...Or Maybe Not...

With great anticipation, Sk8terdude went straight to S.P.I.R.I.T. after school yesterday.  The skatepark was open, as promised, but parts of the park were still off-limits, including the new quarter-bowl and the new element added to the side of one of the ramps.  Rumor has it that they'll be open at the end of the week.

In the meantime, here are some photos to whet your appetite, plus one of the melted vending machines, just because.  And, good news, all of the ramps have new concrete leads, replacing the macadam transfers that were there before, making for a much smoother ride throughout the park.

Back in Business

It's been a spotty return to skateboarding for Sk8terdude, but this time the obstacles have not involved trips to the orthopedist.

Just days after returning from camp, Sk8terdude woke up one morning to the news that our local skatepark was closed due to an overnight fire.  The shack had burned to the ground and the vending machines melted but the ramps, etc. seemed perfectly fine.  Nonetheless, the town decided the skatepark would be temporarily closed.

Three weeks ago they reopened (hooray)...and then last week they were temporarily halved by yellow caution tape as workers arrived to build a quarter-bowl in the back corner of the park.  Yesterday we pulled into the parking lot only to be told the park would remain closed for at least one extra day to let the concrete cure (apparently they also resurfaced several ramps).

Sk8terdude was itching to skate but rejected my offer to head to Dickinson Park in Newtown ("It's too small!"), instead begging to be allowed to skate some street spots for the first time ever.  I admit to being torn.  While I don't really want to encourage him to skate where he isn't supposed to (for example, at one of the local schools), I didn't want to put up with his complaining all afternoon if he didn't get to skate.

So I caved.

I know....bad Mommy.  Allowing him to break the rules AND standing by while he did it (I read a book in the car while he skated) isn't exactly sending the right message.  But I was encouraged by the fact that no fewer than eight other skaters and roller bladers showed up while we were there.  Apparently we all had the same idea, convening at the nearest easily skateable public venue.

Is it terrible of me to admit that it was fun to watch?  This was Sk8terdude's first time figuring out, for himself, what was skateable and what wasn't (yes to olleying the stair set, the curb, and the low retaining wall - no to the handrail on the ramp).  And when he landed the stair set he ran back to the car, grabbed the video camera, and took some footage of himself doing it again.

He came home happy and exhausted - a winning combination - even if it was a slightly illegal one.

LOL - From now on I suppose we'll be adding a dollar a day to his legal fund instead of the proverbial "therapy jar."

Fear of Flying (no, not THAT one)

I'm on a plane to California.

[And the fact that I can sit on an airplane and type something and hit a button and suddenly all the wired-world can read it is something too amazing to contemplate - but that's a topic for another post.]

Sitting in the airport waiting to board, I realized that although I'm looking forward to this trip, I wasn't really looking forward to the plane ride. And that realization surprised me, because for years I travelled as often as I could. I loved the anticipation, the take-off, the opportunity (when weather and flight plans permitted) to look out the window and identify landmarks (including once, on a trip back from Richmond, my parents' street and rooftop!).

But today I was a little unsettled, as I have been every time I've boarded a plane for the last ten or more years.

I know part of my discomfort comes from 24/7 coverage (on tv and/or online) of airplane disasters. And part comes with the territory of being a parent ("what will happen to the children if..."). But I also wonder if part of this fear just comes naturally with age.

When I was younger my brother and I often went skiing with our dad. I clearly remember my brother racing down a black diamond trail without me - although we were skiing at about the same level at that point in time (not quite ready for an expert trail, I might add). And I remember thinking that it was because he was too young to know to be scared. (If memory serves...and it might not...he was no more than 7 years old at the time.)

As a child, I believe I thought growing up would mean being less afraid.  And I suppose in some ways I am less afraid of some things.  I still occasionally get butterflies in my stomach before making a presentation, for example, but I am able to draw on years of experience, take a deep breath, and settle those butterflies by remembering that the worst that will happen is I’ll make a fool of myself – and I’m too old to care about that anymore!  And growing older and becoming a parent cured me of my fear of spiders (well…maybe not cured…but at least made me pretend I wasn’t scared so I wouldn’t pass along that fear to my kids).  And I’m less afraid to try new things – at least as long as those things don’t involve my fear of heights!  (I will NEVER go bungee jumping.)

But I’m definitely more afraid of things like falling down (it HURTS to fall down at my age!), getting sick (who’s going to handle the kids’ schedules?), and, of course, flying, which is not so much a fear as jitters (read: a panic) about what would happen to the kids if something happened to me, which is all about parenting, which really is very scary…

If you’re still reading, you must be wondering what this has to do with skateboarding since, after all, this is supposed to be a skateboarding blog or, at least, a blog about being the parent of a skateboarder.  And that’s exactly where I circle back to being afraid.

I wonder if skateboarding becomes more difficult with age – not just because some skills are more easily learned by the young – but because of fear.

When he started at age 5 or so, Sk8terdude had no fear.  In fact, as a parent it was a little worrisome to watch him try bigger and bigger ramps and skate faster and faster without seeming to have a care in the world.  But he’s older now, and a little wiser about things like gravity, and it’s a lot further to the ground than it was when he was younger.

When does this start to become part of the equation for skaters or for athletes in other extreme sports?  For example, if you don’t try the megaramp before you reach a certain age, are you destined to avoid it your entire life?

Is there a point at which skateboarders stop trying to learn new tricks and just celebrate a successful session (i.e. one without injury)?  Is this the ultimate obstacle - the one that skaters need to conquer in order to be great?  Is it that they don’t ever feel the fear, or that they learn to ignore it?  As a parent, how do I teach my child not to let the fear keep him from pursuing his dreams?

I watch Sk8terdude launch himself off the ramp and up into the air over and over and over again and I can’t help but wonder whether there will come a day when he’s afraid to let himself fly.

Transferring the Gap

If you watch this video I posted of Sk8terdude back in April, you can see him"transfer the gap" at 2:23.

For those of you who don't know what that means, you will see him skate up a ramp, then ollie (jump) across the opening between the ramp and the half-pipe before he continues down the half-pipe in the opposite direction.

Here at home, this is the time of year when our entire family "transfers the gap" from the school year to summer camp.   This year, because the school year was extended ten extra days thanks to Hurricane Irene in August and the freak snowstorm in October, our "gap" was shortened to three days...and our transfer has been spectacularly less than graceful.  Full of fits and starts and sharpies and iron-on labels, it hasn't been an easy weekend.

School ended Friday for OlderBrother after a long week of exams and, technically, Sk8terdude still has school this Monday, but he won't be attending.  (Before you call the truant officer on me, it's a half-day "field day" carnival type of event - and the school charges a fee to cover part of the cost.  Not exactly a do-or-die learning experience!)  We spent Friday evening at the mall picking up the last few items on their lists, Saturday morning exchanging and/or returning what didn't fit and shopping for the things we forgot to buy or didn't find on Friday night, and Saturday afternoon labeling, creating lists, and packing...and we aren't finished.  (Oh, and did I mention laundry?)

Somehow we've also managed to squeeze in a last-minute trip to Rye Playland for some family fun and (tomorrow) a visit from grandparents, complete with belated birthday cake.

Sk8terdude will head to camp first thing Tuesday morning for 7 1/2 weeks of summer fun.  He's taking two skateboards (one to skate, one as a backup, just in case), his SPoT hat (which I hope he doesn't lose!), and this exceptionally cool, brand new iPath tee-shirt, which arrived today as a gift (full disclosure) from a family friend who works for the company.  (Many thanks, DP!)

Staying home (so they don't get ruined, and because he needs to grow into them just a little bit) are the awesome pair of iPath shoes that were also a gift.  Knowing what summer camp does for a growing boy, I'm sure they will be a perfect fit in September!
As soon as we return from driving Sk8terdude to camp we will pack OlderBrother into the car and head to the airport.  He will spend the next month in Israel traveling with a teen program.  Once he returns we will do a few loads of laundry, repack his things, and drive him up to camp (a few days late) for the second half of the summer.
Phew!  I'm already tired just thinking about it.

Sk8terdad and I are on our last climb up the end-of-school-year ramp (he still has to work a few professional days at school).  We are taking our own leap over the gap - sending OlderBrother overseas for four weeks (on a terrific program and with time to visit our extended family while he's there) and sending Sk8terdude for his first full summer at camp (instead of the half-summer he has gone in the past).

We look forward to an easy ride down the other side:  kid-free for almost all of the next 7 1/2 weeks, remembering what it was like in the beginning, before children, and looking ahead to what life might be like again someday, when they're both grown and gone.

Sk8terdude says the first time he transferred the gap he took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn't fall.

I'm feeling exactly the same way.

Time Warp Tuesday

It's Time Warp Tuesday - a Bereaved and Blessed blog-hop in which writers are asked to revisit a previous post and reflect on the journey they've taken since then.  Today's topic is "mothering" and, by chance, exactly one year ago today I wrote a post about my (un)official title as the "Best Mom in the Whole World" - a title I may or may not still hold depending on which of my children you speak to in any given moment in time.

Certainly, from Sk8terdude's perspective, I've done a pretty decent job in the Sk8termom category.  We've been on several skateboarding road trips since last May, including the biggie to SkatePark of Tampa in February.  We went to the Streetleague championship last August (despite the last-minute change of date due to the impending hurricane!).  I've spent countless hours sitting in parent lounges, videotaping, editing, and posting to this blog and, for the most part, I've done it with a fairly good attitude, considering the fact that in a million years I never would have anticipated being the mom of a skateboarder.

But we've also had some not-so-great moments this year, including Sk8terdude's latest trip to the orthopedist yesterday afternoon for what turns out to be yet another broken bone...in the pinky of his right hand.

Don't ask me how many bones he's already broken, because I've truly lost count.  (For those of you considering letting your kids skateboard, the non-skateboarding injuries still outnumber the skateboarding ones, but not by much...).  So after years of people cracking jokes about bubble-wrapping him for safety, I'm starting to wonder:  am I being the best mom by continuing to support his love of skateboarding?  Or would I really earn the "best mom" title by putting my foot down and forcing him to give up his passion?

With Mother's Day in plain sight, and with a look back at the last 12 months, I have to wonder what's really in his best interest long-term.

It was downright embarrassing to show up at the orthopedist's office yesterday.  And I haven't called either set of grandparents to tell them because, honestly, I don't want to hear their reactions.  (I won't be able to hide for long.  My in-laws will be arriving in two weeks for a short visit - and Sk8terdude will still have a purple cast.  My guess is they will notice!)

In preparation for a workshop I'll be running in June, I recently asked a group of parents to tell me what keeps them up at night.  One mom said she worried that she would be "blinded by love and not see something right in front of [her] eyes that would prevent the expected outcome of raising happy, confident, compassionate, and wise children."

Now I'm not sleeping at night, either...but maybe that up-all-night-worrying is the essence of motherhood.

If at First You Don't Succeed....

For some (many), Spring Break means Florida, beaches, bikinis, and beer, and not necessarily in that order.  And, yeah, once upon a time, I might have thought of those things, too.  But in the interim years, before Sk8terdude and OlderBrother are old enough to appreciate that particular vacation fantasy, Spring break for us translates a little differently.

So while OlderBrother heads to the Baseball Hall of Fame with Skaterdad, I'm back in New Jersey for a mini-road trip to Shields Skatepark and GardenSk8, with a quick visit to Sk8tergrandma thrown in for good measure (and good karma).

You may recall our last visit to the Garden State was a little chilly...  I'm happy to report that it is a beautifully warm 76°F outside and a comfortable temperature inside Shields, where I am not so comfortably seated on one of those metal folding chairs I complained about last time.  But I digress...

It's a great day to be at Shields if, like Sk8terdude, you want to work on some new tricks.  Since it is NOT Spring Break in New Jersey, the skatepark was virtually empty when we arrived for the 2 p.m. opening and, three hours later, there are still only a handful of boys inside - mostly on scooters.  A few minutes ago, Sk8terdude asked me if I would film him.

It took me three tries to get the iPhone video to work properly (don't ask) and then it took him three tries to successfully land the wall push.  But land it he did.  A lesson for both of us to always "try, try again."

Sk8terdude Skates...Clip Reel

Sk8terdude decided we needed an updated clip reel from recent (and not so recent) skate trips, so here it is.  Enjoy!

Long Island Mini Road Trip

When you think about your favorite St. Patrick's Day memory, what's the first thing that pops into your mind?  Corned beef and cabbage?  A parade?  Beer?  From now on, Sk8terdude's favorite holiday memory will be the glorious weather and the fabulous fun we enjoyed last Saturday at Veterans Park in East Northport*, New York.

[*Personally, I thought the park was in Huntington, Long Island.  My sister-in-law patiently tried to explain the New York system wherein villages and hamlets exist within towns within counties, some with independent school districts, tax districts, and/or governing bodies and some without.  She did a great job with her explanation.  I just didn't do a great job with my comprehension.  So it's beyond me to explain it here.  Suffice to say that we were in Huntington, but we were also in East Northport.  And probably plugging either name into a GPS will get you to the skatepark.]

Designed by California Skateparks (click link for photos), this 18,000+ square foot concrete park, the first on Long Island, is a dream.  It combines a bowl, a flow course, and a street plaza and is open to the public for a daily fee or by purchasing a town recreation pass (details).  No bikes - or children under 6 - allowed.

There's no parent lounge - and certainly no public, free wifi (edited to add: rumor has it there may be wifi access for those with a Cablevision account) - but there is an adjacent playground with comfortable benches, a water fountain, a shaded area, and public restrooms.  Since we were accompanied by my 3-year-old nephew, the playground was a perfect spot for us to spend time while Sk8terdude skated.

Considering the unseasonably warm weather, I was surprised there weren't more skaters.  The park was steadily busy but not impossibly so, and it was an interesting mix of local kids, older (as in adult) skaters (wisely wearing knee pads!), and, amusingly, an entire vanload of skaters from right here in Fairfield County who had taken their own mini-road trip to skate the park.

At the end of the afternoon, Sk8terdude put his skateboard and helmet in the car and then rolled down the big grassy hill with the 3-year-old...who tells us he's "not tall enough" to skate.  (Not yet, anyway!)  A perfect end to a perfect afternoon.

Spring is Sprung...Skateboarding Season Opens in Connecticut!

It's official.

The skatepark in Ridgefield is open for the season.  Skating is free for the weekend.  Sign-ups for lessons have begun.

Sk8terdude is in 7th heaven.

And - hey - there are new benches and picnic tables in the "parent lounge."  That makes me happy, too.

Double the Trouble and Double the Fun at 2nd Nature

This morning Sk8terdude and I picked up one of his friends and we took the drive - the long drive - back to 2nd Nature in Peekskill, reminding me why we need an indoor skatepark closer to home!  It's 31°F and snow flurries are blowing on this blustery day, so I am thankful for somewhere warm to sit while they skate, but, SERIOUSLY, the distance is really getting to me.

I was glad to have Sk8terbuddy along for the ride.  The boys are the same age and share a similar obsession with skateboarding, skateboarders, and skateboarding videos.  They are equally determined to get sponsored (the ultimate prize for tween skateboarders everywhere) and their discussion in the car was amusing in its own mind-numbing way:

Sk8terdude:  "Hey, did you see skater x do trick y at skatepark z?"

Sk8terbuddy:  "Yeah!  That was sick.  Did you see skater a do trick b and skatepark c?"

Sk8terdude:  "Yeah!  That was cool."

Sk8terbuddy:  "How much longer until we're there?"

This was repeated - ad nauseum - for most of the ride.  But at one point the boys started talking about their own tricks, and I must admit I started paying a little more attention.  What began as a fairly benign cataloguing of their recent accomplishments (hey, I landed the wall-ride - me, too) slowly started to sound like the competitive one-upmanship that frequently occurs between any two boys (can you backside/tailslide the quarter-pipe? - yeah, can you?) and quickly that deteriorated into the type of challenge (you should try this - yeah, you should try that) that, in my experience, often leads to someone getting hurt...and that someone is, more often than not, MY someone.

I tried to step in with some motherly advice.

"Boys, you know, today isn't a competition.  The idea is to go have fun together at the skatepark.  You're each going to learn different tricks at different times, and that's fine.  You don't have to try something just because someone else says so...and you don't have to try anything you're not ready to do."

The disdainful silent response from the back seat was palpable.

So here we are, at 2nd Nature, again.  I'm typing in the parent lounge.  The boys are skating in the park.  I'm afraid to look!

Mike Vallely and the Danbury Whalers Do-Over

Last year I wrote (here and here) about meeting Mike Vallely and about his efforts to become a professional hockey player - if only briefly.  You may recall that his first official trip onto the ice lasted less than a minute and ended with a broken arm and a long recovery.
This weekend Mike V. was back in uniform for the Danbury Whalers, hoping for a second chance to live out his dream, and Sk8terdude was rinkside, hoping to meet him for the second time.

In the beginning, I questioned whether Mike V. was really determined to play hockey or whether this was just a publicity stunt cooked up between him and Whalers' owner Herm Sorcher.  And after last year I decided it was a little bit of both.

This year my take is this:  it doesn't really matter.

Mike V. loves hockey.  He wishes he had been good enough to play professionally when he was younger.  He's a canny businessman who knows how to take advantage of an opportunity (that's a compliment!).  And he wasn't about to let this one pass him by.  With his new Elephant Brand Skateboards ready to launch, Mike V. came to Connecticut with a two-fold mission:  to play professional hockey for more than a minute and to continue his quest to have a successful skateboard line.

On Friday evening, with the Whalers in a close game against the Thousand Islands Privateers, he was limited to one 29-second shift in the final period of the game, which the Whalers won 5-3.  Afterwards, Mike V. was overheard saying that the important thing was the team win.  That's a classy remark from a guy who likes to be in on the action and surely would have preferred not to spend most of the game on the bench.

On Saturday, with the Whalers way ahead in their game against the Danville Dashers, Mike V. saw some legitimate ice time:  two or three full shifts plus the final 35 seconds of the game.  The Whalers won 5-1, making them undefeated with Mike V. in the line-up:  two wins this weekend plus the one last year.

Both nights he stayed after the game, greeting fans, including Sk8terdude on Friday and OlderBrother on Saturday, and signing autographs on everything from Whalers memorabilia to skateboards.

Both Mike V. and Sk8terdude ended the weekend with dreams fulfilled.

Skateboarding Shutdown

Okay, technically, skateboarding has not been shut down. But in the aftermath of Hurrican Irene, we have no power, no water, and no easy Internet access. I'm preserving I-phone usage for important texts and updates on local conditions (like the welcome news that the nearest Starbucks re-opened this morning). Once power is fully restored I will post photos and an update from our trip to see the Streetleague finals in New Jersey.

Stupid Is as Stupid Does!

I was enjoying my last few days of kid-free summer.  No worries.  No hanging out in parent lounges.  Sk8terdad and I stopped at the mall and he ran inside to pick something up.  Knowing he would be right out (the item he needed was in the first store inside the door), I waited in the car, thinking I could relax for a few minutes.

Suddenly I heard a loud rumble and some shouts - and I saw this:

It's dumb stunts like this that give skateboarders a bad reputation.  Seriously.  This video (with apologies for the quality, but there's only so much you can do in a parking garage) was taken in the middle of a very busy afternoon at the local mall.

These two idiots raced down all the levels of the garage, over and over.  (I shot the video the second time they rolled by.)  The turns are tight and blind for drivers.  And I would point out that they aren't even wearing helmets but, really, a helmet won't matter much when they get hit by a car.

Where is mall security???  And what were these two drinking when they decided this was a good idea?

Yes, I called security.

I hope Sk8terdude is never dumb enough to try something like this but, if he is, I hope there's a mom (or someone) in the parking lot who cares enough to take action.

Sometimes it's not enough to "lounge."

Get a Grip

Sk8terdude's latest board is starting to chip at the tail, and since he's heading to sleepaway camp for the next month, I figured he might need a replacement board.  But the cost of new boards is getting prohibitive, so I finally went ahead and ordered a bunch of blank decks online in order to save some money.

The decks (buy five, get one free) arrived today.  We ordered medium concave 7-ply Canadian maple American-made boards.  I don't know how to tell if these are really 7-ply or Canadian or made in the USA, but I guess I'll take their word for it.

At first glance, Sk8terdude seemed to like the feel of the board and the cut.  He thinks he will get a lot of "pop" with the medium concave.

Of course, wearing socks and olleying on the carpet might not be the best test...

Although the decks can be ordered with grip tape, we decided we would wait and have them gripped once they arrived.  For those of you unfamiliar with skateboarding, the grip tape is the sandpaper-like surface that is added to the deck so that skaters' feet don't slip when they are skating.

At some point, every skater needs to learn to put his/her own grip tape on a board, but since the process includes using a razor to cut the excess tape off the sides, I haven't been anxious to let Sk8terdude do it himself.  (We are already experts at broken bones....I don't really want to add stitches to our repertoire - particularly when he's supposed to leave for camp in a few days.)

But at some point every skating parent needs to let go.  So despite my concern, and with a nod to Free Range Parenting, I decided it was time to give it a try.  And since it was already late in the day, we drove to the nearest skate shop.  New Canaan/Ridgefield Ski and Sport recently moved their Ridgefield store to the former Rugged Bear building on Route 7.  I purchased the grip tape and asked if they would supervise Sk8terdude while he put the grip tape on the board.

We purchased Jessup grip tape, which is sold in individual strips.  After peeling away the backing to expose the adhesive, Sk8terdude positioned the tape onto the deck.  He came close to needing a do-over...as you can see in this photo, the tape is positioned all the way up against one edge.  (Usually people center the deck under the tape.)  Fortunately, he got the tape just far enough that it was okay.

He smoothed down the tape, releasing all the air bubbles, and proceeded to the next step:  running the shaft of a screwdriver all the way around the edge of the board in order to crease the grip tape where it would need to be trimmed.

This process was harder than it sounds. Sk8terdude needed to apply a lot of pressure on the screwdriver to get the crease and to break through the grip tape.  Once that was done, it was time for the cutting.  Now I have to say that in all the times I've seen this done, every person in every skate shop has used a razor blade.  Free range or not, a razor blade sounded like a bad idea to me.  So out of my bag I pulled the box cutter.  [What?  Doesn't everyone carry a box cutter???  Okay.  I admit I brought the box cutter with me, figuring that it would be safer for him to use - since it has a handle - than a regular razor blade.]  Ken (the guy who was helping us at the shop) showed Sk8terdude how to hold down the board with one hand and slice through the grip tape with the other.  There were two women working in the shop.  Clearly both moms themselves, they said out loud what I was shouting in my head:  "CUT AWAY FROM YOUR BODY!"  Apparently, that isn't so easy when cutting grip tape, and since Ken is lefthanded and Sk8terdude is righthanded, the demonstration was a little complicated, too!

They worked together:



And then Sk8terdude finished on his own:

No blood...no stitches...  I'd call that a success!

Is he too young for a box cutter???  I'm still not certain.  I did end the day with a stern reminder that despite his success, he still does NOT have my permission to use the box cutter without adult supervision.

Born to Teach

And so Sk8terdude's first week as a "teacher" comes to an end, and by all accounts it was a huge success!

As I mentioned in a previous post, this week Sk8terdude was one of the "teachers" at the Pee-Wee Ramp Camp (for new skaters ages 4-7) at S.P.I.R.I.T. in Ridgefield.  Too young to be hired for real, he was offered the opportunity to be a volunteer helper.  I have to admit, I was a little worried that after a short time he might decide to stop helping and just go skate.  But it turns out he more than rose to the occasion.

On day one, Sk8terdude came home after the three hour camp and announced that he started the day by showing new kids the park, then worked one-on-one with a boy who had a little more experience than the others.  He told us that at the end of the session he gave the boy a sticker for working so hard and he announced that "all the kids left with smiles on their faces."  He was very proud to come home wearing his new staff shirt:

When we arrived this afternoon to pick him up after the third (and final) day of Pee-Wee Camp, we heard nothing but rave reviews of his performance.  Apparently he showed a real gift for knowing which kids needed help at any given time and he remained focused and engaged with them the entire time.  The camp gave Sk8terdude a ribbon that said "Special Helper" to thank him for his hard work and he helped distribute the ribbons and certificates to each of the campers.

They wrapped up the program with the traditional water balloon fight.  Soaking wet and smiling from ear to ear, Sk8terdude left for the day.  He'll return next week as a camper in the regular program, proud to know that he helped a new group of kids learn to skate.

One Thing Leads to Another

Wednesday.  S.P.I.R.I.T. Ramp Camp Day 3.

Here's the "one thing..."

And here's "another."

At this rate, it's going to be a long (and expensive) summer...

Ready, Set, Skate!

Missed me?

Between rainy days, end-of-school-year commitments, and two out-of-town weekends in a row, we've had a slow stretch in terms of skateboarding.  But yesterday was anything but slow.  The long-awaited competition at S.P.I.R.I.T. finally arrived!

Eager to help out, Sk8terdude and I were there early as volunteers.  He moved tables (okay, he HELPED move tables), squeegeed the standing water in the park, and stayed out of trouble while I helped set up the registration table.  Although the day started out gloomy and gray, by the time we had everything ready to go, the clouds were clearing.  I was thankful I had packed sunscreen in the car - and I was wishing I had also packed bugspray.  (Thanks, Linda, for bringing some with you for me to use!)

Like every other competition we've ever been to, this one failed to start on time...since the guy from 2nd Nature Skate Shop had a birthday party to run in Rye and he was behind schedule.  (Which is pretty ironic, considering our experience a few weeks ago, when the SAME guy failed to show up at all for our friend's son's birthday party.  You can read about that here.)  Eventually, the guys at S.P.I.R.I.T. decided to start without 2nd Nature and the competition was underway (and eventually he did show up).

Three hours later, Sk8terdude was the proud winner of a tee-shirt, some stickers, a 2nd Nature DVD, and a pass good for a visit to the new indoor skatepark 2nd Nature just opened in Peekskill, having taken third place in his division.  (Yes, I have video of his two competition runs.  And, no, I'm not posting the video here.  I forgot that if I was taping I had to keep quiet!  But family and friends can email me if they want to see it....)

Tomorrow the skateboarding really ramps up (hah!).  Sk8terdude will be in ramp camp for a week.  The following week he'll be volunteer staff at the pee-wee camp (for kids ages 4-7).  He is SO excited about the opportunity to teach - not to mention the staff tee shirt!  The week after that he has another five days of ramp camp...and then there's a week of sports camp before he heads to overnight camp for a month.

While he gears up for three straight weeks of skateboarding, I'm gearing up to be his driver.  Back and forth to the skatepark...with the price of gas these days, I'm glad it's only five miles away!

Some New Trucks, a New Skatepark, and a Bunch of New Skateboarding Parents

We've been busy.

Sk8terdude likes to skate his trucks really loose.  So loose, in fact, that this week the Thunder Hollow trucks fell off his board a few times and, eventually, it became clear that he would need to replace them.  There just wasn't enough thread left on the bolt to anchor them to the board.  (Or something like that...)

I was in Greenwich on Thursday, so I stopped in at Capsule Boardshop for a quick fix and in the process I got a mini "trucks" lesson.  For those of you who don't skate, the trucks are the hardware under the skateboard that hold the wheels.  They come in different sizes, which are determined either by the length of the axle OR by the length of the hanger (the shorter piece encasing the axle).  And some companies report size in inches and others in millimeters, so it's important to know what you are looking for when you shop for trucks.  For example, a 129 mm Indy truck is approximately equal to a 5" Venture.

Since Sk8terdude is skating on an 8.5" board right now, he needs trucks that bring the wheels close to the edge of the board.  For 8" and higher width boards, 139 mm trucks are the most popular size, so he is now sporting a new set of 139 mm Indies.  Fortunately, his wheels still have some life in them, so the damage to my wallet was less than I anticipated.

Despite an unexpected detour through the back country of Greenwich, I did make it home in time for Sk8terdude to break in the new trucks at S.P.I.R.I.T.. where they are gearing up for the big contest on June 25th (raindate 26th).  Details should be posted on their website any day now...

On Friday I was in a parent lounge of a different sort...watching Sk8terdude earn his purple belt in karate.  He worked hard this spring to qualify for the test.  We celebrated that evening and he's still grinning from ear to ear.

Saturday found us driving down to Rye, New York, where Sk8terdude had been invited to a birthday party at the Rye Skatepark.  It's a small park, perfect for the mostly-beginners party.  It was our first time at Rye and, if we lived in town, I suppose we would be there regularly, but it did give me a renewed appreciation for our "local" park in Ridgefield, which is larger and nicer, as far as I'm concerned.

The birthday boy, a family friend a few years younger than Sk8terdude, has taken lessons through 2nd Nature, and the 2nd Nature guys were supposed to give lessons at the party.  Unfortunately, due to a scheduling misunderstanding, the party started, the kids were ready to learn to skate (there were a bunch who had never been on a skateboard before), and there were no instructors in sight.

We corralled the parents of the newbies and Sk8terdude showed the boys how to push and glide on the flat surface.  We had them practice that for awhile, then moved them onto the ramp with the least slope (off the funbox), with Sk8terdude and the parents holding their hands as they tried rolling downhill.  Fortunately, the kids all had a great time.  Eventually 2nd Nature sent a friend of a friend over to help out - although he arrived at the same time as the pizza, so guess what won out?  He was terrific - and patient - and worked with some of the boys after they enjoyed a slice.

Some of the parents (and the birthday boy's grandparents) were a bit nervous about skateboarding as a sport.  Mostly they are concerned about injury.  Since our trip to Kona I can no longer say that Sk8terdude has never broken a bone skateboarding but, hey, it was only a pinky!

None of these parents think twice about buying their child a bicycle, but consider these statistics from Safe Kids USA: 


They also note:

For all ages, bicycle crashes follow only to riding animals as the leading cause of serious injury due to sports/recreational activity.

How many parents who don't want their children to skateboard think nothing of signing them up for horseback riding lessons?

Don't get me wrong - I'm NOT saying skateboarding carries no risk.  But if you make sure your child wears correct protective equipment, skates only in supervised skateparks, and learns proper techniques, you can reduce the risk of serious injury.

After our trip to Rye?  Sk8terdude was back to S.P.I.R.I.T. for more skating....

Board Slides and Big Strides

Sk8terdude is picking up new skills faster than I can pick up the new terminology!

Today he came home from the skatepark and announced that he had "homework."  He needs to practice his boardslides (a new addition to his repertoire) and he needs to practice "pushing switch."

For those of you who don't speak skateboard, a boardslide means he is olleying - jumping his board up onto a rail - and sliding along the rail on the bottom of the skateboard deck with the sets of wheels on either side.  "Switch" means that he is skating with his opposite foot forward.  Usually he skates with his left foot forward and uses his right to push on the ground.  When he skates "switch" he is skating "goofy" with his right foot forward.  When he is "pushing switch" he has his right foot forward and he's using his left foot to push on the ground to gain momentum.

He also dropped in switch today on the two-foot quarterpipe.

Watching skateboarding on television recently (I think it was the Streetleague Seattle competition, but I'm not positive), I heard a commentator say that soon we won't be referring to switch tricks.  They predict that in the near future all pro skaters will be able to skate their tricks in both directions.

Or something like that.

As I mentioned, I'm having enough trouble keeping up with the big strides Sk8terdude is making as a skateboarder.  Also keeping up with advancements in the field might be more than I can handle...

A Chipped Tail and Pretty in Pink

For most of today we had good weather in Connecticut, which meant Sk8terdude was back at S.P.I.R.I.T. despite his still-broken finger.  About 90 minutes into his session, he called home to say that he "landed hard and chipped the tail" and needed me to drive back with a replacement deck.

Um...it's only been three weeks since we purchased the last deck...and that one replaced another one that was only a month old.  Can you hear the giant sucking sound in my piggy bank?

So although I'm glad I bought two decks at once from Enclave Skate Shop (since it meant I didn't have to go shopping for a new deck today), I'm beginning to think it would be easier and cheaper to start chopping down all the maple trees in the backyard to make our own.  (LOL - I'm sure Sk8terdude would just LOVE that idea!!)

I am seriously considering buying him blank decks in bulk and using those instead, an idea that one of the skatepark monitors tossed out while (very kindly - thanks, George!) attaching Sk8terdude's trucks and wheels to the replacement deck.

What do you think?  Have any of you tried this?  Any suggestions for reliable sources?  There are a bunch of online resources, but how do I know if the quality will be any good?  (On the other hand, at approximately $10 per blank deck, it might be worth the risk even if they aren't so great...)

By this point in the afternoon, the clouds were rolling in and the skies were threatening a major thunderstorm (oh yeah, The Weather Channel was predicting one, too), so I decided to hang out at the park in case the rain began and Sk8terdude needed to beat a speedy retreat in order to keep his cast dry.

We used to use the Pro-Cel Waterproof Cast Liner material made by Gore Industries (of Gore-Tex fame), which made having a cast significantly easier for all of us.  Sk8terdude went to Florida twice with waterproof casts:  once to Disneyworld, where it made water rides and the hotel pool possible, and once to visit his Florida grandparents, where he was even able to go snorkeling in the ocean.  Unfortunately, Gore has discontinued the product line (maybe we were their best customers?  we were certainly their biggest fans!!), so this cast means rain is a problem.

While I was hanging out in my "personal parent lounge" (yeah, the car), another mom arrived with her two kids.  Although they live in NYC they have a weekend/summer home up here, so we know them from the town beach as well as the skatepark.  The daughter, V, was sporting this skateboard:

I was really delighted to see the hot pink grip tape!  I'm not personally into pink, but clearly she is, and she couldn't have been more excited to have something different on her skateboard.  Unlike the barriers to entry I talked about with the women at Kona Skate Park, this was clearly an effort on the part of some savvy marketing executive to encourage more girls to skate.

Or so I thought.

Turns out that as soon as the boys in the store saw V getting pink tape on her board, they all started clamoring for the same color!  And a quick google search showed me that more than one company makes pink grip tape, so clearly it's in demand by more than just the handful of girls who skate.

I wonder if Sk8terdude will jump on the bandwagon and demand a hot pink cast next time he needs one?