On a hot afternoon last summer Texas-based photographer Gino Gotelli met up with bladers John Sullivan and Aarin Gates to shoot photos for Issue #27. When we saw the day’s images–with Aarin on the cam and their youngster in the stroller–we asked Gino to write up a short article about what it’s like skating with a family because it just looked like a great way to spend a day together. As it got closer to time for #27 to go to print, we ended up running out of pages and couldn’t squeeze in the editorial like we’d planned, though the best banger pic from the day made it into the Picks gallery. And no, we didn’t post it here–you can see it in the mag. But with the work done and these photos ready to go we wanted to share this behind-the-scenes look at a day spent skating a big-ass ledge in Texas. Thanks for coming through, y’all!

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John Sullivan—aka “J-Sully,” aka “Sully”—is a Texas Legend, OG-Triple OG! You take this man to any stair rail, any drop rail, anything on any given day that would have you sayin, “Nah, I’m good,” and Sully will pull up and lay down hammers. Most of the time first try. I’ve been skating and filming Sully for the past decade and in that time I’ve never seen him slow down when it comes to his skating. Now, at the age of 40 years young, his skating appears to have fermented into a fine wine. More methodical than ever, he observes skate spots with the wisdom of Grand Master Oogway. Is he afraid to skate big shit now that he’s 40? If he is, I don’t see it.

It’s always cool to skate with John and his family. He’s married to the one-and-only Aarin Gates, and if she’s not shredding then she’s behind the cam while their daughter Keayton watches and cheers them on. It’s always rad to see a blade fam out and about stacking clips.

On this particular day we were filming in Denton,TX at a very old school spot, right in the middle of a scorching Texas summer. The sun was high in the sky and the air was sticky with a humid heat that made your eye lashes sweat.

Rolling up to this rib-high drop ledge, they found a cool, shady spot for Keayton, and then John quickly got to work. There was no time hanging outside for too long as the conditions we faced can quickly drain your energy, but the sun wasn’t the only one bringing the heat. John made light work of the ledge as he toasts up the wax, trick after trick, and manages to lace a steezy fishbrain. But there were a few missed attempts…

With another hot summer day in the books it’s on to the next spot as John worked to finish up filming for his latest section “For-tee.”

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Photos by Gino Gotelli