The Impossible

If you are a skateboarder, you may be familiar with the Impossible. This is a trick where the skater rotates the board along the intermediate axis, and, unless you are a physicist, you may have no clue what that means. Essentially, it is a trick that was long thought to be impossible, hence the name, due to the unpredictability of the board when spun at the midpoint. This unpredictability was overcome by Rodney Mullen, making use of his foot to guide the board as it spun at the midpoint. Similarly, on Pine Ridge, poverty, drugs and alcohol, and the lack of opportunities can make life feel impossible for its young people. However, “Impossible” obviously forgot skateboarders exist.

We at One Spirit would like to introduce you to our new friends at Lakota Future Inc. Kyle and Suzy Mesteth want to show the world that nothing is impossible. They co-founded Lakota Future Inc., a nonprofit, and built Ground Control, a facility that uses skateboarding to get youth off the street and into a safe environment on Pine Ridge Reservation. Kyle, an avid skater, began by hosting small skating competitions on Pine Ridge before co-founding Lakota Future Inc. The other co-founder is Suzy, a retired schoolteacher and Kyle's mom, who focuses on the behind-the-scenes work. Together, they got permission to build a skate park in one of the empty buildings on the Reservation. Thus, Ground Control was born, a facility where kids on the Reservation can skate, hang out, and retreat into a positive environment.

Kyle wears many hats: coach, mentor, repairman, cameraman, editor, leader, role model, and many more. He truly has love for his people and is showing that with the work he does with the youth. By just looking at his TikTok and Instagram, you can see how much time and love he puts into Ground Control. Through his social media, he conveys to the viewers that the Lakota are more than their suffering. Showcasing the talents, determination, and smiles of the kids, he is changing the narrative and is helping to build a path forward for them.

There is a great deal to be done in the building to serve the children more effectively. Kyle and Suzy want to start a garden and build a kitchen so that they can provide healthy and nutritious food for the kids. They need air conditioning and heating installed to fight the temperature extremes on the rez. To keep the facility running for longer hours, they would like to hire staff. Kyle and Suzy are trying to get all this done while being mentors for the kids. Kyle works with kids at various levels in their skateboarding journeys and also shows them how to record and edit videos for social media.

Kyle and Suzy are not afraid to dream big. Some of Kyle's goals are to “build a skate park on every Rez, then all over the world.” You can help this dream come true by visiting Shreddnation.com, where you can make a donation and check out their upcoming events.

It sometimes feels impossible to dream of a better life for yourself and others in such an unpredictable world. It takes courage to dream big, but Kyle and Suzy stepped up. Not only are they overcoming that unpredictability, but they’re using their love for their people to guide the youth to dream of their own better lives.

After all, as Kyle says, “Every kid on the Rez is important and has value.”

We couldn’t agree more.