Nino, William and Ruben are passionate about skateboarding

Wheels topped with a small deck, skateboarding brings joy to several residents of Limoges. More than a sport, for young enthusiasts, the practice allows them to develop multiple skills and is an integral part of urban culture. Meet these enthusiasts.

From Place d'Aine, to Place des Bancs, via Place de la République and the Fac, skateboarders crisscross Limoges in search of street furniture. Nino, William, Ruben are between 16 and 19 years old. They grew up in this city, they met and built themselves through skateboarding.

“When I'm on the skateboard, I feel libre” says Ruben, nineteen years old. With his cap screwed on his head backwards, Nino, sixteen years old, confides : “For me, skateboarding means a lot, a lot, I'm not going to lie to you. C'East a way to escapeto escape the outside worldto be focused on what you are doing, you don't think about your problems. There you go, we love it“.

Portraits of these enthusiasts in this report by Margaux Blanloeil, Nicolas Chigot and Mary Bernhart:

Ollieback, flip, shove it, these figures, they repeat them tirelessly. Because you need patience before you can successfully perform a trick. Many quickly become desperate and stop. But beyond sport, they are unanimous… skateboarding is much more.

It's a discipline, a way of life, an art of living, I don't know how you can say it.

Ruben Piquet

19 year old Limogeaud skateboarder

Skateboarders don't look at the city in the same way as other residents. They carefully observe the street furniture with tenderness, eager to use it for their next challenges. “When we see steps, we say to ourselves : c'East des beautiful steps to skatewhile there are people who say to themselves, well it's steps”, explains Ruben.

Skateboarding is also a way of life. “We always think about skating. When we go out, we take our skateboard in hand, you never know. In the evening, we watch skate videos, we play skate video games, it’s all about that.” And then, for Nino, it’s an art.

Skateboarding is above all creativity. Everyone has their own way of skating, everyone has their own style. Everyone can express who they are through what they do and it's beautiful, it's magnificent.

Nino Le Nestour

Skateboarder, 16 years old

“Skateboarding goes beyond the sporting dimension, it's a culture”, explains the manager of the flagship skate store in Limoges. It brings together codes, standards, values ​​unique to a group : freedom of movement, perseverance, freedom, life in the open air… “What I prefer is skating in the street, with my friends, in a cool way”, lance Nino. “That means that you mainly use street furniture to make your skatepark. You can skate in squares, in parks…”

Adrian Chicouard, manager of the Petit Plateau boutique, also father of a young skateboarder, Achille (five years and ten months) swears by skateboarding.

He passed on his passion to his son… for the practice and especially the culture that goes with it.

These are good values. It gives him a lot of self-confidence. It brings up topics of conversation that he wouldn't necessarily have with children his age. It's beautiful to see, three generations of skaters, sitting in the same place who share the same passions… all the differences will disappear.

Adrian Chicouard

Dad of Achille (skater aged 5 years and 10 months)

What place for skateboarding in Limoges ?

While it brings their youth and life back to the city center, skateboarders are not always welcome in the Limousin capital. They say the police sometimes ask them to leave the area but they don't have many places to go. Existing skate parks are aging, poorly maintained and sometimes dangerous.

“Sometimes, we can be perceived badly because we make noise, people might believe that we are degrading the material”, laments William. “We just want to have fun, we're here porr love with friends. Skateboarders aren't bad.” added Nino. “We are waiting for a place where we can meet again, without it causing problemsproblems to gens, because c'East complicated to progress Limoges”, explains Ruben. “HAS Bordeaux, they made benchesof the seats that can be used forx skateboardersand that's great. There's a mwe will stepping stones in the city, it doesn't bring anything new, but pour thes skateboardersIt is a wealth”, Nino marvels.

For fifteen years, they have been waiting for a brand new skatepark. A project in the center, in the Jardin d'Orsay was to see the light of day, but it was aborted. So, they are banking on 2025 and the construction of a site in Beaublanc.

This is a big step forward. We're looking forward to it!

William Villon

Limogeaud skateboarder, 19 years old

Passionate and full of hope, Nino calls out : “Mr. Mayor of Limoges, please make us a real, beautiful skatepark.”