In an attempt to establish his balance, junior Marshall Stinson makes a split decision. He overcompensates for his weight, causing the nose of his skateboard to topple over. After a thud and a moment to regather himself, he prepares for the next attempt.
Introduced to skateboarding by his father, Stinson devotes about 40 hours every week to skateboarding. He spends most of those hours tearing up Vandergriff Skatepark in Arlington.
“I don’t really have a plan or anything,” Stinson said. “It’s just something I’m good at.”
After winning a contest at the now closed local skatepark, The Pier, Stinson received a sponsorship from Pushfoot Skateboards, a group of local skaters.
“It was just some free contest,” Stinson said. “I beat quite a few guys, so that was pretty cool.”
Marshall hasn’t practiced his hobby without obstacles. He recently encountered the Mansfield Police Department. After grinding on and partially damaging a few of the rails at the Mansfield P.A.C., images of Stinson skating were reported to the police. The report was most likely filed by concerns of criminal trespassing but resulted in a sizeable ticket.
“I thought it was stupid,” Stinson said. “It didn’t seem to be worth a felony, and I wasn’t hurting anyone.”
Stinson received a $1,300 fine to compensate for property damages along with a felony for criminal trespassing. Stinson does not plan to stop pursuing his hobby regardless of these repercussions.
“It definitely won’t stop me from skating,” Stinson said. “I just wish that guy didn’t see me.”
