CANASTOTA — Lenox Skate Park was all a bustle when Emanuel “Manny” Santiago, Olympian and professional skateboarder, came to shred and teach the next generation of skaters.

Born in Cayey, Puerto Rico, and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Santiago became the first Puerto Rican street skateboarder to place in the top three in the X Games after coming in third place at the finals in Barcelona. He represented Puerto Rico in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Nicknamed “Manny Slays All,” the Olympian is a positive and cheerful skater who loves teaching younger skaters just learning their boards.

Santiago walked more than a few children through the basics and how to improve their form while at the Skate Park.

This isn’t Santiago’s first time teaching. He was a guest at Woodward Camp in Pennsylvania, where he taught groups of children alongside Dave Bachinsky.

“His fun-loving and positive attitude, combined with his stylish, technical skating makes him one of the camper’s favorite special guests,” Woodward Camp officials wrote in a 2019 post.

“Youth development through sports is at the heart of the Manny Santiago Foundations work, I along with my Partner Bert Correa, are devoted to providing life building skills as well as social and emotional learning opportunities, through skateboarding, running and other events to all our youth,” Santiago said.

The number of young skaters at the Lenox Skate Park outnumbered the teenagers and young adults shredding the ramps and bowls.

The stereotype exists in popular media of authoritarian parents looking down on their child skateboarding, seeing it as a form of rebellion. But Cazenovia father Mark Kutik said it’s important to support your children’s interests and not only encourages but supports his two sons’ hobby and sport.

Kutik’s sons Jacsen, 14, and Oliver, 10, are avid skateboarders, with one inspiring the other.

Jacsen’s been skateboarding since he was four years old, and his lifepath may have been completely different if it weren’t for a trip to the mall.

“His mother wanted to take dance lessons,” Kutik said. “The dance studio was in Shopping Town Mall, and I went the week before to check out one of the classes before he went. And there was a skatepark in the mall. So we stopped by, and the owner asked how old Jacsen was, and when I said four, he said, ‘That’s great, we give lessons for four-year-olds on Saturday and Sunday.”

And from there, Jacsen found his passion and excelled at it. “He won a 15 and under competition at Onondaga Lake Park when he was six and hasn’t stopped since,” Kutik said.

Kutik said skateboarding is a little bit different, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

“You don’t need a pathway for a kid to become a millionaire doing something,” Kutik said. “Skateboarding, like most sports, consumes everything you do when you’re a kid. If you know a kid who’s a hockey player, that’s how they identify themselves. So as a parent, anything your kid is passionate about, you want to support them the best you can.”

“You want them to be fun, passionate people,” he added.

And at the end of the day, fun and passion are what means the most to diehard skaters like Santiago.

“There’s something special about seeing kids happy and outside being present in the moment, places like the skate park allow us to express and truly be ourselves,” Santiago said. “Seeing how much fun the kids were having reminds me that life is amazing, I was equally as happy and present the day we all got together. It will be something that will stick with me for the rest of my life, I’m excited to come back and do it again with the community.”

“We can’t thank MJ Schenandoah, Dion Putaski, the Oneida Indian Nation, The town of Canastota, Lenox Skate Park, and all the beautiful families and friends enough for their help with Saturday’s event,” he added.

For more information about the Lenox Skate Park, visit http://lenoxny.com/skate-park/