LAYTON—Denver Skinner, Nate Charles and Noah Perea graduated together from Northridge High School in 2021. They have been buddies ever since and have a particular bond with Perea who is disabled. 

“We went to high school together,” said Skinner. “I had a few classes with him but mostly kept to myself. When we graduated, he (Perea) started reaching out and asked if we could hang out. The first time we hung out he said ‘dude can I skate with you?’”

Skinner and Charles took him to the skate park. “We helped him skate,” said Skinner. “He skated when he was a kid (before becoming disabled). We would hold him up and the other guy would control the board so he could flip and do tricks.”

He can move but it’s really hard for him, said Skinner. “He can stand kind of so we help him walk places. He can’t speak very well so he uses an iPad and types out what he’s trying to say.”

Perea loves movies, especially scary ones, Skinner said. “He’s always trying to get us to watch them.”

For the last two years, Skinner and Charles have taken Perea to Lagoon for his birthday. “We meet his parents in the parking lot at the base (Hill Air Force, his parents are in the military). We load him from their car to ours and carry him in.”

Skinner joked that Perea helps them out at Lagoon because they get to skip the lines.  “We load him in and out of the rides and help him eat.”

Their friendship has gone beyond Lagoon and skating, said Skinner. “When Nate got married he was one of the groomsmen.”

It’s been nice to be with him, Skinner said. “I really like it. We’re just friends. We help him out as much as we can. He’s a good guy.”