skateboarding Archives

For two decades, Leo Baker was a professional skateboarder who competed professionally all around the world. Co-directors Nicola Marsh and Giovanni Reda followed Baker from 2019 to 2021 during a period of intense personal turmoil. The film begins with what should have been a career highlight - Baker was announced to represent the USA on the first-ever Women's Olympic Skateboarding Team. Leo Baker reaches new heights in 'Stay On Board' (Netflix) The problem? Baker was experiencing extreme gender dysphoria, already identifying themselves as Leo and using they/them pronouns amongst friends and family. Being chosen for the Olympics was a life changing moment, but not in the way you might expect. Every interview and comment that identified them as a woman became harder and harde...

In the new HBO documentary 'Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off,' we spend time with the most famous skateboarder on the planet. We also see him at his most vulnerable. The film, directed by Sam Jones ('I Am Trying To Break Your Heart') and produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, begins with a sequence of groan-inducing failures. As the opening credits roll, we watch for nearly five full minutes as Hawk freefalls countless times while practicing a skate trick. It's hard to watch, mostly because I think we want to view celebrity athletes as invincible gods who cannot do anything wrong. When you see the man who is arguably the greatest to ever grace the sport having consistent difficulty while he pushes himself physically, it opens your eyes to just how challenging it is to pull off. It'...

Tag: skateboarding

‘Stay On Board’ Chronicles Life of Trans Skateboarder Leo Baker (Review)

HBO Doc Explores the Singular Focus of Tony Hawk (Review)