LIFER STORIES: FROM THE BATTLEFIELD — DARREN NAVARRETTE

10:46 AM

City Heights Skatepark — San Diego, CA by Gregg Witt

City Heights Skatepark sits in the heart of San Diego — a concrete pit that looks deceptively simple in videos but humbles you the second you drop in. It's one of the best skate spots in the region, the kind of place where you quickly realize there's a difference between watching and doing.

We spent two days there with Darren Navarrette for the second session of LIFER STORIES. We didn't come to film enders or choreograph lines. The idea is simple: capture the session, let it unfold naturally. But Darren being Darren, he pushed it further — blasting airs, grinding the hip, skating like he always has: full commitment, pads on, having fun.

The term "battle gear" — something Darren's been known to call his pads — actually inspired the spirit of these videos. It stuck with me. Darren is a lifer — earned through decades of skating, someone who keeps the fun intact while constantly progressing. A skater's skater who reminds everyone that simple things matter just as much as the heavy stuff.

Before the session, we sat down and talked. What follows is his perspective — unfiltered thoughts on what skateboarding means to him, how he learned, and why he still pads up.

A Few Questions for Darren

Q: What does skateboarding mean to you when you wake up? Darren: "I'm waking up. Why? 'cause I wanna go skateboarding."

Q: What's important to you about skateboarding? Darren: "What's important is skateboarding. The important thing was for me to find this creativity where there was no rules. You could still get hurt."

Q: Who inspired you? Darren: "I wanna be like Lance Mountain. That doesn't mean I'm gonna be like him or anything close to them."

Q: How do you feel about your skateboarding career? Darren: "There was a time when I was like, what they might call a top pro, even though I really wasn't. My skateboarding didn't go to where it wanted to. I mean, it went because I learned everything with pads."

Q: What about skating without pads? Darren: "I'll just say this, you try running out of everything. It sucks."

Q: How did pads fit into your skating? Darren: "I learned everything with pads. I'd rather lean back and knee slide."

Q: Do pads really protect you? Darren: "Trust me, you can still get hurt. We all know it's all vert skaters know. It doesn't hurt. You're wearing pads. Uh, yeah. Right."

Q: Have you ever hit your head skateboarding? Darren: "Yeah, definitely hit my head. I hit my head with my helmet on. I have not really hit my head without my helmet."

Q: And now? Darren: "At this age now, man, now I'm doing what I'm doing probably because I've been wearing pads my whole life."

Created by @jamiemosberg and @with.witt

Watch the Video here youtube.com/s1helmets

Darren wears the S1 Lifer Helmet & S1 Pro Knee Pads Gen 4.5

www.s1helmets.com