The small local skate scene at Cypress High School has lively individuals.

One of these skateboarding machines is Nassar Hattar, a sophomore with mad ambition for skating since he was 7 years old. He’s currently rockin’ an Alien Workshop deck, some “generic trucks,” and 52 mm Android wheels. Hattar absolutely LOVES Alien Workshop man, maybe a “little too much,” he says. He’s been through ten boards in his lifetime, some broken and some given to the second love of his life, his “non-skater” girlfriend Audrey Landeros, (since his first love is his board.)

When he found his first skateboard on the ground, he said he felt like he found “the love of his life.”

Though he has been skating for about seven years, he can hardly do tricks. Skaters take learning tricks seriously and that moment when they finally land one, it’s straight nirvana. The first time he landed a shuvit, he felt such an emotion of accomplishment, he said that he, “cried for two nights straight.” 

His advice to newbies who want to get into skating is, “Just do it.” He said, “Don’t be afraid to get hurt because that’s just a part of skating.” If you can’t take a thrashing, honestly you shouldn’t be even thinkin’ of being a skater. According to Hattar, starting with a Walmart board is best. According to Hattar, people starting out don’t need high-quality wheels and bearings because they should just focus on balancing and the straight fundamentals of skating. Newbies don’t need the highest quality product to learn how to balance and go straight, and having a cheap board helps with wobble. They hardly move at all.

Overall, skating is something that can be enjoyed by EVERYONE. Skateboarding is awesome, you look pretty cool doing it, and you meet fellow skateboarding comrades who are really nice people. But whatever you do, DO NOT BE A POSER.