When we first started this magazine, we wanted to capture the energy of fingerboarding. We didn’t expect how real it would get.
Now eight issues in, the scene is thriving. From the wild finish of King of the Plies to the level of submissions at Fast Fingers Online, it’s clear the bar has been raised. USAFBL’s National Tour is on deck, the new Blitz format is catching fire, and Finger Graffiti is bringing a whole new creative wave. Every week, it feels like something new is popping up, and the excitement is everywhere.
But this month also comes with a heavy heart.
Colton Wray, one of the brightest spirits in this community, passed away a few days ago. He was only 14. I remember the first time he came into my shop in Indianapolis. That’s where he found fingerboarding, and from that moment, he brought joy, creativity, and kindness to every space he entered.
Colton battled cancer for years, but he never let it dim his love for fingerboarding or his friendships. He made an impact that reached far beyond his age.
This issue has a full-page memorial to honor him. It’s our way of saying thank you. Thank you for showing us what this community is really about.
Fingerboarding gives us good times. It gives us memories. Sometimes it gives us pain too. But even through the hardest moments, it brings people together. That’s what Colton did, and that’s what we will keep doing in his name.
We miss you, Colton.
— Levine
@pliesmag | @usafbl