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Meet Samara Buscovick of CIB Crew in Auckland

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Samara Buscovick.

Samara, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
CIB started in 2012 in Auckland, NZ somewhat by accident. I had learned to quad skate in 2010 to play roller derby and at the end of 2012, I was introduced to park skating (also known as Vertical Roller Skating) on my quads. I was immediately hooked and started documenting the learning journey. I started a Facebook page and drew a logo after I a friend said, “its so cool to see all these ‘chicks in bowls'” referring to the small skate gang we had started. From there, the page became a hub for local and international skaters to post to, sharing learning experiences, trick tips and bail reels. In 2014 the page had grown and I’d started designing apparel, plus we were developing skate hardware to enhance the skatepark experience, a group of skaters from Argentina reached out to see if they could start a CIB Chapter to try grow their local skate community. Since then we have launched over 350 skate Chapters around the globe. The brand has grown and changed a lot since it first started but the mission has stayed the same, promote the growth of roller skating in skate parks.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The community/sport side is focused on the Chapters and we’re very lucky to have a rad group of volunteers who administrate their local groups. The structure has developed a lot since it first launched, we have new codes of conduct and a Chapter Growth Manager, Sam Flame Kent who has come in to help with applications, general Q/A and also the grievance process. We have had to develop structures and communication pathways that work on a global scale to help work through some of the individual and community-based issues our crews face. We have learned a lot about what structures offer support and which don’t. We have also recently changed our brands name which meant rebranding the Chapters after some very important conversations took place in the community. Our original name was Chicks in Bowls and initially, back in 2012, it supported the growth of womxn in skateparks as it was primarily a male-dominated scene. However, the name conflicts with our gender-inclusive code of conduct and community ethos. We had some great conversations with folks in the community and after a dear friend of mine said “if you have to read the fine print to know you’re invited” we opted to change the brand to CIB Crew, and the tag to ‘Community in Bowls’ (you can read more here > https://cibcrew.com/blogs/news/theevolutionofcib). We also had to address the white presenting community, branding and skate team that we had been complacent in, and as a white cis woman, this meant doing a lot of internal work to recognize my biases, but also committing to making changes as to the way the brand represented the very diverse community.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about CIB Crew – what should we know?
There are two aspects to the company, the community/sport side, and the hardware side.

Our Chapters are the link to the community. You can skate with your local or find a crew when you travel. It’s a way to connect with folks that have a similar interest to you. Part of the intention of these Chapters is to make it easier for newer skaters to find their space in the skatepark scene. It can be very intimidating for a newer skater and hard to know where to start. The Chapters are a contact point to find folks to skate with, to share tips and skills, and to give you a sense of belonging in this new space. There is no cost to set up a Chapter and no association fee, we have always had it this way and I believe it’s important to sustain it as the price is a barrier to entry in an already expensive sport.

The hardware development has become a real passion of mine. Finding and identifying a need in the market and problem solving to create a product that addresses it and actually enhances the skating experience. I am lucky to have very talented friends in the community and a radical skate team who share ideas with me and also provide helpful feedback during the testing process. We try to have our gear put through the wringer by the team so that when we’re ready to bring it to market, we have absolute faith in the product’s ability to perform the way we intended it to.

 Since launching our first product (the Sliders) back in 2014, we have developed seven complimentary products, eight if you include the Gen II Grind Trucks that our team is currently testing.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I benefit massively from the connection that I have to the community. I have been able to connect with over 100 of our Chapters and am actively skating in the community which means that I am connected to the needs and interests. It makes developing products much more rewarding because not only do I personally benefit from being able to ride them, but I get to see, face-to-face (pre-COVID) the response to our gear in the community.

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Image Credit:
Profile: Michele Hale
Other: Kevin Bouffard + rights owned by CIB Crew

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