Spencer Legebokoff finds skateboard culture fascinating.
“People can get so into it. Their lives revolve around riding a wooden board with wheels and finding something creative to do with it,” said the 17-year-old filmmaker, who is releasing his first skate film Locals Only at Ripping Giraffe Boardshop on September 12 at 8 p.m.
“It means sometimes getting really hurt to do a trick that doesn’t really, in the end, mean anything. But it’s nice to show people the things we can achieve, that we’re passionate about.”
Legebokoff decided a while ago that he wasn’t going to become the guy doing the huge trick, but he wanted to be there to film it.
“I decided I’ve gotta do something with my life that’s creative. Basically, I love anything that will push and promote skateboarding.”
His 25-minute movie consists of four main segments featuring local boarders Phalen Miller, Danan Lake, Levi Peirson and Chuck Arrance. Approximately 20 other boarders appear, including Legebokoff himself.
“Originally I thought I was just going to have the four guys and then people kept wanting to get involved,” he said.
The film celebrates the Kootenays’ unique skate culture, and also features riders from Kaslo, Nakusp, Trail and the surrounding area.
“It revolves around mainly the tricks, and what people have to go through to do those tricks. All the time, energy they put into it. There’s going to be bails, people getting hurt, people making it,” he said.
“But it’s also about the lifestyle behind it, the people you run into while skateboarding.”
Though some of it is filmed at the Nelson Skateboard Park, Legebokoff said he was more interested by urban and rural spaces not necessarily designated for skating.
“It started in the pools and went to the streets, and that’s where it really took off,” he said.
“In Nelson it was a lot harder. I mean, the spots in the back streets and the alleys are a lot more limited than Vancouver or Calgary or Kamloops. But there’s places here where everybody’s been skating the last 20 years.”
In his estimation, skate culture went on a decline around 2009, but Legebokoff considers himself part of a modern resurgence in popularity.
“We’re slowly getting better,” he said.
For information about the screening, visit the Ripping Giraffe Boardshop on Facebook.