Written by Max Mariotti (age 11)
It was my brother’s seventh birthday and we were at our friend Carol’s house. There were mini skateboards on top of the delicious cupcakes. When I got home I looked up the brand on the internet. The name of the company was Tech Deck.
The date was September 22, 2014
Fingerboarding with the 2009 world champion Timo Kranz in his fingerboard store in Berlin Germany.
How did I get here?
As I played with this cupcake topper I found it easier to land tricks and this toy gradually found its way into my pocket. Every day I practiced until my fingers hurt and after a while, like all toys, it broke. I was a little sad when it broke because it was my first fingerboard. It was no big deal because I saw some Tech Decks at the local supermarket. As far as toys go, they were pretty easy to come by but never lasted long enough.
After doing some research I stumbled upon handmade wooden fingerboards from Germany. They were top of the line but way out of my price range. That has never stopped me before and I knew I would have one someday.
Standing in the Blackriver store was better then I could have ever imagined. Why? It was a unique dream of the owner Timo. It was not just a store it was a place to hang out and make friends. I did exactly that for two hours and left with a bag full of loot including my very own Blackriver fingerboard.
As I walked down the street, the Berlin wall in Oberbaumbrucke in front of me and the Blackriver store behind me, I could not believe I was in this place just a few years after imagining it. As you can see this is not a story about “stuff” it is a story about how you can do anything you set your mind to.
I wonder what I will set my sights on next?
