DogDays: So is this the end of CIB?
Trample: I guess it is. It’s been a really hard one to come to terms with because I’ve been so removed from it for the last six months and not engaging with it like I did every day for the past 10 years. I feel like I’ve almost ended that relationship. But I just haven’t admitted it. I needed to step away from it, to create the space and clarity to make the decisions for myself. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to get out of this and what I had left to give to it. To really make the sure I was making the right decision for myself, and then talking with the CIB crew to make sure it was right for them as well.
How does it feel now?
It feels like the right time. It’s impossible to find all the words to express how this really feels for me, and I go in circles trying to articulate my feelings and gratitude towards all those who helped us along the way. But despite being at a loss for words, I still feel really grounded and happy with this decision. I look at the community now and the reasons that we started CIB. This journey sort of unfolded quite naturally. I know that sounds silly and weird, but it wasn’t. I’ve told you the story before. It didn’t fall into my lap, but I also didn’t really have much of a game plan. When we made the decision to expand from a social media page we spent a lot of time figuring out where the opportunities were, where the sort of ‘gaps’ were. It was around community. And the chapter idea was brought to us by the CIB Argentina girls getting in touch with me all those years ago (the first CIB chapter, edit. note). Then we saw an opportunity with hardware. We looked at what we wanted to skate on and what wasn’t out there. And you know, that sort of conversation around accessible hardware and creating things that worked across gear (universal), those were our two focuses and our missions.
Look at the space now, while many chapters are still really active, the community as a whole has broadened so much. When we started, the scene was underground and hard to find. It existed, but you had no way of connecting with people from different areas and you didn’t even know there were people in areas doing it. Running into another skater at the skatepark was rare, unless you knew them. The chapters were necessary for so long but with the expansion of this community I don’t think that they are needed in the same format anymore. There are so many new groups and communities popping up, it’s gone beyond CIB. So, in that sense, it feels like that part of the mission has completed itself and there’s not much more that we can give to that. To me, that’s really exciting.
As for skating hardware, looking at the market, there are so many options now. Accessibility is out there, there’s creatives out there innovating and making all the goods that skaters need. We made awesome products for many years and played a part in shaping the space but it feels like the right time to pass the torch along and let those who have the drive, desire and inspiration take the wheel. So yeah, kind of sitting with those two concepts in mind of what the brand was and what the brand can do. It again feels like it’s gone full circle. Our mission has been accomplished and it’s time to go on and let the space continue to thrive and go and find a new mission.
