Professional skateboarder Jake Ilardi might have skated contests across the globe and filmed in some of the biggest cities around, but when it comes down to it, he’s still a Sarasota kid through and through.
In a new episode of Spot to Spot from The Platfrm, Ilardi takes us around the town that shaped him, not just as a skater, but as a person.
What makes this tour feel different from your usual skate content is how relaxed it all is. Ilardi’s not putting on a show.
He’s just skating the places that made him fall in love with it in the first place. There’s a rawness to it that reminds you that even top-level skaters started out just messing around in parking lots with their friends.
He even drops by his childhood home, points out where he built his first kicker, and laughs about how the neighbors used to get annoyed when he’d ollie down the driveway for hours. It’s personal stuff, but shared in a way that makes you feel like you’re part of the story.