Mom always said that I would grow out of it...
The inspiration for starting this blog has many sources. I started skateboarding when I was in the 8th grade in 1996. I think for many people (especially hopeful parents) skateboarding truly is "just a phase." However, I have found it to be essential to my emotional, physical, and mental health at times. Like most skateboarders over 18 years old, I have had to balance my love for skateboarding with other things in life such as work, family, and school. This of course inevitably leads to becoming 'washed up.'
In recent weeks I have had two experiences which motivated me to begin keeping a blog. I will only share a couple. First and foremost, three weeks ago I was skating a bowl and threw my back out. I had to take 2 days off from work because I could hardly move. My coworkers of course found this pretty humorous and it made me realize that it was pretty funny too. The second experience occurred just yesterday (June 13th 2011). I was checking out a new skatepark here in Atlanta (Old Fourth Ward Skatepark) which was just opened two days prior. I found myself staring down into a pool and trying to judge both its depth and transition when suddenly a kid (probably around 15 years old) asked me if I was going to drop in. I answered that I wasn’t sure yet and that I was still thinking about it. He responded with, “What. Did you just start skateboarding or something?” I thought about his question. I had been skateboarding for quite a while now (actually since his birth probably), and I have changed the way I skate quite a bit during these years, particularly in the way that I approach things. Now I certainly wouldn’t have just dropped in the pool 10 years ago, but I probably wouldn’t be considering breaking out a tape measure either (which I was starting to considering now).
I kind of wonder what the trajectory of my style, skills, and thought processes towards skating would look like from 1996 to the present, but I only have a few recorded snapshots to let me know. Thus, I start today. This blog is for me to document myself skateboarding in the past and present, by keeping an account of my daily experiences as I skate for transportation, recreation, and yes… even inspiration.
