Boards Across Borders: Two Chicago Brothers’ Love Letter to the Guatemalan Skate Community

Editor’s note [10/14/2025]: Borderless Magazine has chosen not to publish the full names of some of the sources mentioned in this story to protect their safety and privacy. For questions, please contact us at [email protected]

As EDM music pulsed through a portable speaker, Javier Ponce surveyed a detached garage in Chicago’s North suburbs crowded wall to wall with skateboarding equipment, a small notebook cradled in his hand.

Javier, 26, is a Chicago native with Guatemalan roots whose life has been anchored by his love of skateboarding since being introduced to the activity at 10 years old.

He earned his stripes at Wilson Skate Park and found a community he thrived in, despite what he says used to be a less welcoming environment.

“It’s one of those things where you wish you could remember the moment better, because it was when your whole life changed,”  said Javier.

Today, Javier runs a grassroots operation called “Boards Across Borders” alongside his younger brother Rodrigo “Booger” Ponce. Together, they source new and used gear in Chicago and redistribute it at public events in Guatemala City.

“Being here in Chicago and seeing the surplus [of gear] that everybody manages, it was a no-brainer to just transfer a lot of these things down to Guatemala,” said Javier.

The Ponce brothers say they hope to boost the country’s skating scene and make it more accessible by getting gear in the hands of Guatemalans who otherwise wouldn’t be able to purchase it themselves.

“I think it all started from being a skater that at one point spent months or years hoping I could get more equipment, and I just could never access it,” said Javier.

Javier lost reliable access to affordable skate equipment after he and his family had to move to Guatemala — where equipment could be twice if not three times the price he would have bought it for in the United States — when he was a young teen.

The Ponce’s left the U.S. after their father had an encounter with a federal agent in Texas that led him to opt for a voluntary departure in 2012. The decision meant he’d have to leave the country for 10 years before attempting to return legally.

Despite originally having moved to the United States from Guatemala, the brother’s family found themselves essentially starting from zero upon their return. While his family tried to rebuild their lives in a new country, Javier, then 14, just wanted to skate.

Javier, a U.S. citizen, stocked up on gear when he visited extended family in the United States, but often couldn’t bring enough back to last him until the next visit.

In 2021, Javier moved back to the United States to pursue a career in communications and begin the legal process of bringing his family back to the U.S.

When he rejoined the Chicago skate community he was jarred by how much unused equipment he saw people had stateside.

On a visit home in 2022, Javier came back with a suitcase full of random skate gear he had collected from friends while skating in Chicago throughout the year to distribute to whoever they could in the parking lot of Claret– a church in Guatemala City people often use as a DIY skate spot.

After helping give out that first round of donations, his younger brother Rodrigo decided he wanted to help him move the effort forward as much as he could. He moved to Chicago in 2023, and managed to marry his love for EDM and DJing with his desire to help shape Boards Across Borders events.

Today, the events involve music lineups curated by Rodrigo and partnerships with local skate organizations. The combination has won over members of the skate scene in Chicago.

Will Stephan, the owner of local Chicago skate shop Sapient and host of Wilson Wednesdays —  “a giant skate and grill party” —  has lent his platform to Boards Across Borders.

During the second Wilson Wednesdays co-hosted with Boards across Borders, Stephan alternated between grilling hot dogs, encouraging young skaters and steering donations to the Boards Across Borders DJ booth tent.

“I think what they are doing with their organization is so epic,” said Stephan.

They made their first official shipment after hosting an event in 2024. The brothers filled a 36 x 42 inch sized box with donations. Their recent shipment —  which they sent out on October 4th —  carried double the amount.

“It’s a 100 percent family run operation,” Javier said. “I’m trying to do something and I need[ed] people, help and support.”

Rodrigo’s aunt Rita*, provides packing support and coordination, honed from years of shipping care packages of items purchased in the US to send to family abroad, from a few essential supplies to a whole living room furniture set.

Once they ship donations to Guatemala, the boxes are picked up and stored by Ponce’s mother until the brothers can coordinate pick up and delivery to their local partner FISH skate, one of the largest skate shops in Guatemala City.

Javier says Jacobo Erique Aguilar, the owner of FISH not only stores the donations, but builds up excitement ahead of events that up turnout from local skaters and integrate the effort seamlessly into the local skate scene.

After 5 hours of packing and processing donations Rodrigo has to head out. He’s been called in to work an evening shift at his restaurant job.

However, there is still work to be done. Rita expertly slots skateboard decks and stuffs shoes with wheels, maximizing every inch of space in the two boxes they’ll be shipping. Slowly, the garage floor comes back into view.

As Javier reflects on what comes next for Boards, his wishlist is long, but simple: a warehouse to store donations so he can free up his aunt’s garage; staff to sanitize wheels and boards; sponsors for events; and funds to build real obstacles for the skate competitions.

“If I could work on this 100 percent of the time, that would be great, but at the end of the day, it’s about more than just collecting donations,” he said. “The community we’re building is essential to this.”

Communities of care is a recurring visual series highlighting the passion projects, organizing efforts and care models created and led by Gen Z and Millennials from Chicago’s immigrant communities.

Immigration news can feel chaotic and scary, but we also know the city is full of passionate, innovative people who care deeply about their city and work every day to make a positive impact.

At Borderless, we want to keep telling stories that highlight joy, innovation and resistance to expand our understanding and connection to the readers we serve.

Do you know of someone we should highlight in this column or feel like you’d be a good fit? Email Camilla at [email protected].