Meet Skater Wes- Dirt City Chicago is here!

I met Wes about a year and a half ago, through my first sk8 instructor (Jason). He was working in Jason's Kentucky sk8 shop (N:CE)at the time, and was into what I was trying to get rolling (putting sk8 ramps in at orphanages and youth shelters). Wes, has now become one of my favorite people, because it seems whatever he does, his whole heart is in it. It's freakin awesome when people show some passion and excitement for what they do. Anyway, he skates like a maniac. His Zine (dirtcitychicago.blogspot.com) will be kick ass, I'm sure. He is also on track, or causing ruccus, one, as he is attending Moody Bible School, so that he can become a youth minister. Well, you can now enjoy the fact that the sk8 scene in Chicago will be accessible. We also have a few new features. Each Dirt City Zine will have its own sk8tainment and videograffiti, so if you have some footage to share, link up:) These can also be accessed by visiting dirtcityhub.org/DCTV
I asked Wes to write up an introduction letter, so this is it. Man, a barn would be awesome!




Tucked into the low hills, just south of Louisville, Ky, is my Grand Fathers farm, my first skatepark. It's 78 acres of freedom that helped shape me in ways I couldn't imagine. By the time I was in highschool I had been making strange obstacles and skating them on the farm for a year or so, and had know idea there was any certain way to skate. I didn't know about Eric Koston's rule book for "skate", or even there was such a thing as competitive skateboarding.
After I was exposed to the industry I was quickly grabbed up by the local "hesh" crew, we bombed hills, jumped off our high school, hunted for stair sets, and caused a fair amount of down home mayhem. Soon they were too far gone into drugs to skate, and I was standing alone, like the old days. I started to skate downtown Louisville, and make the hour journey to the skate park.
Then it was time for college. My first go at it lasted a year, then I had to go back to my love, wood pushing. I moved to Michigan to skate for Testify Skateboarding Ministry, a youth outreach program. When my circumstance deteriorated I moved back to Louisville, where I met Jason Brown, a ripper left over from the days of speed, back airs, and unpopularity. Then, in 2007 I decided to take a journey back in time. I learned lip tricks, and backside air, while working in N:ce Skateboard's gallery.
Some of you may know that Morgan McDole (Gone Fishing, in my space friends list) is/was on the N:CE's team, prior to the Jacksonville Move. We're all holding our breath to see if N:CE comes back. Any who, after a year of being N:ce i moved back to Chicago for school, this is 2008. That spring break I went to meet Morgan for the first time in Daytona, I wrote and article about this in the Daytona DirtcityZine's blog (follow the links accordingly).
Recently, Morgan asked me to expand her Dirty empire into Chicago, and I intend to do so. I'm still hooked on transition so hit me up and lets session something big and steep (say a sea wall).




thanks SKATER WES