Jackalope 2026

Jackalope 2026 was one of the craziest in history.

The skate course was designed to perfection, and the skaters leveled skateboarding up to a place we haven’t seen before.

I, Dave Jonsson, made the journey out to Virginia Beach, alongside Davin, a chaplain in training, and what happened off the course was just as historic as what happened on it.

We’ve seen such a tight knit community built and a lot of it is because of our online Monday Bible study, these guys already know each other on a deeper level when they show up at contests. The conversations are different. The hugs are different. You can feel it. The roots are going down.

We held chapel in the corner conference room of the Hilton. Beautiful 12 foot windows and the sun shining and the presence of God! 

Around 25 athletes showed up. Professional skateboarders, sitting down, making space for something beyond the competition.

Davin, who is chaplain in training, gave his testimony. Then Christian Hosoi, living skate legend, brought the gospel.

And seven people put their hands up to give their lives to Jesus Christ!

In a hotel corner. In the middle of a skate contest. Seven people said yes to Jesus. We got to pray with them, invite them into Pros Being Bros, and watch them step into something eternal.

That alone made the whole trip worth it.

We also took time to honour Mark Johnson, a brother the global skate community lost this week.

I shared a message from the story of David and Jonathan. David’s grief when Jonathan died wasn’t quiet. It was real. It was raw. That’s what it looks like when you love your brothers the way God designed men to love each other. We prayed for Mark’s family. It was really a touching moment. 

During men’s practice, I got to commentate alongside Manny Santiago and interview skaters for about an hour. Was a lot of fun! 

Something kinda scary happened during girls’ practice, one of the athletes fell. She was wearing a helmet, but she hit the side of her head hard. She started having seizures, and bleeding out of her ear, then went completely unconscious. She wasn’t breathing. Her skin started to go pale.

I went down to her and prayed. And I kid you not, her eyes opened. Consciousness came back into her body. She had no idea where she was poor girl. She was from Japan. Her parents weren’t there, just an aunt and a translator. I grabbed her board, her water bottle, her backpack, and walked alongside them to the ambulance. I got to pray with her one more time before they loaded her in. Just to bring some comfort in a really scary moment.

That’s what chaplaincy is. It’s not always a sermon. Sometimes it’s just showing up, grabbing someone’s backpack, walking them to the ambulance, and letting them know they’re not alone. Professional skateboarding needs that. These athletes need that.

Shredder News posted about our chapel which really helped, videos with Christian Hosoi went viral across multiple skate channels, crossing over 100,000 views.

The world is watching skateboarding. And now, a little more of the world knows that some of these skaters kneel.

We’re making waves. In Jesus’ name.

If these stories move your heart and if you want to partner with chaplaincy, please consider giving to the cause: Click here to make a donation!

Thank you! 

— Dave Jonsson | JSAW chaplain