Success doesn’t have to come from competition—it can come from community - Sam Kaplinsky

Growing up in Palo Alto, I was surrounded by constant pressure—pressure to succeed, to be the best, to always have a plan. It’s the kind of environment where stress and anxiety feel normal, and slowing down feels like falling behind. For me, skateboarding was the thing that pulled me out of all that. It gave me space to breathe, to let go, and to just be in the moment. It was more than just a hobby—it became my outlet, and my community.

Some of my best memories from my teenage years were made at the skatepark. It was the only place where I didn’t feel like I had to prove anything to anyone. No one cared what school you went to, how smart you were, or where you came from. It was the first space where I felt like I belonged just by showing up and trying. There was something incredibly freeing about that.

At the park, I met people from every walk of life: Big tech company employees, students, people who were simply doing their best to get by, and other kids trying to figure things out just like me. Everyone was welcome. There was no dress code, no entry fee, and no labels that mattered. The only thing that counted was your attitude and your willingness to try. Being part of a space like that taught me more about real life than anything else ever did. It showed me how important it is to be kind to people, to listen, and to never judge someone by what’s on the surface. A lot of people carry heavy stories, and the way you treat someone might be the only kindness they experience that day. Skateboarding made that clear to me in a way nothing else could.

It also gave me a sense of purpose. It was the first physical activity I ever genuinely enjoyed, not because I was good at it, but because of the way it made me feel. It was never about winning or being better than someone else. Everyone at the park was just trying to land their tricks, and everyone else was cheering them on. We celebrated each other’s progress, no matter how small, and picked each other up after every fall—literally and figuratively. That kind of support changed the way I see the world. It taught me that success doesn’t have to come from competition—it can come from community, from shared energy, and from lifting each other up.

Looking back now, I see how much skateboarding shaped who I’ve become. It helped me get through tough times, gave me perspective on what really matters, and taught me values I still live by today: gratitude, respect, resilience, and empathy. When life feels overwhelming, I still go back to those lessons. Skateboarding grounded me, connected me, and reminded me that progress takes time—and that it’s okay to fall, as long as you get back up.

I’ll always be thankful for what skateboarding gave me. It didn’t just shape my teenage years—it continues to shape the way I move through the world. -Sam Kaplinsky

What skateboarding has meant to our family and why I feel so strongly about Palo Alto adding to it’s present skateboard facilities in Greer Park. - Joel Rosenberg

My wife and I have lived and raised two children in Palo Alto beginning in 1970. Our younger child, Jacob, went to Palo Alto Schools and attended Gunn High School, finishing his senior year in 1992.

Jacob and school were not particularly well matched. Mainly, he was unable to find a friend group that motivated him to attend school, an elemental part of high school.

Jacob started skate-boarding early in high school, and found a supportive group of people who loved skating, which at the same time gave him an outlet to expand his skills and talents as a skate-board videographer. His interest and motivation flipped “on” and he immersed himself in the world of skateboarding, filming of skaters, supplying articles for magazines and a myriad of other endeavors all related to the sport.

His mother and I did everything we could to encourage his participation. We built a skate-ramp in our yard, allowed him to take trips to Southern California with friends in our car when he was 17, helped him purchase cameras and other equipment he needed to gain skills. The following milestones were a joy to behold.

Videographer, skate-camp, mentee to Mike Ternasky (the founder of Plan B), video-editing Plan B videos with Mike, filming at Embarcadero Center, took the SAT’s so he could apply to colleges, accepted to Film School at Emerson in Boston, matriculated and graduated with honors and completed a short film, “Silent Rain in the 9th ”.

He has since gone on to become a Director of Commercials for several companies. He has filmed several well known people, ranging from LeBron James to Quincy Jones. He consulted on behalf of James Cameron and Errol Morris and is on the documentary Committee for the DGA. This past year he self-published a book on skateboard film and video from 1988 to 1998.

My take-away from witnessing the world of skateboarding is the sincere mutual support vibe that flows freely during skate sessions. Everybody roots for anyone who challenges him/her self to accomplish their next-level trick. Over time memories abound and feelings of closeness among the skaters flourishes.

More and better skateboarding facilities will provide opportunities for many youth to find a community that could make a real difference in their middle and high school years. It did for Jacob. -Joel Rosenberg

If you can learn to kickflip you can learn to do anything. - Mark Whiteley

My name is Mark Whiteley. I grew up skateboarding in the Palo Alto area in the ’80s and ‘90s. I can safely say that my experience of skateboarding gave my entire life a direction that still shapes it today.

When I discovered skateboarding, I also discovered art, music, photography, writing, videography, fashion, travel, and a general confident approach to creativity and life, because as most skateboarders know, if you can learn to kickflip you can learn to do anything.

Skateboarding put me down a path looking at life from different angles, looking to find ways of doing and utilizing that were not the same ways everybody else seemed to be. It taught me patience, perseverance, and instinct. Creative thinking and adaptation. It also taught me how to be aware of my surroundings, how to talk to all kinds of people, how to explore without fear.

The exposure to the creative side of skateboarding culture also opened up interests and later doors to what would become my professional life. The magazines and videos I loved moved me to pick up cameras, which brought me to working professionally as a videographer starting at the age of 16, connecting with all kinds of skateboarders and industry people around California as a teen, and then coupled with my photography studies in college, I began working at a skateboarding publishing company at 21. There I also honed my skills as a writer which lead to a lengthy creative career working at  global brands in other industries. These steps in my career are based almost entirely in what I learned from within the world of skateboarding.

The culture of skateboarding is not without its faults, but is generally an incredibly welcoming and accepting one — today more so than ever, with skaters of all walks of life finding joy in the doing as well as the company we all keep. Skaters see each other for who they are — there is no one type of skateboarder, because it is a personal expression that can be articulated in endless ways. There is no right or wrong way to do it. You have no coach, but you have an endless amount of cheerleaders. Skateboarders love to see each other succeed, and while skateboarding teaches you to be humble, it also teaches you the beauty of not being humble when supporting your friends.

Skateboarders need places to safely come together, where they can have the time and space to learn, hone their crafts, develop their physical and mental skills, build their friendships. A modern skatepark is an ideal place for those things to flourish, and it is something that the skaters of Palo Alto are sorely lacking. Greer skatepark played a part in my ability to develop as a skater and image maker, but that was another era. Palo Alto has a long history of nurturing skateboarders and creative people of all types, and I urge you to get involved with helping to provide for new generations who will learn from skateboarding and take those valuable lessons with them as they shape their future, and ours. - Mark Whiteley