Skateboarding

~Shared by Kurt Naebig~

I knew Chip well when he was a teenager. I owned a skateboard shop and we were on a skateboard team together. Chip was fun, upbeat, adventurous, friendly and a really great guy. When I asked him to be on our team, I did it not only because he was a terrific skateboarder, but also because I knew there could be no better ambassador to skateboarding, or our store.

Chip was a true friend. I ended up in a drug rehab at 16 years old…and when I came out and stayed clean and sober, I lost most of my friends. Not Chip.

We rode together in many contests around the Midwest and he won a bunch of them. Everyone loved him. It’s funny too (and I spoke to him about it later) that he used a song by Aerosmith as the music in his freestyle routine. Apparently he told this to the band later.

My store was called “Wheels of Progress”. This is where we used to hang, talk shop, fix boards and plan our next road trip or contest.

We didn’t live near each other, but every week we got together to skate. He was always taking photos when we were together too. This photo I think was one of his best. We heard that there were some pipes that were being put into the ground in the Chicago area…so we quick did a road trip. Chip set up the shot, and then he got in the pipe to ride and asked me to click it. The shot was all his. I knew he was doing art back then. I was so glad to hear many years later that others understood and saw his art.

Chip also went with my father and me to California to go to a skateboard/sporting goods convention. We called it a business trip, but really we just wanted to hit the skate parks. I think it was a first for him in two ways. I think it was his first time in California…and (I’m not sure if you knew this about him, but up ‘til then he was not an adventurous eater. I think it was meat, potatoes and pizza only for him. I mean he seriously ate almost nothing else). He was very apprehensive and sure it was going to be a bad experience, but my father and I got him to eat his very first taco. It was a bit of a battle, but he finally tried one. He said he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. (My dad still talks about our taco adventure). He had not experienced even Chinese food at that time…. I’m curious…did he ever try?

Like anything Chip did, he was very enthusiastic. I know he told me once that his mom (who wasn’t that excited about the skateboarding) gave him a sticker that said something like…”I eat, drink, sleep, walk, live, love and ride skateboarding”. He thought it was apropos.

I didn’t talk to him much in the last ten years or so, but I can tell you that when we did, he was sooo proud of you two (Valerie and Max). It wasn’t only in what he said and he did talk a lot about you two, but ….his tone of voice changed and I could just hear the love pouring through the phone.

He will be missed by so many. My heart is heavy and there is a huge lump in my throat as I write this. He was such a good guy. And I’m sure many have and will be telling you the same. His touch on the world will resonate for a long long long time.

I am a better man for knowing him.