Learning to Skateboard

For some reason, girls on skateboards are hot. I don't get it, but I did notice that when I used to skateboard on campus, I got a lot of second looks. No, I did not do it for the attention-my bike was so rusty it couldn't move, and I needed a quick way to get to my morning classes. I had learned the hard way that rollerblades were annoying to take to class-there is no good place to store them while you are taking notes-and I had a skateboard. I had won my skateboard my freshmen year of college in a raffle, but I didn't really use it until my senior year.

It took me about a month to learn how to skateboard well enough that it saved me time getting to class, but it was worth it. One of my housemates ended up teaching me how to skateboard. The first time, however, I was moving so slowly he ended up leisurely walking along beside me the whole time.

By practicing every day, I was able to get the hang of it. But it took me a while to trust myself skating over small dips in the road. In the beginning, I would just stop, pick my skateboard up, walk over the dip, and then continue on my merry way. Of course, this was inefficient, so eventually I had to learn.

The key to skateboarding is to skate really fast. The faster you are moving, the smoother it is going over bumps, and the less likely you are to fall. Bigger wheels and longer boards are also easier to ride, but speed is the key. Also, wear shoes, and not sandals. I know some of the cool kids wear sandals when they skateboard, but it is just too easy to trip over yourself.

I also learned to balance with one foot on the board while pushing off the ground with the other, and to never second-guess my balancing abilities. Every time I got nervous and thought I was a little off balance, I immediately fell. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Twice I have had what may be considered bad skateboarding falls. The first time, I fell on my ass in the middle of the street in the middle of the night, so luckily no one saw. But the second time, while skateboarding down that same street in the middle of the night, I second-guessed my balance and my foot slipped out from under me. I fell feet first, and a group of people drinking outside their apartment saw me and laughed as they yelled, "Shit!"

When turning, I also learned to use both of my feet and lean to the side of the board I wanted to turn. Sidewalks are also easier to skate on than streets, but I learned the hard way that sidewalks are also usually not meant for skateboarders. One time, I lost my balance and fell trying not to run into a group of people who had decided to form a horizontal line across the sidewalk. And, after I fell, one of the girls in the group called me a bitch for skateboarding on their sidewalk. In my defense, I did not know that part of the sidewalk had a "No Skateboarding" sign.

But I did have a lot of fun times with my skateboard. One of my friends and I used to skate on campus at night when no one was around. There were a lot of good flat areas and slightly inclined areas to glide on, and we also took advantage of empty parking structures. Good times, good times.