Art Designed by Roger Sparks
"I remember spray painting my first skateboard. Putting stickers on it, scribbling on quotes and images with paint markers. Reflecting back on that it seemed primal to express ownership of something that gave me freedom, identity and strength. What does skateboarding have to do with fitness? To answer that you may need to redefine what fitness means to you. Consider consistently working on difficult things. Spending day and night outside in parking lots, many times with the outcasts of society as a backdrop. Raw guttural aspects of street life are often the richest of experiences. Honing a craft, nurturing it with a tribe of others. Failing, falling down, getting up and playing injured are just a few of the things skateboarding has the ability to teach us. So much of who we are is found in these moments.
My involvement with the collaboration of GORUCK and Street Plant was a gift. Many of the images I placed on the board are from direct life experiences. I rendered many as I was understanding the images related to the art of tattoo. Bringing them together for this collaboration tells a story of America, of what it means to serve and grow together. I hope the board allows you to spend more time in the real world redefining what fitness means to you…"
- Roger Sparks
