Homies

Leo Valls & Sergio Cadaré

When we visited Bordeaux to meet Leo Valls for our Skate Urbanism Issue we also got to know his friend Sergio Cadaré. As soon as we went out skating you could see how special their connection is and how they hype up each other. The energy level was at 100% – as well as the fun level. It’s a always a great pleasure seeing them skating and goofing around in the streets together. So we’re happy to present you: Leo & Sergio!

It's rare to have a friend with whom you started skating with as kids and still skate with all the time decades later.

I consider Sergio my childhood homie. We met thanks to skateboarding about 20 years ago, or so. Sergio has the biggest smile and is one of a kind: always hyped and always hyping others. Even back in the day, he was the guy on the spot you would hear screaming at every trick landed. When he wasn't busy finding funny nicknames for everyone, or hitting on girls, he was developping his own flow on the board and landing tricks with the most gangster style I've ever witnessed.

"Even though we came from completely different backgrounds, our shared passion for skateboarding and good times made it super easy to connect"

As a kid, what I noticed about me and Sergio, was that even though we came from completely different backgrounds, our shared passion for skateboarding and good times made it super easy to connect. We were so different but skating was a tool to stay open minded about each other's cultures. By appreciating each others' company, we learned how to be more tolerant and open to others.

Sergio became like a part of my family and would come on holiday trips with us, where we could bring our boards and skate some new spots together.

As young adults, we both took our own paths and lost touch for a while. I was living in America at the same time he was but we never got the chance to link up while living abroad. After moving back home, we randomly ran into each other in the streets and got super hyped. Sergio wasn't into skating as much anymore so I tried getting him excited on skating again, showing him some underground skate videos I had discovered and giving him skate product. We started sharing sessions again almost everyday, just like the good old days.

Not long after, we filmed a shared video part in our hometown of Bordeaux with our good friend Julien Januszkiewicz and it felt very natural. Couple of months ago, we went out on a warm summer day with the great David Manaud to shoot some photos and ended up shooting only double tricks. Our differences really became our strengths and today, I feel fortunate to be able to skate and work on projects with a friend that I have known since the very begining.