Trick Complexity

   I started practicing frontside shuvits today. I've got my pop-shuvs down pretty good; so a buddy showed me the difference between shuvs and fs shuvs. It never occurred to me!!

   The complexity of tricks has really captured me. The board feel and foot control amazes me!! It was so similar; but still SUCH a different trick. Almost night and day for me. I know, at some point in the near future, they will feel interchangeable. But for now, it's a whole new battle.

   I've also been working on varial flips. I can get the rotations; but can't keep the board under me. It's still awesome to feel myself getting closer to landing such a sweet trick. Combining different techniques, and seeing how they work together to flip the board in different ways.

   It's progress.

Enter The Concrete Jungle

   Me and some buddies visited a skatepark today for the first time since skateboarding. I've been to this same park hundreds of times on blades; but this was different. And when I say "different" .... I mean, very very different!

   Everything about the park felt foreign to me! The gaps seemed bigger. The ramps seemed steeper. I found myself at a loss of words. Here I was, day-dreaming about all the gnarly tricks I was going to try at this skatepark. And yet, I was frozen. Paralyzed.

   I psyched myself up, and dropped into the biggest bank there. Up until this point, I didn't see this as much of an obstacle. Again; I've ridden this park on blades hundreds of times. I'd go as far to say that I've THRASHED this park before. Completely shredded it and everything inside!

   The first bank I roll down, I fall and eat shit! Bent my big toe backwards

   It was slightly disheartening; but equally eye-opening. This was going to take time. Practice. Dedication. It wasn't a video game. It wasn't rollerblading. This was a whole new beast to conquer. And if I thought it was going to be easy; I was dead wrong.

   I will be back!

Flow

   I just watched a movie about happiness; and it really opened my mind about skating! They were speaking about FLOW, and the emotions we experience from doing something we love. Our brain lights up with activity when we push ourselves to accomplish difficult tasks. Something that is physically challenging. Something we do alone, with little material gain.

   Yet, we do it because we enjoy it.

   This type of activity is what truly makes people HAPPY. It's what allows us to escape from our stressful lives. It's what makes us appreciate the World. It pushes us on a personal level. It makes us want to improve. To be better.

   This FLOW they spoke of, is exactly what I experience when I'm skating. I felt it on rollerblades, and I feel it even more-so learning how to skateboard. It's like a drug. It's addictive.

You Can Skate Anywhere

   Went camping this weekend; and brought my board. It never ceases to amaze me, how much fun you can have with the most simple of locations. All I had was a blacktop driveway, 3 car widths wide by 2 car lengths long. I swept off all the leaves and sticks, and started rollin around. I found a 2x4 and some boxes, and set-up a hippy jump hurdle. Then I found a sheet of plywood, and laid it on a grassy hill near the edge of the blacktop. This made a perfect bank!!

   I shredded for hours!

   I'm really falling in love with the idea of DIY skate spots, and using basic materials to set-up little mini "parks" anywhere you go. It's incredibly liberating; and it really pushes your creativity and ingenuity as a skater. The possibilities exist everywhere!!

2+ Hours A Day

   Now I know why skateshoes come with so many pairs of laces!! I've already gone thru 3 pair!! My ankles and shins are thrashed. My deck is shredded. My shoes are shredded. And honestly, I've been having the best time of my Life!!

   I've dedicated myself to ATLEAST 2 hours of skateboarding a day. I can FEEL myself getting better. Comfortable. Consistent. I think about the short amount of time I've spent on a skateboard, and I get excited to see myself in months and years. 

   Progression is the name of the game!

   I went out and got a brand new deck, and a new pair of shoes. At first, it felt so sticky with new soles and new griptape. After 30 minutes of riding around, it felt incredible!!! At this rate; I'll be spending a good hunk of money this summer. But is it worth it? Hell, it's priceless!!!

Out Of Town

   Took a trip down to Toledo for the weekend. Safe to say, I brought my skateboard. That's one of my favorite perks of my board vs my blades... the transportability. With ease, I can step on my skateboard and ride around. Anytime, anywhere. I checked into the hotel room, and instantly went back outside to roll around in the parking lot.

   I decided to take a cruise thru the streets, in hopes of finding some other places to skate. The first thing that struck me was how differently I saw skatespots now that I'm boarding. I did plenty of street skating on my blades; but this was new. Some things that I would have loved to blade; were suddenly HUGE and SCARY and definitely "unskateable" for me and my current skill level on a skateboard. The opposite could be said, too. Things that would be "too small" or "boring" on blades, instantly were amazing opportunities!! 

   It really opened my eyes to the possibilities

Thru The Pain

   Happy to say I've got pop-shuvits down!! It took some practice; but I really like my execution now! A couple times, I really bashed my shins and ankle bones. In all my time blading, I've never had injuries like that. There's something to be said about a "first time" injury; and I'm sure this is only the first of many that I will experience skateboarding. And it sucked; however, it was still rewarding to push thru the pain and finally land my tricks!

Consistency

   Today was gorgeous out! I worked until 5pm, but was still determined to skate. I set up my cinderblocks into a 3x8 manny pad. Then I set two more blocks down the driveway, spaced out about 10 ft apart. It was so cool to ollie onto the manny pad... ride and ollie off.... then ollie the two other bricks, one right after the other. It was the first time that I've worked multiple tricks together into a line!! And it felt amazing!!!

   I'm excited to work on more tricks! I was doing some fakie ollies, hippy jumps, and pop-shuvits too. I have that feeling of I WISH I WAS BETTER but I still smile knowing I'm doing damn good for just beginning. Consistency is my goal.

Art vs Life

   After emerging myself into this skateboard culture, I've spent a lot of time watching and pondering it's evolution. It got me thinking about the actual philosophy of skateparks, and their progression. It's like the Art vs Life debate. Do these parks imitate the streets? Or, do skaters find elements in the streets that imitate obstacles to skate?

   When it all started; it was transitions, pools, and banks. In the late 80s, it turned into more "street" skating. Tricks evolved. Styles evolved. Staircases, handrails, drop ledges, and gaps. Skaters set out to prove that ANYTHING was skateable. The gnarlier, the better. All terrain. Short run-ups. Rough landings. It was all fair game! And being the "first" to land a trick somewhere; well, that was bragging rights. It took the sport in a whole new direction!!

   The same mindstate that took skating out of the backyard pools, is the same mentality that drives the new generation of skaters to find new and unique skate spots. Your typical stairsets and handrails just weren't enough anymore! Plus, an influx of laws in the 90s added "skate stops" to a lot of infamous spots. This forced skaters to be creative.

   The vision still lives. Every skater I know sees the World differently. They don't see it for what it is, or what it's "suppose to be." They see it for what it COULD be. How it could be skated. And it's that vision and foresight that sets Skaters apart from the rest of the World