By Marlowe Glass
On any given summer day walking by Chelsea Piers Skate Park, you might notice a crowd of energetic teenagers hollering and screaming, one by one attempting a trick. Try and approach them– who are they? CST. Chelsea Skate Team. That is the answer you will get. If you wait long enough, you might catch them pose for a photo, each one wearing the latest fashions as a kid emerges from the team holding a camera. It is with that camera that the team captures every moment. In the following interview, I sought to find out the stories and visions behind the photos and actions of CST. To do this, I interviewed the following 3 members of CST:
Sam Saslow, Team Skater
Louie “Glizz” Dietz, Team Skater
Jack LY, Team Photographer and Skater
What is CST? That’s the question that brought the most differentiating answers, as each member holds the team to a different standard and mindset. “CST is a collection of 9 kids who indulge themselves in modern culture and fashion,” Jack said. Louie gave a similar take, responding, “CST was a vision created by my friends and I, a skate group for the kids, by the kids,” Finally, Sam summed up the team with, “CST is a skate team of a group of kids from NYC. It stands for Chelsea Skate Team. From all over the city. You know, we go to Poly Prep, LREI, Brooklyn Tech, Lab, f*** it, it is what it is. We link up and we skate.” Every member seemed to nod their heads to Sam’s comment, “we link up and we skate.”
The motto “link up and skate” is what defines CST as a way of living. They are a group of kids who have no worries in the world but to skate and have fun doing it. “Basically, we just started skating. And slowly more people started joining. A lot of us had been skating before and then we got back on the wave. Then we started skating, and we were like ‘yo, we need a name.’ At that time we were going to Chelsea a lot so it was like perfect, Chelsea Skate Team,” Sam said, explaining the origins of CST. “We were youthful back then. Some of us hadn’t even seen a skateboard, let alone ride one, but we all went through the experience together,” Louie said, acknowledging their different skating styles and levels.
CST’s first skate edit came out on September 25th, and each member seemed excited by the growth of the team. “Well, we have an edit coming out tonight and we also want to come out with more. Edits and clothing man, maybe a mixtape who knows?” Sam said, discussing CST’s plans for the future. Jack seemed to share a similar mindset, saying, “Our plans are to expand our brand and name by starting to make clothing.” Skating for Louie is more than just the brand name; it’s about a “brotherhood.” “We plan as we go. Every day arises a new experience and hardship. But CST has gotten me closer with my friends then I would have ever been… We stay together and stick together.” Just by following @ChelseaSkateTeam on Instagram, you can tell their bond. There is never a weekend where CST isn’t together, taking photos and sharing it with their fans. “Our photos are thanks to JackLY, team photographer. We like to say he’s a young Gunner Stahl. We are just hanging out, and he pulls out the camera and takes a flick, they always come out like gold.” Jack nodded, adding on his process of taking photos, “Taking good pictures relies on knowing that moment and knowing how to take one. I take my photos on an older portable camera.” Just by hanging around the team, you can tell how much they value his photography.
Within each photo, there is far more than kids hanging out, as each photo captures a moment in time in which a brotherhood is bonding. But CST has not always been supported by their peers. Despite the hate, CST always remains unfazed, “Y’all hating on the movement then riding when we up,” Louie said, shaking his head in disappointment. It seems CST has a level of confidence not to be messed with. No matter the circumstance, they always seem to continue to skate, ignoring the haters. Finally, I finished off by asking the team about any sponsorships they have in the works. In skating, sponsorships are what keep you going. Kids ride their whole lives for sponsorships, and that’s why it meant a lot to the team. “Well right now we actually do have a sponsor, Anikan clothing. They hit us in the DM and said, ‘yo we f*** with the vision we want to sponsor you.’ We linked up, got some tees, and now the whole team has some.” This “for the team, by the team” mentality defines CST and represents the brotherhood that they are.
If you want to support them, visit @ChelseaSkateTeam on Instagram.