S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , a new KPBS series called Game Time Decision about youth sports and safety , plus a skate and surf , even changing the narrative around action sports. This is KPBS Midday Edition , connecting our communities through conversation. You know , many of us can thank youth sports for wonderful memories out in the sun , toss in a ball , scoring some goals and even spraining an ankle or two. KPBS video journalist Mikey Damron loves sports of all kinds football , soccer and on and on. And so does his son Dorian. These days , he's getting more serious about sports , and that's all front and center in Mikey's new video series on KPBS called Game Time Decision , the series weaves together Mikey's personal youth sports journey with expert insights about youth , sports and safety. And Mikey joins me now to talk all about it. Mikey , welcome.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: I'm glad to have you here. This is the first time I've had you in studio. Yeah , on the other side of the mic. Finally.
S2: Finally. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. So we're excited about this.
S2: I'm very excited to be here. So.
S1: So.
S2: I'm pretty sure I feel the same as a lot of other people do. It really shaped how I became a full grown person. You know , being in team sports , it taught me responsibility , being part of a team , which ultimately rolled into me being in the military , which is kind of the same thing. So it it shaped who I was as a person even to this day. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. It teaches you so many life skills. Really outside. Just the game. Yeah. So what's so cool about this series is , is is that it's it's it's personal , you know , which is very awesome. I mean , you actually take us back to Nashville and West Tennessee , where you spent your early years playing sports.
S2: I really love sports and my son , of course , and to be able to take him back and to show him where I grew up playing sports , whether it be in , you know , dirt fields close to my grandmother's house or the softball fields that I spent the summer with my uncle , he had a softball team , and we were just out there every weekend , and it was really cool to show him , you know , what it was like in a different time , that you know , where it was just about the sports more than it was , you know , organized sports. So it was really , you know , it got really emotional at some point when we went to the the actual field where I broke my leg playing ball on. Yes , it was , it was emotional for me as well as my mom. You know , she was there too.
S1: I don't have to ask about that. But , you know , we do actually get to learn about your uncle and Amer J. Dameron. Yes. Okay. The full name ? Yeah. He's the person who introduced you to baseball , and it seems like a lot more to. Here's what your mom had to say about his influence on you.
S3: Michael started out as a , you know , 5 or 6 years old , playing sports , sifting through the sand in the outfield and , you know , just messing around , really , you know , being cute little kids. But , um , once my brother Amer started coaching him one on one , he started going , oh , well , he went from just kind of playing around in the outfield to hitting the ball over the fence.
S1: So , Mikey , tell me more about Amer.
S2: Amer was the he was the guy in my life. Um , my mom was single mom and my her brothers , my uncles really took over as my positive male role models in my life. Amur is the youngest boy out of seven kids that my grandmother had , so he wasn't. The age gap wasn't huge. So I remember a time where he was still in high school , when I would go out to visit my grandmother , and he just eventually moved to Pensacola , where we were living at the time , and started working me with me playing baseball. Um , he just taught me everything about the sport , and I really grew to love it. And he did little stuff like incentivized , like , if I get a hit , you get a dollar. If you get a home run , you get $5. And I really dug in his pockets after a while. So , yeah , he he really set me on a good path and made me really love sports. And , uh , just by his coaching and his care. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S2: You don't see kids playing outside anymore. Usually , you know , you would have to drive through neighborhoods. You would have to stop for kids playing , you know , basketball and in a in the street or , you know , football. Things have changed. And I think youth sports has gotten away. It's become , you know , you're playing your same sport year round. You know , I chose to go in a direction where I threw everything at him and just to see what stuck. And unfortunately , well , for me it's like everything stuck. So he he loves everything. So I got lucky. But you know , we we really need to emphasize on coaching , you know , volunteering and just , you know , really fostering the love for sports in the , you know , kids , especially young kids. Wow.
S1: Wow. I mean , and how has being a parent changed the way you view safety and youth sports altogether.
S2: I'm not going to lie. You know , at first I was , you know , should I rub them or wrap them up in bubble wrap ? Should I let them out there ? But then , you know , I , I didn't want to take miss any opportunity for him not to have fun , right ? No matter what. So I did a lot of research. I made sure I , you know , learned the rules , was the correct coaching , anything that could possibly deter injury. I try to teach him.
S1: Because you've been through injury , correct ? You mentioned earlier you broke your leg playing baseball.
S2: It was just a freak thing. I was playing third base and collided with another player and broke both bones in my lower leg. And I was in a cast for six months. And it was. It took me out of youth sports for a long time , and I finally returned back to sports with my senior year of high school. But it was pretty traumatic. It was. It could have scared a normal person.
S1: Away from sports completely. Um , and I'm sure much of that informed this project here that you did. Absolutely.
S2: Absolutely.
S1: I mean , episode two is all about football , right ? This is really where you want to wrap your son up and wrap. It really explores the health risks of the sport. And we've got a short clip. Take a listen.
S2: He just wants to run around and play. But to be honest , up until this point , I just always romanticized about Dorian playing football. But now that he's getting to the age that he's actually going to start playing. That all changes for me now. Now I really have to start thinking about.
S4: Should he participate in a sport that we really both love , and whether the health risks are just too high ? Wow.
S1:
S2: I don't know if everybody remembers that was the Buffalo Bill safety that got injured on the field for everybody to see sea. And the visceral reaction in that moment was football doing football again. So I really wanted to make sure , you know , to educate parents on what the injuries really were before they made a decision whether or not their kids play the sport. So I did talk to doctors , and they opened my eyes up to a lot of things , and I talked to coaches as well. A lot of coaches were telling me that a lot of the kids are not playing what we know as tackle football until freshman year of high school. They have , you know , 707 travel teams , all this other stuff. So a lot of the injuries we're seeing now are like joint and ankle injuries that are like from cutting and grass. And they happen in the spring off season of football. And the rules of football change how they approach , how they teach tackling. They really emphasize on the safety part of tackling. Um , most of their practice are or at the time , you know , by teaching , tackling. So yeah. And they only tackle like really hit only a couple minutes a week. It's gone down. Like back in the day , it was like two a days. You were hitting head up all the time. Oklahoma drills. So the it's changed a lot how football is taught. Sure.
S1: Sure. Well and when we're talking about injuries I mean how much of that has to do with kids being hyper focused on one sport as opposed to giving them a more well-rounded sports education ? Correct.
S2: And it goes to a lot of fatigue , you know , in different if you play a certain sport year round like baseball , you're more susceptible to get like Tommy John because you're throwing constantly and you're not taking.
S1: Those Tommy.
S2: John it's a it's an elbow injury. It's very prominent in baseball. And um , a lot of times it's like you're not moving to a different sport and using a different muscle group , you know , to kind of give you rest and trying to break it up. Right.
S1: Right. Well , three episodes are out now , correct ? Um , give me a preview of what else you have in the works. Your next episode is about community parks and pools.
S2: And you know , that's a big there's a lot of children of color dying because they don't know how to swim. And that that needs to change. Especially we live in a city that's close to the ocean. You know , it just they shouldn't just know how to swim. Um , it's also about accessibility. You know , a lot of they don't some people don't have a lot of accessibility to parks and pools and stuff like that , especially pools of quality. You know , some neighborhoods , they have pools there , but they're never open because they can't maintain them or they can't staff them. So that needs to be looked at.
S1: That's great. And I know it has. Your piece has a treasure trove of like , sources and resources that people can find.
S2: I mean , just to see the person he is becoming through sports. It's been amazing and I couldn't be a proud father of that child. Um , and then for me , it's it's taught me , you know , I've coached all his teams and it's turned me into something different than what I started also. So we've that's the biggest thing about coaching. You want to see growth out of that child from the beginning to the end of it. And that goes for parents also. Absolutely.
S1: Absolutely. You know , in the series , a caption identifies you as a sports dad , right ? What does that mean to you ? I mean.
S2: Uh , we're I'm not just a sports that I'm part of a sports family. Everybody in my family shows up. Uh , during his mom , his stepfather , his , you know , his stepmother. Everybody's there. The whole family is there to root on all these kids.
S1: That is excellent.
S2:
S1: Yeah , well , congratulations on your series. Um , and you can find it on KPBS. I've been speaking with Mikey Damron , KPBS video journalist. He's his new video series again for KPBS is called Game Time Decision , and you can find that at KPBS. Again , Mikey , thanks.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: Still to come , we'll talk about a surf and skates conference to highlight culture , craft and community. Midday edition is back after the break. Welcome back to KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Here in San Diego , we love our action sports. Surfing and skateboarding are two of our favorites. And if you need proof , look no further than the conference happening this weekend at San Diego State University. The Stoke Sessions 2.0. It's all about the culture , history and politics of surfing and skateboarding. Keynote speakers include Steve Van Doren of Vans Shoes and also Bryce Wettstein , two time Olympian skateboarder from Oceanside. Their moderator will be Neftali Williams , director of Sdsu center for skateboarding , action , Sports and Social Change , and I am so excited to have both Bryce and Neftali in studio now. Welcome to Midday Edition. You all. Hello.
S5: Hey , thanks so much. So excited to be back here.
S6:
S1: Okay.
S6: Okay. Okay. And. Yeah.
S1: So we've been here doing this for a while. Well , tell me , you know you're Neftali. You're moderating the kickoff conversation with Bryce and Steve. But I'm sure you're you're doing a lot to make this conference actually happen.
S5: So just having everyone here is just , uh , it's really just wonderful. We have so many different panels that are happening that are focused on surfing , skating in many different ways , from sustainability to access and being able to host our , you know , our keynotes with Bryce. And of course , Steve Van Doren is a really great way for students to understand that skateboarding , action sports affects so many different parts of their lives. There's different paths for them to take. So it's , uh , it's really just kind of a , an endless way for , I guess , an endless way for everyone to to see how it fits in their life and what they could get involved in. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , Bryce , you've had quite the impressive career for someone your age. Two time Olympian at just 21 , and you're really a joy to watch. So what about skateboarding ? Really keeps you hooked.
S6: Thank you so much. Well , that's a great , great , great question. Um , I would say the the thing that keeps me hooked is definitely being constantly inspired by skateboarding. It's something like your love is always there. Like. And love can be fueled by inspiration. And for me , it's just always being able to , like , go out and skate in whatever headspace you're feeling and just get your emotions out and do it with love.
S1: Um , yeah. Yeah.
S5: And also , I really want folks to know that there are new leaders in the field. And , you know , sometimes , you know , our last conference we have Tony Hawk. And so Bryce and Tony , like , this is the changing and the changing of the guard. And I know that so many folks are inspired by all , of all of her work and her her compassion and her musicality and sort of all of her interests have gotten a whole generation of of women and young men inspired. And seeing that skateboarding can be for them no matter what other interests they have. And so bringing Bryce in is just a really great way to say skateboarding is for everyone. And , you know , here are the new leaders of the field. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And that seems to really be sort of central to to this event. I mean , this conference covers so much. But one thing , again , really central is this sense of place and belonging within action sports that you were just talking about.
S5: And right now people really do need to find ways in which they can feel and express their emotions , express their true selves , and find a freedom in their lives. And that's just something that skateboarding brings the ability to step on a board or go out surfing or go out snowboarding. But for for Bryce and I , the most skateboarding , stepping on a board and just moving faster than the world around you , that's something I talk to all my students and say , how magical and transformational is that to just go , I'm going to move faster than these other things. I'm going to push , and I'm going to have the moment to connect with myself , my spirit and my mind. And we just need more of that.
S6: Yeah , just a quick poem. Like , in a sense , we find this innocence and we are to be longing for a sense of belonging. And that's how I feel about skateboarding , because it's so magical in a sense , where you can just go out and make friends like that , right ? Just like school. Like school communities. But like you were saying , like , for me , I feel like it's that freedom that constantly makes you feel free in all settings because you're tapping into that feeling that you just had. When you're skating , you're like , you can put your mind constantly back to that place. And so I think that's the constant hook is like what you're saying , like that freedom and love is beautiful.
S5: And just taking that when we're talking to our students and saying , okay , this thing that you love , we can also transfer over and say , how do we look at the world through ? As Bryce was just saying through our skateboarding lens , or if our students are non skaters , how can we take that freedom and skateboarding and go , how do we apply that to everything else ? Like why ? Truthfully , why aren't you skating ? Everyone everyone should be skating. And one of the things that students say often about skating and about surfing is like , oh , access or I didn't know , you know , I didn't know this was for me. And so to what your last guest , Mike Zimmerman , was just saying , was thinking about this question of access. And so there's going to be lots of panels that are discussing what is that for black and brown community specifically , like what has what have been the reasons that we have not been participating in skateboarding or participating in surfing and also in snowboarding ? Like , what are these historical narratives that have been about us ? How do we change those ? Like Bryce represents a change , right ? There's always a a preconceived notion that skateboarding , that only men were skateboarding. But we know women have been skateboarding since day one. And so that's you know , that's another reason , of course , having Bryson to just show like the changing of the guard. And that's for everyone. And so all those panels are going to kind of think about those histories. More access for black and brown communities to surf spots in the skate spots. Um , it's just it's just something we should be talking about. And that as what Bryce was just saying , that makes us have a better , more cohesive community. If everyone's participating. We are friends while we're skating. We're friends while we're surfing. Then we will live in the same communities. We will understand each other better , and we will have a better , you know , a better city here in this city.
S1: Yeah , that is excellent. I mean , and , uh , to your point , too , it's also about inclusivity. You know , the conference will also highlight therapeutic and adaptive sports. Um , tell us about that. Um , you know , that inclusivity , uh , and also the ways it can help heal. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. So thank you very much. Um , one of the things there is skateboarding and surfing , all those who practice it almost do feel it in a spiritual sense. They feel it in a way where you can have some peace within your life. And so thinking through this , the skateboarding or surfing or action sports as therapy gives us a moment to think through , like mindfulness , being present and present when we're participating , and then actually taking that and going into other aspects of their life. So we have lots of panels that are focused on that and thinking through like , what is this ? What is this practice we have and how can it ? How can it really help make us whole.
S6: And like maybe challenges can be like blessings when you find a way to work through them , you realize , wow , that challenge was kind of a blessing. Like it ? It opened this door for me that if I wouldn't have taken that challenge , maybe that door wouldn't have opened. Yeah , but I feel like that's also what's so beautiful. So you guys should definitely come out. Yeah.
S5: Yeah. No.
S6: No.
S7: That's right. I mean.
S1:
S6: Wow. That's an amazing question. Honestly , I found healing through skateboarding just by putting my feet in the skate park. Just by walking in. Just by realizing that , like , through skateboarding , I found music , which is like my comfort animal all the time. Like just writing songs or singing Jack Johnson , or listening to Jack Johnson while you're skating , just like all of the ways that skateboarding offers this platform to just step out and escape , but also just meet reality as it is and accept it and be present. That's the most beautiful part is like skateboarding is something that we can all do and all relate to , and we all have that outlet. But I think skating in particular just like opens the doors to everything possible , and it's literally limitless possibilities , which is incredible and obviously being creative too. Indeed.
S1: Indeed. Well.
S7: Well. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Something that Neftali said earlier was , you know , how you're really sort of bringing new people into the sport. Um , there's this there's there's this focus on gender gendered norms , you know , in action sports. Yeah.
S6: But today , like , oh my gosh , the girls are progressing in crazy ways. Um , one of my friends , Arisa , just did the switch mic twist. You know , I mean , that's a general example. There's also other things like just nose grinds , simple tricks that when people do it , they have their own flair , their own sense of style and uniqueness and like seeing that the girls bring it to in a way that is just so eloquent and beautiful and with this finesse. And I think the guys are like , wow , you know , and we're all just friends , which is the best. Um , we all inspire each other. One of the main things , though , is that , like , there's a sense of power and empowerment you feel where you can have grace and power at the same time and they can coexist. And I think that is so beautiful. Um , so yeah , it just teaches you that we are all people and meet on this playing field of skateboarding , and it is an art and a sport and everything else it is too.
S5: Yeah , I will just say , I mean , anyone who's watched Bryce skate , she really is that she has power and grace , like , I , I'm just , you know , I'll nerd out for a second with just saying , like , you know , I've shot photos of her before. She's in my she's in my new book. She has her section in there. And just watching her do , like , nosebleeds in the deep end of the pool. Like , to me , it's like there's things she's just so good and it's so beautiful and really with with Bryce , it's it looks so effortless. And so I mean , she's one of my favorite skaters to watch. And that is that's just where we are in skateboarding is like having new people introduce their own style , their own flair , their own way of doing things is a reminder that we're all human beings , as Bryce was saying , and that that we can all share this thing and appreciate it in so many different ways. I mean , you know , Bryce , Bryce is great. Yeah.
S7: Yeah.
S1: I mean , and you all are describing or talking about these moves. Yes , that are being done , Time , which I'm sure people can actually find in your your book , Naphtali , because it is coming out at the end of this month. It's called the Skateboard Life Movers , shakers , Makers and Rule Breakers. Congratulations to you on that.
S6: What an alliteration.
S1: All right. Okay.
S5: Thank you very much.
S6: Thank you. That's awesome.
S8: All right. Thank you. Give us a quick preview of the book. Yeah , I like that.
S5: So ? So I will just say this. You know , having Bryce here is a perfect example. She's featured in the book. And what the book is focused on is really showing skateboarding history as it was , as it is now , and being an inclusive history of all the parties that continue to or who have driven the sport and continue to drive our sport and our lifestyle in a way that can be really inspiring. It's a book for anyone to pick up if you're just remotely interested or in understanding. Why is it everybody skating ? When you read it , you'll feel that magic and you'll see it through the stories of everyone. You'll see it through the photos I shot. You know , No good. Almost all the photos for the for the book. And and it just gives you this ability to go , wow , there's something special in skateboarding. And I will just add this part in this book. It is really one of the first times where you're going to see so many different skaters of color , so many women , just so , so many folks , gender non-binary folks to really show that , whoa , something special is happening in skateboarding across the board , and there's someone for everyone to be inspired by. Yeah.
S6: Yeah.
S1: Well , yeah. And skating. You know , it's also a very important vehicle for social and political expression. Yes.
S5: It feels very fractured out there. And and people are constantly saying , oh , this , this side feels this way , this side feels this way. But when we are at the skate park or we're in the skate spot , those become the first moments in which people just see each other and are having a shared experience , and what we need is more shared experiences. I mean , I really you sort of get overloaded with all these images of us being , you know , separated. But I'll just say it. You know , the kids , the kids are always the ones who are thinking about what's more important than the fight , being together. And so we need to look , we need to learn from that. And so I think it's even more valuable now , particularly in reading the book. I think that you really go , whoa , look at all of these people , these people that I might not have heard of or have not seen before. And I'll just offer one little anecdote. There was a young Mexican Mexican-American skater who had asked me. He saw he saw my first copy of the book , and he said , oh my gosh , is this person in is this person ? Is this person in ? I said , oh , yeah , they're in their in their in. And he just goes , this is a book I've longed for my whole life. Usually when they talk about skateboarding , they kind of only pick , you know , 1 or 2 people on one side that represent this thing , or maybe one person on the other who maybe is the artist. But to see a full breadth of , you know , of men and women in gender , non-binary folks from every aspect of skateboarding culture. Of course , that you could get in within 288 pages. But , um , to see all that together , he said , this is a book I've wanted my entire life , and I couldn't feel any better than that. At least one person like , understood it and saw themselves reflected in it. And , you know , that's it. That's I did , I did , yeah , that's it. That's what I , I did it.
S1: Bryce , you you you look.
S8: Like you have something. I know , I'm like , I can't. I have all these thoughts. I'm like , oh my God.
S6: Um , I love like 20 , 25 itself. Like , it's just an incredible year , I think , because it's also just like fresh present moment and new experiences , like you said , shared experiences , which is such a win , like at the skate park. You know , I see like my friends doing this , we call it like a frontside boneless disaster , you know , something like that. And I'm like , okay , I'm gonna try a trick with her , and then at the same time , she gets it. And then you're like , I'm gonna back her up and do this and do mine.
S8: Yes , she asked about.
S6: And that's what's so magical is like , there's this train of thought that's like collected. And that's what I think is so awesome. Like , no matter what year it is , no matter what time it is , there's always going to be that special shared experience. Like , if there's love behind it too , you know.
S5: Yes , yes. And we need more love. Yeah.
S8: Yeah.
S5: Love is at the park.
S1: Love behind everything. You know , Bryce , this conference is. It's like you say , it's really bringing together the best of the best , uh , in skating and surfing.
S6: Very. A lot of people know each other at the parks. I mean , even at the Vons and the sprouts right across the.
S8: Street before.
S6: You ride each other , you're like , wow. And and that is like , we can say it's like it's such a small world or like , wow , like what ? A big world that all of us end up in the same place nearby. And people always told me , like , always sand you with a Mecca for skateboarding , right. Where it all began. And I'm like , yeah , I mean , yeah , but then the cool part is when we have these contests or events to bring international people all around the world together , because most of my best friends , you know , from Australia , like when I get to see them and skate or write songs and just be with them , that's the best. Just being present with one another , it's the best. Wow.
S8: Wow.
S1: Well , to close out here , I mean , what excites you about the future of skating , surfing and just action sports as a whole ? Neftali.
S5: Um , okay , so I will say one of the things that we're excited about is looking at , um , scalable sculptures and looking at the future of building inclusive cities that are focused on where skateboarding , art and community can connect. And as a matter of fact , I am. There's a conference , a conference that's coming up with some of our good friends that are also in France , in Bordeaux. And so we work with them as well , and they're focused on building scalable sculptures. And we are also building scalable sculptures here at Sdsu so that people can see how does art , how does art interact with the community. And so that's something we're really excited about right now. And , you know , anyone is interested in that can can definitely reach out to us at the center. But we have a lot of new , new things that are happening that everyone will get to see. Sdsu and San Diego leading on building. Building an inclusive city through skateboarding and action sports is fantastic.
S9: Well , Bryce , I see you've got your ukulele there.
S1: Do you ? Would you mind playing some just some instrumental music as we close out the show ? Yeah.
S6:
S1: Yeah.
S8: Yeah. Okay.
S6: Okay. Well , if any , if it's anyone's birthday.
S8: Happy birthday. To.
S6: To. You.
S8: You.
S6: Happy birthday.
S8: To you.
S6: And goodbye. Now we are closing out.
S8: Thank you , KPBS. And.
S6: And.
S8: Naftali , to thank you so much. You all. Thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
