Skateboarding at 34

Background

Around abouts 2017, I bought a skateboard because I was on a hyper fixation that involved consuming vast amounts of youtube videos about skateboarding. I did everything I figured was correct, not buying cheap Walmart stuff, researching what kind would let me do what I wanted to do. Bailey also got one, though hers was a longboard.

I tried to learn how to stand on it, how to push forward a bit without falling, and I thought it was pretty neat, though I was more interested in trying to learn to ollie (a mere coincidence to my child’s name, I swear).

I took to the sidewalk to try and see if I could get further than my parking lot outside the condo. Went up a small incline, realized I didn’t lean forward enough and fell backwards fully onto my lower back from standing height. Needless to say, I hung up the board for a long time after that as I was 26 and “getting up there in age smh” and gosh darn it that hurt too bad.

Present day

This past week, Ollie (again I swear his name is NOT a skateboarding lingo joke), took more of an interest in the skateboards we had in the garage. He had played with them on and off for a year or two, mainly riding them down the driveway on his butt or stomach. But he decided that he wanted to try and stand on the board “like you used to”. (I had told him I rode a skateboard for a bit, not well mind you, but I did do it).

To my surprise, after the first couple hand holding for balance sessions, he actually started listening to my instruction and pushed himself around on Bailey’s longboard. Standing up, arms outstretched for equilibrium. Man, I was proud, he actually started to enjoy something outside of TV.

Yesterday, we were pushing around on our street and he told me that we were called, “the skater buddies”. Who am I to tell him that we aren’t? I’ve began to look forward to the end of the work day so that I can go skate with him.

He’s fallen a couple of times, but after many speeches about perseverance (honestly that’s the thing I’m most proud of), I asked him, “you just fell off, what do you do now?” He said, “get right back on!”

If this little hobby takes off, I’ll be content. I get to learn how to skateboard a bit better, and Ollie gets to learn how to keep going after something doesn’t go his way. This is a win-win in my book.

So if you see me walking around with a limp, or god forbid, some kind of wrist brace, just know that I did it with the full intent of teaching my kid how to overcome.