TALES OF DREW
Stories of Andrew from friends, and family.
5 entries.
wrote on December 15, 2022
at
9:04 pm
With permission: ❤
Matthew G Porter
I only Months before his journey “physically speaking” and I count myself very fortunate in that regard. I won a draw for a pair of sb dunks thru copdate and seasons skateshop . Drew was there. I didn’t know who he was at the time . I had no idea that I was talking to a professional skater . He in no way showed it. He actually was more interested in me and where I came from in life. I remember him asking me “ What’s your story “ and was genuinely interested in what I had to say. I remember leaving the shop thinking that this guy was mad cool and even though at the time I was mostly a poser dressed like a skater , I remember the way he described his love of skating and the magic it worked for him mentally. As I struggle with ptsd I really bought into the idea . At 38 i I started skating again. I hadn’t skated since I was 15 and trust me I was not good enough to be called a skater then . But after buying a board and having it set up for my needs by seasons skate shop , I am skating every day. The way that it helped me almost instantly was and is still unexplainable. For that I will always be grateful. But an unexpected side note from this is my 17 yr old daughter moved in with me full time as her mother and I have been separated for years . She has a lot of emotional trauma that we are still unraveling and skating has been one huge breakthrough point with her . Her and I skate together almost every day. Sometimes talking the whole time sometimes saying nothing thing at all but every time is like a therapy session for the both of us. And for this I have Drew to thank . He was a kind hearted old wise soul in a young man’s body. He is still teaching me to skate through old videos to this day. So thank you to the parents of my all time favorite pro skater for teaching him that being a decent person is always worth more then recognition. When someone is decent to others genuinely, it always show!!
Matthew G Porter
I only Months before his journey “physically speaking” and I count myself very fortunate in that regard. I won a draw for a pair of sb dunks thru copdate and seasons skateshop . Drew was there. I didn’t know who he was at the time . I had no idea that I was talking to a professional skater . He in no way showed it. He actually was more interested in me and where I came from in life. I remember him asking me “ What’s your story “ and was genuinely interested in what I had to say. I remember leaving the shop thinking that this guy was mad cool and even though at the time I was mostly a poser dressed like a skater , I remember the way he described his love of skating and the magic it worked for him mentally. As I struggle with ptsd I really bought into the idea . At 38 i I started skating again. I hadn’t skated since I was 15 and trust me I was not good enough to be called a skater then . But after buying a board and having it set up for my needs by seasons skate shop , I am skating every day. The way that it helped me almost instantly was and is still unexplainable. For that I will always be grateful. But an unexpected side note from this is my 17 yr old daughter moved in with me full time as her mother and I have been separated for years . She has a lot of emotional trauma that we are still unraveling and skating has been one huge breakthrough point with her . Her and I skate together almost every day. Sometimes talking the whole time sometimes saying nothing thing at all but every time is like a therapy session for the both of us. And for this I have Drew to thank . He was a kind hearted old wise soul in a young man’s body. He is still teaching me to skate through old videos to this day. So thank you to the parents of my all time favorite pro skater for teaching him that being a decent person is always worth more then recognition. When someone is decent to others genuinely, it always show!!
wrote on August 11, 2022
at
11:31 pm
I know this board is for some of our favorite stories of Andrew, but I have so many(some of which shouldn't be posted about). I wouldn't even know which one to pick, or where to begin. So I'm gonna say what comes to mind when I think of him, lil Reynz.
Just the thought of his name reminds me of trying to learn how to grind a curb in middle school, and he just rides up and pops a 50/50 with ease.
Or getting out of school early at henninger to skate the gap across the street. The endless nights of skating in front of the library. The most amazing family who took me in when I was 16, so I could keep my job and stay close to the homies. You would come to my job when I was getting out at 2a.m at wendys, so we could eat so much food and hit up skate spots on the way home. Going to the es game of skate down in nyc, and taking the train all over to check out famous spots along the way.
The thought of you takes me back to Florida. You and the family had already moved down and we got to visit each other being a couple hours away. Right after I broke up with the girl I was with at the time, I remember you driving from DJ's in Orlando to pick me up in Port richey to bring me back down to Fort Myers, so I could move back in with the family. The epic parties every night we were down their. All the way to ending back in ny together shedding.
You were always the one to inspire me. You were so sick at skating, I tried so hard to keep up with you. Every game of skate I was happy if I had at least one new trick to get you with.
Your strength in will. You were a couple years younger than I was, and yet you were determined. Didn't matter what it was, you grinded till you had it.
Yet you were the most humble person I have ever met. If someone needed a deck, you always had a spare. Shoes? You had a selection for people to pick from. You never let a homie go with out.
I can't lie, I still drop a tear every time i think of you. You were one of my oldest homies. We could get into a petty argument, go a year with out talking,
then just get together and chill like nothing ever happened. The part that kills me the most, is you just achieved your dream. Everything you have ever worked for, you got it! You finally turned pro.
I just wish you got to stick around a little while longer to enjoy it.
I'd like to give a special thanks to his family; his mom, dad, and both his little sisters. For everything, from letting me move in and helping me out, to always checking on me and making sure I was always alright. They were always their when I needed some one to talk to, or just some guidance when I was lost. With out them I wouldn't be who I am today. Last but not least, for raising a legend!
I love you Reynz. Till the day we met again homie I'll keep these memories close.
Just the thought of his name reminds me of trying to learn how to grind a curb in middle school, and he just rides up and pops a 50/50 with ease.
Or getting out of school early at henninger to skate the gap across the street. The endless nights of skating in front of the library. The most amazing family who took me in when I was 16, so I could keep my job and stay close to the homies. You would come to my job when I was getting out at 2a.m at wendys, so we could eat so much food and hit up skate spots on the way home. Going to the es game of skate down in nyc, and taking the train all over to check out famous spots along the way.
The thought of you takes me back to Florida. You and the family had already moved down and we got to visit each other being a couple hours away. Right after I broke up with the girl I was with at the time, I remember you driving from DJ's in Orlando to pick me up in Port richey to bring me back down to Fort Myers, so I could move back in with the family. The epic parties every night we were down their. All the way to ending back in ny together shedding.
You were always the one to inspire me. You were so sick at skating, I tried so hard to keep up with you. Every game of skate I was happy if I had at least one new trick to get you with.
Your strength in will. You were a couple years younger than I was, and yet you were determined. Didn't matter what it was, you grinded till you had it.
Yet you were the most humble person I have ever met. If someone needed a deck, you always had a spare. Shoes? You had a selection for people to pick from. You never let a homie go with out.
I can't lie, I still drop a tear every time i think of you. You were one of my oldest homies. We could get into a petty argument, go a year with out talking,
then just get together and chill like nothing ever happened. The part that kills me the most, is you just achieved your dream. Everything you have ever worked for, you got it! You finally turned pro.
I just wish you got to stick around a little while longer to enjoy it.
I'd like to give a special thanks to his family; his mom, dad, and both his little sisters. For everything, from letting me move in and helping me out, to always checking on me and making sure I was always alright. They were always their when I needed some one to talk to, or just some guidance when I was lost. With out them I wouldn't be who I am today. Last but not least, for raising a legend!
I love you Reynz. Till the day we met again homie I'll keep these memories close.
Admin Reply by: Drewsdad
❤️ You will always be family Bigness!!❤️
wrote on July 31, 2022
at
5:25 pm
I’d like to share a story about one of my oldest and Best friends in the world… Andrew Grabowski. Andrew was known by many names over the years, Lil Reynolds, Drew, Drew-da-dude, and my go to, Reynz.
Reynz and I met about 18 years ago on the one and only Nichols ave in good old Eastwood with a skateboard in one hand and a dream in the other. We all gravitated to Reynz back in the day not just because he was absolutely nasty on a skateboard, but because he was such an easy person to get along with. Back then, he was so short and had such a big board (8.0) but the dude could switch double heel easier than I could ollie. We were pretty close growing up in Eastwood together and had some really wild adventures. As the years rolled by I drifted here and there and we lost touch for a couple years.
In 2018 and I found myself living in Albany NY, a big new unfamiliar city I didn’t know anyone in. In the midst of me trying to get settled in I got a random call from my old pal Drew who told me that he had also just moved to Albany and was now living with our mutual friend Jesus (Adam). I was so stoked to have one of my boys living close by and once we started hanging again it turned into an almost daily occurrence. I’d pick him up from work almost every night, and on our days off we would skate or drive around Albany looking for new spots to skate. As we drove around he would yell, “BRO pull over I think I saw a gap”. We would stop, he’d jump out with his deck, and by the time I had park and made my way to the spot, he was already busting some wild trick over it. It was an amazing 2 years, we didn’t have many other friends in Albany and definitely none that we have known as long as each other, so hanging out together again was like second nature.
One day Drew and I went skating he brought his Polaroid camera and said he wanted to get a couple shots. At that time I was still new to photography but I totally fell in love with his Polaroid camera. He told me that a single photo cost about $2.50 a pop, but there is nothing like it, getting your pic as soon as you take it. At that time I was getting ready to drive out to Las Vegas to go to EDC for the first time, a massive 3 day music festival I’ve been trying to get to for years. While we were taking a few pictures and skating around Drew gave me an idea that would changed my life forever in so many ways. He said, “you should bring a polaroid with you to Vegas with you and use it as an icebreaker”. I thought it was an awesome idea, but with film being so expensive it didn’t seem very feasible. That was when he told me about the fuji film, which was basically a mini Polaroid that was much more affordable but with the same aesthetic. So I took the idea and ran with it. I got fuji and a bunch of film before I left and made my way from Syracuse all the way to Vegas.
On the second night of EDC while in a crowd of over 100,000 people I took a picture of a girl named Jackie…a picture that would change my life forever. We clicked right away and we spent the rest of the festival together. Unfortunately, as all good parties must come to an end, we had to go home. I drive back to NY, and she drove back home to CA, but the spark was there. Over the next few days as I made my way across the county, Jackie and I talked almost the entire time, and before I even made it across New Mexico, we were dating. EDC was in May of 2019 and by the end of 2020 I found myself driving across the county again, but this time Jackie was with me and I had my entire life packed in the back of a minivan on our way to Southern California, where I have been happily living ever since.
Without Drew’s idea I never would have met Jackie, and I never would have discovered my passion for photography. Sometimes the littlest things make the biggest impact. I flew back home to NY in October 2021 to visit. While I was there Drew and I hung out a few times and I had the chance to tell him how much his small idea changed my life. He was so happy for me he gave me a hug! And if you know Drew that’s a rare thing. I’m sad to say that’s the last time I saw him in person, but we did stay in touch over the phone when we could. I will always cherish the time that we did have together. I will forever miss Reynolds because he touch my life in unimaginable ways, as I know he did for others as well.
You were truly one of a kind my friend.
I Miss and Love you homie…
I’ll be rolling a spliff later thinking about you..
The one the only Andrew Grabowski.
Reynz and I met about 18 years ago on the one and only Nichols ave in good old Eastwood with a skateboard in one hand and a dream in the other. We all gravitated to Reynz back in the day not just because he was absolutely nasty on a skateboard, but because he was such an easy person to get along with. Back then, he was so short and had such a big board (8.0) but the dude could switch double heel easier than I could ollie. We were pretty close growing up in Eastwood together and had some really wild adventures. As the years rolled by I drifted here and there and we lost touch for a couple years.
In 2018 and I found myself living in Albany NY, a big new unfamiliar city I didn’t know anyone in. In the midst of me trying to get settled in I got a random call from my old pal Drew who told me that he had also just moved to Albany and was now living with our mutual friend Jesus (Adam). I was so stoked to have one of my boys living close by and once we started hanging again it turned into an almost daily occurrence. I’d pick him up from work almost every night, and on our days off we would skate or drive around Albany looking for new spots to skate. As we drove around he would yell, “BRO pull over I think I saw a gap”. We would stop, he’d jump out with his deck, and by the time I had park and made my way to the spot, he was already busting some wild trick over it. It was an amazing 2 years, we didn’t have many other friends in Albany and definitely none that we have known as long as each other, so hanging out together again was like second nature.
One day Drew and I went skating he brought his Polaroid camera and said he wanted to get a couple shots. At that time I was still new to photography but I totally fell in love with his Polaroid camera. He told me that a single photo cost about $2.50 a pop, but there is nothing like it, getting your pic as soon as you take it. At that time I was getting ready to drive out to Las Vegas to go to EDC for the first time, a massive 3 day music festival I’ve been trying to get to for years. While we were taking a few pictures and skating around Drew gave me an idea that would changed my life forever in so many ways. He said, “you should bring a polaroid with you to Vegas with you and use it as an icebreaker”. I thought it was an awesome idea, but with film being so expensive it didn’t seem very feasible. That was when he told me about the fuji film, which was basically a mini Polaroid that was much more affordable but with the same aesthetic. So I took the idea and ran with it. I got fuji and a bunch of film before I left and made my way from Syracuse all the way to Vegas.
On the second night of EDC while in a crowd of over 100,000 people I took a picture of a girl named Jackie…a picture that would change my life forever. We clicked right away and we spent the rest of the festival together. Unfortunately, as all good parties must come to an end, we had to go home. I drive back to NY, and she drove back home to CA, but the spark was there. Over the next few days as I made my way across the county, Jackie and I talked almost the entire time, and before I even made it across New Mexico, we were dating. EDC was in May of 2019 and by the end of 2020 I found myself driving across the county again, but this time Jackie was with me and I had my entire life packed in the back of a minivan on our way to Southern California, where I have been happily living ever since.
Without Drew’s idea I never would have met Jackie, and I never would have discovered my passion for photography. Sometimes the littlest things make the biggest impact. I flew back home to NY in October 2021 to visit. While I was there Drew and I hung out a few times and I had the chance to tell him how much his small idea changed my life. He was so happy for me he gave me a hug! And if you know Drew that’s a rare thing. I’m sad to say that’s the last time I saw him in person, but we did stay in touch over the phone when we could. I will always cherish the time that we did have together. I will forever miss Reynolds because he touch my life in unimaginable ways, as I know he did for others as well.
You were truly one of a kind my friend.
I Miss and Love you homie…
I’ll be rolling a spliff later thinking about you..
The one the only Andrew Grabowski.
Admin Reply by: Drewsdad
❤️ Thanks Casey! Wonderful story, I am sure he was happy that it worked out for you. 🙂
wrote on July 27, 2022
at
8:47 am
Where do I start? I know Andrew through the loss of my own brother Robby. Growing up Robby always had the best stories of skating and I would listen to every single one (if I wasn’t there watching) Andrew helped keep my brothers memory alive. He helped my family through his own events or memorials at The Spot. As much as I wasn’t as close to Andrew as everybody else was, he showed me kindness in a time I needed it, he showed he cared, he made sure to always share his own stories of my brother. The last memory I have of Andrew was he had surprised me on a receipt from ordering pizza and wrote “RIP ROB 143” it may sound stupid to everybody else but I kept this receipt and I will forever. The love he had you can feel no matter who you are or where you’re from. Andrews a bright shining soul and he will never leave us alone. Look for the signs, I promise he’s with us right now. And drew, please keep my brother company in heaven. Sending love and light to your entire family
Admin Reply by: Drewsdad
He talked about Rob a lot of times, did you know he was the one who gave andrew the nickname LiL Reynolds.❤️❤️
wrote on July 24, 2022
at
2:14 pm
Hello, and thank you for reading this. Here is a place where all his friends and family can add a story or just some words about Andrew for all of us.
As I did not get to be with him for his last 12 years, except when he came to visit us, and our phone calls. It would be so awesome to hear stories from everyone who were his friends and family while he was with us here.
Thank you!
Mr. G.
As I did not get to be with him for his last 12 years, except when he came to visit us, and our phone calls. It would be so awesome to hear stories from everyone who were his friends and family while he was with us here.
Thank you!
Mr. G.
