MAAG Team Hobbies 4 Reasons Why Skateboarding is a Great Hobby – According to Matt McMinn Matt McMinn, Project Manager, Kent
Matt McMinn, who recently joined Maag, has a lifelong love of skateboarding beginning at the age of 14, when his best friend encouraged him get “on board”. Today he and that same friend own their own skate shop. While Matt may no longer be found doing rail slides and kickflips around Kent, he still enjoys taking his board out for a cruise either on his own or with his kids. Matt shared some of the reasons why skateboarding has been such a great hobby and why he is hoping to bring back a sense of community to the local skateboard scene.
• Skateboarding is a great fitness activity. When Matt first started skating, he would spend hours a day practicing tricks until they were mastered. It helps build core muscles, improve balance and is way more fun than a treadmill! There are minimal costs for equipment and lots of options depending on whether you are looking to just cruise the streets of your community or get a little more adrenaline seeking with skating street obstacles or transition. • The skateboarding social scene and community have something for everyone. When Matt was younger, his close- knit group of friends used to skate around downtown Kent. Matt still keeps in touch with most of his original skateboarding friends. While he claims that he didn’t meet his wife directly through skateboarding, he admits that he would never have met her if it weren’t for his skateboarding ties. Skateboarding has a tendency to filter out superficial people leaving you with those that are earnest and genuine. Skateboarders are always trying to help each other – whether to offer suggestions on how to nail a new trick or to troubleshoot equipment. • Skateboarding requires perseverance and teaches tenacity. Because of his stick-to-itiveness, in the late 1990’s Matt found himself competing in Canada against some of people that ended up becoming pros in this increasingly popular sport. Tricks take lots of blood, sweat and tears to perfect and these qualities have filtered into other aspects of Matt’s life including both his career and family life.
Matt opened his own skateboard shop, Dirty Skate Co. in 2021 because he noticed that there didn’t seem to be the same community that he had and enjoyed growing up. He also noticed that lots of kids were asking questions on social media about best types of boards to buy. Matt felt the need to create a place for today’s kids to get that sense of community that he had and to learn more about skateboarding. • The skateboarding culture is creative. You can express yourself through skateboarding by style of dress, your board’s artwork, your style of skating, and by sharing your knowledge and talents through video. With Matt’s local independent skateboard shop, he helps to design boards, clothing, swag and marketing material to fuel his creative side, while also inspiring others in the skateboarding community.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs