Nov 22 2006

I mainly got into skateboarding because of my daughter, who is 13 years old. She loves the sport of skateboarding. I built a 4 ft mini ramp (half pipe) as a Christmas present for her in 2005. At the beginning of 2006 she started talking about how there weren't any girls around to skate with, and that it just seemed like the couple of boys she did skate with were skating more with their other friends.

So I said, “Hey, I can’t do anything about the girls, but if she didn’t mind, I would give it a shot and we could learn together.” Besides I would be spending time with my daughter and that would give us a way to stay connected.

She got a Mystery complete as an early birthday present, (since her old board was a hand me down from one of her friends) and I got her Lunatic board. I was set to go, accept for the helmet and pads. If I was going to skate I would have to have protective gear. I mean, after all I was a 39 year old with a wife and 3 kids to support, plus I had never owned a skateboard before! So if you see me at our local skate park I’ll probably look more like a Transformer than a skater. I was actually more worried about embarrassing my daughter than myself, once I got started. Then I was hooked. I truly believe I would continue even if my daughter quit today.

"The biggest thing is to have fun and be safe"

I believe we have one of the best skate shops around. Continuum skate shop here in Sumter, SC is the bomb. The owner Cory Wilkinson is also the creator of the Nobyl skate brand decks which I and my daughter are now riding. He has a wealth of knowledge about skating, and I got a great skate lesson with him around May 1st, 2006. He gave me a lot of good advice and encouraged me to stick with it and have fun. I also got encouragement and tips from Steve Cave, a very nice knowledgeable guy who loves this sport.

If you would like to give skateboarding a try, may I suggest you try to get a lesson or two. It’s great to get instant feed back. The biggest thing is to have fun and be safe.

One of the hardest things so far for me has been the ollie. I don’t know why but I have just struggled with it. I have been skateboarding about 8 months now and I still haven’t gotten it down pat, but you don’t have to ollie to have fun skating, that’s just one of my goals. We have a contest set for March. If Lord willing I’ll be 40 March 10th and will be able to ollie the four set at the skate park.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t go out and rip it up (although I’d like to) I just go out and try to have fun. I entered a contest we had back in Oct. as a beginner and I will say I was a bit awkward competing with kids 7-13 years of age. We SSA (Sumter Skate Association) members were trying to raise money for new equipment for the skate park by having a contest. I told my daughter that if she didn’t enter I would. I didn’t think I would be as nervous as I was which, I think led to me not landing anything. My daughter had entered though, and was the only person to enter the girls division (maybe that was why she won?) I believe that since she entered, there will be other girls entering next time.

"Anything worth doing in life doesn’t come easy"

I think skateboarding has some fitness benefits and I like to use it as a de-stressor. I haven’t had as much skating time as I have wanted lately, because of my wife having a couple health problems. My advice is, just remember to breath. When I started I thought I was just out of shape, but really it was because I kept holding my breath. NOT GOOD!!!

There are also some life lessons to be learned from skateboarding. Perseverance, self control, practice - because I believe anything worth doing in life doesn’t come easy, especially if it’s the right thing to do.

The most surprising thing for me in skateboarding is that I thought that once you land a trick, you would have it. You would be able to do it any time. That’s not been true for me. Just because I land a trick today doesn’t mean I’ll land it the next day. I don’t know if it’s because of my age or if I’m just not as in tune with my body as I use to be. (editor's note - this is true for skaters of any age!)

The thing that scares me the most is getting injured, and what my wife might do when she would find out. But, she has been supportive. If you are just starting out I would suggest some type of protective gear, but I would stress for you to get shin guards, because this is where a lot of people I know get hurt the most, around their shins. Personally I would rather get hit in the head than take a shot to my shins!

Skateboarding gives me a feeling of accomplishment. Like the day I learned to drop in on the half pipe, I felt like a teenager again and a few minutes later my daughter was dropping in too. It was the best feeling ever, we were all excited and running inside telling everyone! I wouldn’t give up that moment for anything and it all started when I was willing to give skateboarding a try.

Now I have had a down day where I couldn't land anything, and I have taken a really hard slam, but it's like a high without drugs when you finally land a trick you’ve been working on. The biggest thing I would like to leave you with is to not compare yourself to other skaters that are better than you. They had to start out like you at one time, so just remember to have fun. Oh, and you’re never too old to try something new!

Want to learn how to ride a skateboard? Read Just Starting Out Skateboarding for some easy, step by step instructions, great for any age! Also, check out Common Beginner Skateboarding Questions to get any other help you may need!