Skateboarding is basically the art of doing the impossible. If it’s hard or nasty you try and do it, you way up the risks or you go in crazy and reckless, and just want to stick the trick. For me skateboarding is always a constantly changing ratio between just cruising around, enjoying the feel, and wanting to do new tricks.
Believe it or not skateboarding is the most accident prone sport in the first few weeks, and the vast majority of injuries happen in that time period. It takes a lot to break something (although it also takes very little) in your body while on a skateboard, and you don’t have to wear pads but there are some things were you will go splat, and pads can partially save your ass.
Take bs 540 axle stalls. You travel backwards up the ramp, spin around 270 degrees on the back truck, get both trucks on the coping (metal rail), and then spin around another 270 degrees back down into the ramp, and continue on your merry way. The dangerous part is the last 90 degrees, if you get the angle wrong you get thrown off the board and go straight to your rump if you go lean to far backwards. Conversely if you lean to far forwards something called a ‘wipe out’ happens to you.
A wipe out is where you going very fast or spinning very fast, and slam very hard on the ramp. Happened to be on this little miniramp doing the above mentioned trick, fell backwards, scrunched my bottom and whacked my right elbow. That hurt. I’ve had even worse slams but that is for a later post.
Despite the slams and pain it is still worth it, and you learn how to bail (step off your skateboard without slamming) and avoid most risks. Surprisingly if you know what you are doing you can do all sorts of big things and get away with it pretty safely. I’ve never broken any bones on a skateboard, I have mildly sprained my right ankle twice and my right wrist once, but that is all.
The other good thing with skateboarding is skateboarding with others. You learn new things, and strive to increase your game when the big boys come in. Skateboarding has a loose hierarchical structure, in that when skating on a say a miniramp, the skilled skateboarders are the ones who get the runs, while the less so can chip in, but like attracts like. This does not sound harsh or nasty, and its good seeing a beginner, or newb, pull something new for himself, just as it is good seeing awesomeness happen with some someone pulling something crazy or unexpected.
The buzz of skateboarding is being on top form, or pulling a new trick, or just going plain old crazy. But skateboarding can also be maddening at times, and down right frustrating. It is one of those sports where it is harder to learn the basic things while it is easier to learn the harder things.
So don’t be discouraged! Get on that skateboard, and get ripping!
Here are two skate videos I made (I’m the one skating), and with the first one try and spot the bs 540 axle stall!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ6tq4zy4yQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDzbjOVG8wk
