Experience a whole new world with the Spider-Man Board
Akio’s humility about his amazing accomplishments says a little about the nature of the boy who began his incredible rise in skateboarding 15 years ago.
His origin story is not one of a bold, brave child who dares to try new things, but one of a shy, introverted boy who struggles to make friends and inspires self-transformation.
Young Akio, who recently learned to write after seeing skateboarding on TV, decides to write a letter to Santa Claus for Christmas skateboarding.
Then, to his great joy, the person who gave him the elusive gift responded.
“I remember my mom giving me a skateboard. It was very straight, no concavities, just a slight curvature. And it had a Spider-Man design. So the Spider-Man thing. So I thought skateboarding was the best,” the Brazilian recalls.
As I opened my presents surrounded by my family, one of my cousins who knew skateboarding told me that the first thing I had to learn was to tap the edge of the board and lift it into my hand. . Akio nailed it on his first try and something inside him clicked.
“I grabbed it with both hands and said, ‘Damn, I think I’m ready.'”
Just as he was discovering his connection to skating, a new family moved in next door, a boy three years older than Akio and a huge skateboarding fan, who began to draw him further into the world of skating.
“He knew how to use a computer and could search for videos on YouTube, go to brand websites, look at parts, products, etc. And this neighbor told me about skateboarding. He taught me a lot, introduced me to Berricks, skateboarding video games, trick names, videos, and taught me a lot about skateboarding culture.”
As Akio’s charm grows, his worldview expands, and even his father, who was once worried about his son, sees a change in Akio. Akio approached the children, who were much older than him, and deepened their relationships despite the age difference. People approached him for tips and advice on how to improve, and his father noticed that he was growing.
“He felt like it was worth it,” Akio said, recalling the words his father once told him after taking him to the skate park one day.
“In many cases they [people at the skate park] I used to say to my dad, “The investments you’re making are great,” but when I got home, my dad told me, in fact, what he’s doing isn’t investing, because what is investing? I said it’s about putting energy and effort into it. , Money expects something in return, right? When you invest, you expect to get back more than you invested. And in truth, he didn’t expect anything from it.
“All he wanted was for me to be happy and to be a good person.”