It is my pleasure to give you Yehoshua’s bio.

Who Am I?

I AM Yehoshua. Joshua is my biological name. Yehoshua simply means “Joshua” in the Hebrew language. I chose this to be my skate name, because I want to identify with my hebrew roots. After finding out who I am according to the hebrew/christian bible, the name Yehoshua, has become a part of who I Am. And it just so happens that the book of Joshua in the old testament, is one of my favorite books to read. Yes, I am an avid reader, and I indulge in a wide variety of genres, but the bible has to be my favorite. Nothing really comes close to it. Its rich history, its promises, its prophetic word, It has it all. I am inspired by the story of Joshua, the successor of Moses, leading the Israelites into the promised land. Joshua was a leader, and a skilled warrior, and that’s the person I strive to be. As a Christian, and a believer of the holy bible, I like to spread God’s word, so I will leave you all with this. When Joshua was burdened by the daunting task set before him, God told him this, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” All throughout the book of Joshua, the lord calls him to be faithful, courageous, calm under pressure, and a bold and righteous leader. These are the qualities I want to express with my skating, and the qualities I aim to bring to the JBGODS skate team.

Why Do I Skate?

I am fascinated by Chicago’s Jb skate culture.

I was introduced to the skate scene by my uncle, Jerome Taylor, who has been skating for many years. He is an OG Jb skater, and has his own unique style. You’ve probably seen him, rocking the tattered combat boots on a Thursday night at the Rink on 87th. One thing about my uncle, is that nobody can keep up with him, not even myself. How so you may ask? Well, the reason is because he is the slowest skater on the floor! No matter how hard I try to stay with him while doing a routine, I just roll straight past him. As a matter of fact, sometimes I can get around the entire rink and find him still on the same side of the floor. He tells me he doesn’t like to do routines that much, probably for that reason. When he skates, he is in his own world. Nobody else skates like him, from what I have seen.

I have fond memories of my uncle taking my brother and I to skate at Markham or Rich City every weekend. Man, do I miss those two rinks. Even though I can barely remember what Rich City looks like, all I can remember is a skate boot drawn in the middle of the floor. I had to be like 10, the last time I skated there. But I can remember Markham vividly. Markham has to be my favorite rink. I have skated there the most. Too bad it isn’t open anymore. Perhaps the JBGODS can do something about this… only time will tell. When my uncle would take us skating, all we could do was skate around the rink in circles in our beat-up rental skates. I could not skate backwards or do any tricks, let alone balance on one foot. I wouldn’t dare do anything but skate forwards, around and around, until my right inner foot would blister. But I enjoyed every bit of it. And I would look forward to the next session. Then there was my uncle, crazy legging in the middle, spinning, and doing some intricate JB footwork in those shiny black leather boots. All I could do was watch in amazement, knowing for sure that I’d never be able to do any of those things. Or so I thought.

My uncle would coerce us to skate with him often, and I am grateful for it, because it was my introduction to Chicago’s skate scene. In the beginning of 2022, I bought some skates of my own and decided that I would dedicate myself to learning how to JB skate. I started taking lessons at Glenwood and The Rink, and learned from some legendary skaters. A little hobby turned into a way of life, to the point where all I could think about was skating, and how I could improve.

Why JBGODS?

It’s the name that drew me.

There is power in a name. 

When I told myself that I would become a JB Skater, I had the goal in mind of being a part of a skate crew, or starting one myself. I took notice of the many skate crews in Chicago, but when I heard about a team called JBGODS, I had to learn more. That name just stuck out to me. So I did my research. 

It was a summer night on a BC Monday at Glenwood, when I ran into the GodKing Pharoah, the founder of the JBGODS team. He was flying down the rink like a torpedo, doing all of these crazy dynamic jumps on one foot, and landing them with grace. Skating a million miles per hour, as if the rink had no walls. He was wearing this turban-like thing on his head, and his all black attire read “JBGODS” in crimson red. When the music slowed down, I walked up to him, hoping just to introduce myself and pay my respects. Little did I know that he would invite me to join the team shortly after. I was taken aback by this, thinking that there was no way that I was eligible to be a JBGOD with my limited skating experience. He told me only this, to show my consistency and dedication. I accepted.

Calling oneself a god, Is that a good thing? I think so. Clearly we are not saying that we are the creator of the universe. There is only one creator, and that is God. And we are his creation, made in his image. However, we are little creators in our own right. JB Skating, that is an expression of our creativity. We as black people, tend to think down on ourselves, and not give ourselves enough credit for the accomplishments that we make. We tend to think that we are some of the least desirable people, little do we know that we are God’s jewels. The things we speak upon ourselves play a critical role in our self-esteem as a people. Calling oneself a god, is not for self glory, but it is to remind us of what we aspire to be; like God. Like the Most-High. Divine. It is high time that we aspire to be something greater than ourselves, on and off the skate floor. “Ye are gods, and all children of the Most-High”- Christ.