At first glance, skateboarding may appear dangerous and unappealing to the average individual. A simple board with four wheels that requires effort to move and keep in constant motion could prove both tedious and unattractive to many, especially with today’s implicit recommendations to avoid injury while having fun. There are some that oppose these suggestions, however, breaking social barriers to achieve new heights in the skateboarding community, documenting their adventures as a result. Revere sophomore Evan Lifke does exactly that.

Lifke has shown an interest in skateboarding since he was nine years old. As one who takes to the activity as a recreational hobby, Lifke gained interest in skateboarding from playing Tony Hawk video games as a child, enticing himself into purchasing his first skateboard.

Lifke tries to skate every day as a way to have fun, as well as occasionally using skateboarding as an outlet to relieve stress from other issues in his life. Enjoying the activity as both an individual and social sport, Lifke also takes pleasure in skateboarding with his friends.

“During the summer and fall months I am usually around the Fairlawn area street skating, or [at] outdoor parks like the Cuyahoga Falls Skatepark or the Akron Skatepark. But during the winter and spring months, it is nice to go to an indoor complex like First Glance, Chenga, or Excape Sports . . . . There are a lot of friendly people I have met directly through skateboarding who have helped me learn new tricks or have encouraged me to push myself harder,” Lifke said.

Even though he is very involved with this pastime, Lifke feels that skateboarding competitions, which are very popular and attractive venues for many, are not something he would want to pursue.

“I feel that skating a contest would take the meaning out of why I skate. Having someone judge you on how you land a trick just does not seem very appealing to me,” Lifke said.

To enhance his skateboarding experiences, Lifke maintains a YouTube channel, where he regularly posts videos with “various kinds of content,” ranging from skateboarding compilations, to concerts he attends, to other miscellaneous activities he partakes in with his friends, especially those of individuals such as Colin Murphy and Chase Mcintyre.

“I made [the YouTube channel] for fun. It is a cool way to show friends and family what I have been up to,” Lifke said.
As the main creator and caretaker of the channel, Lifke is the main attraction of the videos, at least for his skateboarding compilations; however, he is often attended by his friend Mcintyre, who considers himself the “comedic relief” of Lifke’s videos. Although Mcintyre is not the center of attention in Lifke’s videos, he nevertheless enjoys making videos with him, filming anywhere they think there is potential for good footage to record.

“Lifke and I started hanging around when I was in seventh grade and he was in eighth grade. . . . He started a YouTube channel over the summer because I gave him my GoPro to mess around with, and he made this really cool soccer video, [and] then he just made skateboarding videos and I was just there for them. I call myself his fans’ favorite character [on the channel]. . . . I think [Lifke] is a really rad dude, and I think he can really go somewhere [with his YouTube channel] if he takes it seriously,” Mcintyre said.

For filming and creating videos, Lifke says the filming process can range “anywhere from an afternoon to two to three months.” He is also the sole editor and recorder of the videos he uploads to his channel. Lifke tries to upload at least one video a month onto his YouTube channel, enjoying the time spent with the people he spends filming. He also hopes to expand his time spent on his channel as he gains subscribers.

“Editing takes a long time. I enjoy the process but I cannot put something on YouTube until I am 100% satisfied with it. . . . I have been thinking of releasing merchandise like stickers or t-shirts in the future, but I would rather wait until my channel grows more,” Lifke said.

Lifke’s time spent with his channel has influenced the content of Mcintyre’s YouTube channel, providing constructive criticism to help Mcintyre with his own videos.

“He tells me if I am doing something wrong or [what] he would do . . . differently. I like that because now I know what to do. I think he has good vision for those kinds of things,” Mcintyre said.

Lifke’s ventures in skateboarding have also influenced individuals such as sophomore Colin Murphy to take up skateboarding, using the sport as a hobby to relieve stress and to go to areas such as the mall or the park.

“I am definitely not experienced [in skateboarding]; I cannot even Ollie (a starter skateboard trick), but [skateboarding] is fun nonetheless,” Murphy said.

A world of tricks, friends, and adventures all encompass the exciting life of Evan Lifke’s skateboarding endeavors. With the stories made and memories shared just by partaking in a single hobby, moments like these derive the statement of high risk leading to high reward.