Leaving a pro skate career is a lot like leaving a gang. Exit quietly and you’ll slowly realize how hard “real life” can be outside of it. Publicly announce your retirement and be hated on for your pretension. Lose all your sponsors and become skate industry laughing stock. Seems the only “respectable” way out of skating is death.
However, there are rare skateboarders who can leave skating gracefully. Daniel Shimizu is now one of them. Skateboarding’s hive mind accepted Shimizu’s recent retirement because he didn’t leave to make cringy rap music or ditch us before we were ready to let him go. Shimizu left just in the nick of time, before he could be called out for completely milking it.
In appreciation of skateboarding’s cleanest scumstache, our friend Joey Sinko edited Shimizu’s most memorable video moments into a vintage compilation. A reminder for older folks of when they first wanted to skate in button-up shirts, and a primer for young bucks on how to look good on a rail. No judgments if this one makes you feel all warm and gooey inside.
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January 26, 2018 2:36 am
“Damaged Goods” are still imprinted in my brain after all these years.
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January 26, 2018 3:27 pm
ooo shout out to hartford ct 2:08
that rail is fucked up for anyone to do
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January 28, 2018 12:53 am
Shimizu I seen you
Back tail
Death metal
Crue
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January 28, 2018 3:08 pm
The footage of him and Ethan getting ripped off trying to buy weed in England is funny as hell. Taken from the Foundation European Vacation tour video, which is excellent from start to finish, with a young Leo Romero ripping everything.
Congrats to Daniel on his career, and best wishes in his future endeavors.
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