Picture this: it’s 2010, the “Skate 3” video game has just come out. After at least an hour of customizing your character to look just like you — well, kind of — the room begins to smell like frustration and Mom’s leftover mac-n-cheese as you go blow through the tricks on the trick guide. Early-onset arthritis starts to creep in as you practice the Pop-Shuvit over and over again. Alas, Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Skate 3 began a generation of wannabe skaters and genuine skate junkies. 

Yosef Bubes is a senior here at North Atlanta and is the latter of the few. He can be found on Instagram posting frequent skate videos for followers to watch or at Old Fourth Ward with the rest of Atlanta’s skating community. Bubes lives the reality of Tony in “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” and completes the same objectives Tony did daily. 

           Skating has always been a part of Bubes’ life, from diapers to decks. “I started skating when I was four,” he said. “I started skating so young because I used to spend every day playing skate games on my ‘Gamecube.’ That was my inspiration.”

           As far as the motivation behind skating? It’s all for a breather, said Bubes. “It’s like stress relief for me,” he said. “It’s the same reason why kids play basketball. IIt helps take away the stress from the day.” 

        Skating takes patience and lots of practice, but for Bubes there’s still the reward that comes with the effort. “I skate almost every day, mainly at skateparks around Atlanta,” he said. “I have a sponsorship from Nike, so they send me stuff in the mail sometimes.” 

           Whether it’s Skate 3 or random Tony Hawk simulation games on the GameCube, skating was a staple part of nearly every millennial’s childhood. For Bubes, the inspiration of the game brought him from ollies on screen to VHS skate videos of kick flips. Stay sick, dude.