It warmed my heart endlessly yesterday when I checked out Burnett's post on the Thrasher site highlighting the Shake Junt video premier on Sunday night. Not only, as expected, did Burnett's pics give the reader a glimpse into what appears to be a joyful evening full of bros, brews and much anticipated video footage but in addition all this this was the undesputable highlight of the night. It continues to put a smile on my as I think of it now.
The Goat Father, Shane Heyl, is Baker's newest pro. I wasn't even necessarily aware that Mr. Heyl was actually an am for Baker,or that he was legitimately considered to be a rider on the team. This is irrelevant however, as he obviously was and is. It isn't nor never has been a secret that Heyl has always been a fixture in the whole Baker/Deathwish camp and his noseslide heavy footage has been popping up in their videos since the
game changing release of Baker Bootleg, but I never honestly thought I would see the day when Shane's name was adorned in the infamous black block graphic that has become so synonymous with Baker.
I am definitely and wholeheartedly pleased that this is now an actual reality. Word on the street lately has it that Heyl has absoutely been killing it since recovering from a gnarly knee surgery and in preparation for the junt video, but once again this is completely irrelevant to his new found pro status. What is relevant is that Shane is a skateboarder and deserves to be a professional skateboarder, regardless of his skill level or lack of magazine coverage. He has been down for skateboarding and more specifically down for Baker since day one. It's obvious that Shane has been on the scene for so long not only because he loves skateboarding but he obviously also loves the homeys with whom he gets to do it with on a daily basis.
What is a pro? A human representative of skateboarding and what a company represents, made available to the kids. If Shane Heyl is not the ideal characterization of skateboarding to offer up to kids and fans, someone who skates because he loves skateboarding and having fun with his friends, then seriously who is?
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