Heredia, Costa Rica - "My City" with Kervin Miranda

My City is a Volcom video series showcasing the Latin American Skate Team as they take us through their hometowns, showing us where they grew up skating and what struggles they had to overcome along the way.

In episode three of My City we visit 21-year-old Kervin Miranda in his relaxed, quaint hometown of Heredia, Costa Rica, located just north of the country’s capital of San Jose. Surrounded by superb colonial architecture and beautiful gardens, Heredia might not have the ideal grounds to grow up skating, but nothing great comes with an easy start. While the capital is more developed and urban to resemble a metropolitan area, flourishing with a variety of ideal skate spots, Heredia lies among one of the many rural landscapes of central Costa Rica, primitive in city streets and structures. So rural, that according to Kervin, some places don’t even have established streets, and if they do, they are not constructed properly and the sidewalks are burdened with cracks and gravel. While that seems tough to find a decent spot, the police have been cracking down in recent years on skateboarding throughout the city, which leaves skateboarders questioning their options.

So, what do skaters do when they’re not allowed to skate freely throughout their city streets? They are relegated to skateparks. More and more skateparks have been populating the surrounding areas of Heredia due to the higher volume of interest in the activity, but skating in the streets versus in a skatepark is just not the same. Kervin and his friends realize that’s just a part of skateboarding in Costa Rica, but that’s what makes it all worth it. The challenge. The payoff. The irrational pursuit of it all, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

See more of Kervin on Instagram @kervin29 and keep up with the latest Volcom Skate happenings on @volcomskate and @volcomlatam!