Meet Ryan Hennessee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan Hennessee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
Everyone’s heard of the golden rule “Treat others as you want to be treated,” but I like to push things to the next level. Specifically in this instance, it’s the platinum rule: “Treat others as they want to be treated”. This forces me to think differently and strive to understand each person I meet such that I can treat them in the way they deserve. Everyone has their own unique story. Hearing first and second hand accounts of little things that have been received positively has given me hope in the world, but also ideas on how to spread optimism and generate an open environment that is a cornerstone of Social Push Detroit.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I would say what sets me apart from others is my commitment and passion. I originally planned to host the social push biweekly as planning and creating the graphics for the week can take up a good chunk of time, but after the first event, I remembered how much I enjoyed hosting from my time as the Purdue Longboarding Club president. The Detroit Social Push has met every week and have never had a gap to date. What excites me the most is sharing my passion for rolling on wheels with new people. We’ve had young 50 year old women stand on boards for the first time in their life, and coached plenty of newer riders how to safely navigate our routes. Pairing up new and experienced riders in a diverse city environment creates a uniquely positive energy that I haven’t found anywhere else.
The hardest part of my journey in community kick-starting was back at Purdue when the Longboard club was just Nate and I. Often times our rides would be just us and we grew close as we brainstormed ideas on how to nurture the club. It was tough to see that all the effort we put into our ideas didn’t pay off immediately, but eventually we grew the club into a healthy scene before we passed the baton and graduated. This time, the location and rules have changed, I’m no longer wrangling bored student peers, I’m attempting to capture the precious free time that busy adults have in the greater Detroit area. I have to convince them to drive/bus/travel through traffic to hang out with their preferred rolling device and be social. This is a daunting task and I’m still brainstorming ideas and answers that will convince people to come out and experience what we’re about. Our first twelve meetings have had a total of twelve unique riders come out. This is a great start, but I have bigger goals. I would like to host more organized events, coordinate with the social pushes from other cities as well as grow the Michigan longboard community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Michigan central in Corktown is where our last push was and it is amazing! The old train station is a historic landmark for Detroit that has been reopened as office and retail space. The smooth pavement around is ideal for all types of wheels. Check out the graffiti museum called “The Yard” when you’re in the area, it’s an authentic display of art that is free to walk through. Belle Isle is another must visit. The island has miles of paved trails and has a number of views that can only be seen from the island itself. Massive cargo ships, a massive marble fountain, THE giant slide, and a great sunset view of the city skyline.
Just across from Belle Isle is the Detroit riverwalk which is a stretch of path that leads pedestrians, bikers, skaters, and more along the Detroit river. There are plenty of stops such as the GM plaza, Hart Plaza, the famous “The Fist” sculpture and more.
If skateparks are more your thing, there’s Riverside in the city and Unity a short drive west of the city. Unity skatepark houses a short pump track that is accessible to all wheels and will give you quite a workout!
Dequindre Cut is another favorite, a long path that is enveloped by Eastern Market, which is necessary to visit on market days.
Some other honorable mentions are Little Caesar’s Arena, Comerica Park, Ford Field, the Fox Theatre, and the Fillmore for concerts.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The founder of the original Social Push in NYC Leke Papaj for getting the idea off the ground as well as Cori Wolff who started up the Social Push in Cincinnati and has been a massive help and inspiration to me!

Instagram: @socialpush.detroit

Image Credits
PHSC Media