Chula Vista's finest, Tommy Sandoval recently took to Instagram to share a deeply personal story about his relationship with his father—and how it’s come full circle through his latest pro model board graphic with Zero.
This is the type of stuff we really don't see that often, you know? But I can really appreciate Tommy opening up and telling the story. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who can relate, and his honesty and candidness is something to admire. Read the full post below. This is awesome.
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Here's what Tommy had to say:
This is my father (Dwayne Sandoval) and this is a moment I will cherish for years to come. As some may know I had a bit of a tough upbringing when it came to my fathers views on skateboarding. We had many differences beyond just skateboarding including the lifestyle I was living in those times.
I grew up in a household where we attended church on sundays and wednesdays n we were expected to follow the ways of what we were being taught. My father instilled a solid foundation for our whole family. In saying so I had my time where I decided it was my time to venture off into the world and chase my dreams and whatever came with that. Long story short I got into drugs and alcohol while going through my early career in skateboarding. This lead to a major separation between me and my father on top of the already preconceived notion that skateboarding wasn’t gonna get me anywhere in life.
Fast forward to today and I am moving along on 6 years of sobriety and my father and I have been doing the work it takes to rebuild our relationship as father and son. This moment in specific marks a special moment for me as this is the first time in my 20 year professional career that my father requested one of my graphic boards. I am super excited for this board and hope everyone else likes it as much as I do! Major shout out to @micah_ulrich for the amazing graphic!
Asking for your kid's pro model skateboard might seem like a simple request, but this scenario is super personal. Themes of growth, accountability, and the reality that relationships can change when real work gets done are peppered in all throughout, and it's rad to see.
Shoutout to Tommy for giving us a little peak behind the curtain. Roll down to your local shop and look for Tommy's latest graphic before it's gone.
