because I don’t want them to not have a family.
Q: If you could tell someone anything about yourself what would you tell them?
A: I would probably tell them that I’m really shy and when I meet someone new I’m really nervous and sometimes I’m funny...sometimes I'm not.
Sean on if it matters to help others: "Yes, definitely, because some people it’s hard for them. They don’t have clean clothes and nobody wants to hire somebody that is dirty. It’s hard for them to get money sometimes and stuff like that and so we hand out sandwiches and socks and shoes." Photo by Alexandra Mosher.
Sean Suyma
Q: How old are you?
A: Fifteen.
Q: What do you love about skating?
A: The adventure. Because you go to new places you skate new things you meet new people.
Q: What’s one of your favorite things you’ve done with the Skate Pistols?
A: Mammoth, go to Mammoth Volcom Brothers Skate Park (in Mammoth Lakes, CA). It was the best skate park I’ve ever been to.
Q: Did you go with them to feed homeless people?
A: Yes.
Q: And what was that like?
A: It was fun. The smile on their faces. I was like, ‘Yeah boy.’ It felt pretty good.
Q: Do you feel like doing things for the community is important?
A: Yes, definitely, because some people it’s hard for them. They don’t have clean clothes and nobody wants to hire somebody that is dirty. It’s hard for them to get money sometimes and stuff like that and so we hand out sandwiches and socks and shoes.
Q: What’s your idea of a perfect date?
A: You know back in Phoenix people didn’t really go on dates. It was just like, ‘Hey, do you want to go out? Yes.’ You didn’t really like take them to a movie theater or anything so I wouldn’t know.
Q: If someone were to ask you what Reno is like what would you say?
A: It reminds me of New York because some of the buildings in some parts of the city you have really old buildings, it looks like you're in New York, and other parts you got weird futuristic buildings with rainbow windows going all the way up them and stuff.
The Skate Pistols put their game faces on. Find out what they're up to via their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/skatepistols/ Photo by Alexandra Mosher.