Cuba Skate on Skateboarding's Moment in Havana

Skateboarding is carving new territory in the world in 2020 - beginning with inclusion as an official sport in the Tokyo Olympics. In Cuba, skaters continue to face a number of challenges, although there is reason to be hopeful. We sat down with American and Cuban members of Cuba Skate, an NGO doing important work to empower Cuban skaters and build bridges between the skate community and policymakers on the island.  

The Tokyo Olympics (now set for Summer 2021) will include skateboarding for the first time. What does this mean for the sport?

Orlando Rosales: The addition of skateboarding to the Tokyo Olympics will be the key that opens doors on a new level, a level of acceptance and societal respect of the culture of skateboarding. It’s a change on a global scale.

Miles Jackson: It's a huge honor and opportunity.  A lot of skaters in the US aren't as excited, just because they're privileged to have skate shops and skateparks everywhere.  But for Cuba and other countries with burgeoning skate communities, the Olympics offer an opportunity to represent their countries at the highest level and uplift the sport on a local and international level.

Camilo Fajardo Sanchez: For our sport it’s great. People from all over the world will be able to see the art we make, and from my country they can see that it’s not just dumb games for kids - it’s a way of life, it’s expression, art, adrenaline, and courage which makes skateboarding so unique.

What are some of the challenges that skaters in Cuba face?

Miles: The primary challenges are access to materials and community support for the culture and sport.  As any skater pushes him / herself, boards will break and shoes will wear. It's amazing to see how Cubans make the most out of the limited resources.  How they extend the lifeline of a worn out skate deck or pair of shoes, passing them down to younger skaters, is a great demonstration of Cuban I think in the future, part of our role as an organization is to increase awareness of the benefits of skateboarding.  We're striving to build relationships with the community and society as a whole, so that skaters are treated with more respect and so that there can exists a healthier relationship between skaters and the general public.

Orlando: The list is long. We don’t have support from institutions, there is social prejudice against skateboarding and with nowhere to legally skate, we run the risk of being fined and even having our skateboards confiscated. It’s not easy. We just want to skate, but there’s a misguided vision of skateboarders as delinquents that we fall victim to. 

Cuba Skate is celebrating an anniversary, tell us a little bit about the organization, what you do and goals for the future.

Miles: We are, crazy it's how quickly time flies! Lauren and I started Cuba Skate after we studied abroad in 2010, and really can't believe it's been 10 years.  I remember we started as a grassroots org and it's amazing to see how much we've progressed since.  Our mission is threefold: to Support the evolution of skateboarding in Cuba, to Build local communities and international connections, and to Cultivate youth through sport.Our goals for the future are further sustainability for skaters in Cuba.  That means building more skate-able spaces in Havana and across the island, expanding our wood shop so our Cuban staff can manufacture more skate decks, and reaching more youth, females, and persons with physical and mental handicaps.  

Cuba Skate is planning a Skate Festival for later this year. Tell us about the festival.

Lauren Bradley: It's going to be a wonderful opportunity for our us to host skaters, musicians and artists from around the world; to welcome them to Cuba and to highlight what tourists and locals alike don't often get to see, a part of their country and people have to offer.There will be contests, workshops, concerts, a fashion show and an educational panel all rooted in the skateboarding culture.  We're excited to showcase woodworking demos, our DIY skatepark, and to partner with some really rad venues around Havana.  It'll be a super fun weekend for skaters and for anyone interested in experiencing a different side of Cuban culture.

Camilo: The festival will be incredible because for the first time since I started skating, Cuban skateboarding is beginning to be noticed. There’s no better way to celebrate than with a festival and the opportunity to meet other skaters and share inspiring talents, I hope it’s the best festival everyone’s ever seen - for me it will be!

Skateboarding has played an important role in local development plans in many cities, can you give us some examples?

Lauren: Absolutely!  One of the best examples would be in Bordeaux, France with local pro skater Leo Valls.  A few years ago, the city was giving tickets and arresting skaters if they skated public plazas and even in the streets.  Valls worked with city officials to demonstrate the benefits of skateboarding, how it reduces traffic and increases physical activity, how to build stronger relationships between skaters and citizens, and how to develop healthy agreements between them.  After setting specific hours to skate public plazas, it greatly increased the amount of respect and admiration between skaters and the public. Part of the never-ending mission of Cuba Skate [is] to work city officials and planners and find the right ways that work for all. 

Orlando: In the context of Cuba, we’ve seen important positive changes in certain areas. For example, Ciudad Libertdad (DIY), was an abandoned space that for years didn’t have any use. We worked hard to construct our own park and convert it into a space where skaters can gather to practice the sport. The experience of side by side building the park and maintaining it was important, one that highlighted collective action, dedication, discipline and, very important, unity, demonstrating that nothing is impossible and together we can achieve big things. The people involved in that project and those that enjoy the space have grown together and instilled a sense of local development and community to the area.

What should people, particularly policy makers, in Cuba know about skateboarding?

Miles: Skateboarding is a tremendous hybrid of sport and culture, and it encompasses remarkable physical activity, art and creativity.  Policy makers should re-examine skateboarding and see how the industry has taken shape in Latin America and other parts of the world.  How skateboarding is embraced by the youth and has really become synonymous with cool and hip, and will always evoke a DIY (do it yourself) approach. 

Does the US embargo impact your work?

Miles: Very much so.  The embargo adds a handful of unnecessary obstacles to our humanitarian work.  For example, we receive a ton of in-kind donations from the skate industry, but we can't ship anything to Cuba.  So we have storage units full of skateboards and shoes that we can only deliver to Cuba via our quarterly trips and volunteers.  

What’s your special Cuba Skate moment this year?

Miles: It's our ten year anniversary so we had hoped to be celebrating all year!  But we're taking things in stride and staying at home and being safe during the COVID-19 quarantine.  We were bummed on postponing the first ever Havana Skate Festival, but hopeful to host that in the fall.  And in the meantime, we'll refocus on strengthening and expanding our programs.

Camilo: The most special moment this year was in January when Cuba Skate supported our cause and helped build a ramp in the pool of Ciudad Libertad. We met a bunch of skaters from other countries and old friends came to motivate us and the cause. It was fun and instructive, like always. I really appreciate everything Cuba Skate does for Cuban skaters, thank you for being a guide. 

Miles Jackson is the Director and Co-Founder of Cuba Skate. He leads mission trips with pro skaters, university students and volunteers, and is well known throughout the island as a fun loving and devoted skateboarding diplomat. He is a Washington, D.C. native who’s traveled the world thanks to soccer and skateboarding.

Lauren Bradley is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations of Cuba Skate. Cuba Skate from a grassroots student project to the nonprofit it is today. Lauren is a family-oriented leader who always seeks new challenges.

Camilo Fajardo is the Director of Skate Clinics of Cuba Skate. He is a purebred skateboarder through and through. His style, grace and power on a skateboard are unmatched. Every pro who’s joined us in Cuba is shocked by his level of talent. With that being said, he’s an obvious selection to lead our skateboarding and lead youth development programs.

Orlando Rosales is a Cuban skater who remembers the stark reality of skateboarding before Cuba Skate; when there were limited resources and the community was small in numbers. Today, he leads clinics, facilitates programs and distributes materials to a community of hundreds of skaters, boys and girls, from all across the island. He oversees our wood shop and DIY endeavors, and thru work with international volunteers, is now fluent in English.

CET is working with Cuba Skate to plan the first Havana Skate Festival, which is slated for fall 2020.