Board in Hand, Whiz Kid Rides Beyond Hudson

At the age of 11, Silvester “Doogie” Eduardo learned to skateboard when his older brother, Glenn, went out to learn with his friends in Fort Lee's Coytesville Park. Now 17, the younger brother excels in what his older brother spearheaded, flipping his board and crossing borders.

Eduardo, a Fort Lee High School junior, inspired by skateboard videogames and professionals like Andrew Reynolds, is now a professional-level-bound skateboarder--complete with endorsement deals--regularly boarding through the streets of New York and New Jersey. 

“I skate around Whitey Lang Park now that they built the ramps,” this week's Whiz Kid said. “But I also skate from Washington Heights to the Lower East Side in New York, meeting new skaters, skating in sponsored competitions, and discovering spots.”

A burgeoning talent, Eduardo described starting out as being as difficult as any other beginner in any other sport. But through repetition, he added that constant riding built to something akin to a sixth sense.

“The first couple of rides are slow, blocky and awkward,” he said. “But as you practice more on, your body becomes more fluid with the board, and that’s when it’s refreshing. And with the combination of a good sunny day, you feel like you can go anywhere.”

Eduardo also talked about his first accident and toughing it out through painful trials to land a trick. 

“When you try something at a young age, you don’t really think about getting hurt,” he said. “You want to land a trick so bad, that you ride away and try again after feeling that second of pain. A trick goes wrong when your mind is swaying somewhere else or you're nervous but is rather successful when it goes blank.”

The immeasurable pain from multiple bails and the repetition and emulation of professional skaters not only reflect Eduardo as a growing talent, but also an inspiration for others.

In New York City Eduardo found a place of belonging--a social community with countless skaters and sites around him.

While an avid explorer and competitor at various New York street sites, the Whiz Kid was finally noticed by fellow skaters and fans as one of the top locals with two skateboard companies, Etnies and NJ Skateshop in Hoboken, sponsoring him.

He described skating in New York as more than just flipping boards for a larger, specialized crowd, but rather a new culture and lifestyle. 

“When I started going to the city, it felt like a fresh start,” he said. “It was the first experience being on my own, but I quickly found raw skaters, linking up with some that were a lot better than me.” 

But that's not to imply that the city’s skating community welcomed Eduardo with open arms. He described new trials like fitting in with other skaters above his skill-level and improving himself.

“There was long span of time where I would not be progressing and staying at the same place,” he said. “Skateboarding is a big community here, and it’s important you make a good reputation of yourself.”

On why he chose the streets over manufactured ramps, Eduardo speaks of the natural senses and the advantage of abundance that rails and stairs have over half pipes. 

“Street is meant to be like finding things you can’t normally skate on, rather than something that was designed for skating,” he said. "Verticals are opposite because you need to build ramps specialized for skaters, and [they] are expensive. Before they built the skate park in Whitey Lang, there was nowhere to go except the streets.”