Just a little over two years ago, everyone was forced into lockdown, and quarantine started. Through this time period, people’s everyday lives changed, and they were forced to adapt to life inside, whether it was by finding their favorite restaurants on delivery apps, having Zoom meetings with friends, or picking up a new hobby.

Three senior boys, Josh Hertzenberg, Charlie Kuhna, and Matthew Winston, all found their quarantine hobby together.

“Beginning of quarantine sophomore year we picked up longboarding at this bike track we went to. After getting bored of that, we thought we could try to start actually skating, and from there we couldn’t quit,” Kuhna said.

The group of friends’ “quarantine hobby” really developed from being something they could do while being able to do next to nothing, into something they now try to do as much as possible. They all go skating whenever they get the chance. All they need is a dry skatepark, and they will be out there. Even when it snows the trio will try to make it out: “Sometimes enough people will help shovel a skatepark on sunny days,” Hertzenberg said.

Though they all enjoy skating together, they do get the chance to skate on their own and with anyone at the skatepark. Each of them loves the community skating has. So many different people skate or go to the skatepark, and that one common interest bonds them all together. Kuhna has been able to find bonds with plenty of fellow skaters: “At each park, there is usually a group of cool people who you can hang out with, and by the end of the day will feel like best friends.”

The things that really fueled and preserved their love for skating, are both the risk and reward of skating. The risk is getting injured, as well as all the time and attempts it takes to learn and master different tricks. Not only is it very difficult, but it is dangerous; Kuhna has suffered a broken arm skating, while Hertzenberg and Winston have both had plenty of bruises from falls. The risk of getting hurt or failing just amplifies the feeling of achievement when landing a trick or learning something new. “And the feeling of landing tricks is just great,” Winston said.

“After spending so much time trying to land one trick, and by the end finally getting it after all the blood and sweat that went into it, is the best feeling in the world,” Kuhna said.

Winston, who also plays soccer and runs track, likes the creative side skating brings, as opposed to the structured sports. Winston said, “I just like the freedom of being able to do whatever you want. Like, make your own style, make your own stuff.”

The three were all friends before lockdown, and now through it, they are even closer together. Winston said, “I think just as a friend group we are closer now because of all the time we’ve spent skating with each other.”

Skating gave them all a chance to spend time together when there was nothing else to do and has since become an important part of their lives.