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NOV/DEC 2018
THE WARM SPRINGS SESSIONS|
PHOTOS AND WORDS BY NEIL KORN
“I LOVE SKATEBOARDING AND EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH IT.
THE TRIPS, THE HOMIES, IT ALWAYS KEEPS ME BUSY. THE FACT THAT
THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN, IT REALLY MAKES ME
FEEL COMPLETE IN A WAY.”
-NACHO PONCE
On a warm Saturday morning in late September, I met up with two skaters, one from
Madras the other from Warm Springs. My intention was to write an article about Native
American skateboarders who live in Warm Springs. I wanted to find out what the skate
scene was like there. Come to find out, the skate scene is very small and almost non-
existent. Warm Springs does have a decent skatepark, located across the street from a
community center where kids go after school. On a perfect Saturday when we arrived we
were the only people in the entire park.
The morning started out at the Madras Skatepark. When I arrived, Daquan Cassaway was
already there skating. Daquan’s little brother, who had a “potty mouth” tagged along and
was with some other little kids just hanging around. We used them later in the session
as props for the boys to bust airs over while sitting on the ramp. I’ve seen Daquan skate
before in Bend and noticed he was skilled well above his age of 13. Soft spoken, smart,
long black hair that was always in his eyes and with great skating style. He doesn’t think
much about living in Warm Springs but is proud of his community, but wishes he lived next
door the Madras Skatepark.
Warm Springs is 93% Native American and has many of the stigmas that most Native
American communities have across America. The problem with these communities is the
young people, like Daquan, with dreams and aspirations will find a way out. The ones who
don’t make it out can fall between the cracks and into the cycle of despair. As I looked
around town there is support systems but the life there looks hard and nothing an outsider
can come to understand. The mistreatment of the Native American people and their land
is not often spoken about and hardly touched upon in most American schools.
Madras Skatepark has lights for night skating. Daquan hardly skates in Warm Springs, it’s
just too hot there in the summer months. He spends most summer nights skating in Ma-
dras, with his grandparents doing the fifteen mile drive back and forth. Daquan’s grandpar-
ents are his biggest supporters and are very involved in raising him. Daquan looks forward
to going to high school next year because as he says. “I’m going to skate over to the park
every day after school”.
Minutes later, Nacho Ponce, a 19-year-old skater from Madras, showed up the park.
Nacho is a well known skater around Central Oregon who lives just a few miles away. He
is a nice kid who skates hard every day and it shows. Nacho holds down a full time job
in Madras as he figures out his next move. His dreams are big, hoping his skateboarding
can take him places. Nacho is a regular at Ponderosa Skatepark, especially on competi-
tion days.
Nacho and Daquan are best buds. Skating together, filming each other and encourag-
ing each other. Skateboarding is unlike team sports where you are grouped into age
groups. Skaters skate and feed off each other, talent is recognized whether you are 13
or 30. Skateparks are sometimes the family skaters wished they had. Both boys, Daquan
and Nacho may be missing something in their lives, but at the park they find that unity
together and turn it into positivity.
Next, we are off to another park in Madras for them to skate a spot. There are a few older
teen girls there hanging out when we arrived. One girl yells out “Daquan”, “Daquan”. Na-
cho and I both encourage him to answer back and go talk to the girls. It’s obvious Daquan
is building a little fan club here and there, but he giggles and says, “I don’t like them” and
goes about eating his McDonald’s hamburger that he and Nacho grabbed on the way
over. After about thirty minutes we were off to Warm Springs.
Arriving in Warm Springs we pass the Arrowhead Casino. Arrowhead is a small strip on
the side of the highway that is a typical casio located on Native American Land. Right
at the edge of town is a public park. The Warm Springs Skatepark is located here. The
park actually has lights but they barely work, Daquan says. The rest of the park could
use some cleaning and repair. The bathrooms appear to have been taken over by some
homeless people and are in shambles. The rest of the park has garbage and clothes on
the ground.
Nacho and Daquan start skating. I start snapping away and they start filming each other
with iPhones. Next, it’s off to downtown. I kept asking is there more, are there more
stores? “Nope”, most people go to Madras for shopping and work. We walk the village and
take photos at the only food market, firestation, post office, and Native American Court
building. I have them skate the dead center of the downtown street as I sit on the ground
Double trouble airs at Madras Skatepark.
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