"View from the Parent Lounge" is a reflection on life as the parent of a skateboarder, typed mostly while waiting for him to skate at various skateparks, indoor and outdoor, throughout the country.
Showing posts with label Elemental Awareness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elemental Awareness. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Element Make It Count 2011 Greenside Post Script
The video from the Make It Count contest has been posted here. Sk8terdude is not in it (we can't even find him in the background), but there's a glimpse of the window to the parent lounge in one shot and even if you can't see me behind the window, I know I was there!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Make It Count part 2 - Greenside Skate Park Post-Mortem
After seven straight hours in the skatepark, three more hours in the car, and one drive-thru Burger King meal later, we are home.
Sk8terdude was amazing. Okay, okay, I admit I'm not even remotely objective, but in my defense let me say that I'm NOT talking about his skateboarding, even though I'm going to take a minute or two to describe it.
He was surely one of the youngest kids in the competition today...or at least one of the shortest. The 14+ skaters outnumbered the 13 and under group (contrary to early predictions by Greenside staff) and within the 14+ group it looked like the 18+ skaters may have held the majority. In the too-blurry-to-paste-here-photo I took, he barely reaches the other skaters' shoulders. As I watched from the parent lounge, I could see that he was intimidated by the size, speed, and temerity of the other skaters. For a good twenty minutes he stood in the pack, waiting for an opening to take a practice run down the ramp toward the A-frame, while skater after skater stepped in front of him or raced toward him from the other side.
Eventually, either impatience or determination took over and he launched himself down the ramp, early-grabbed the transfer, kickturned on the wall, and olley/nose-grabbed the a-frame. (Don't worry if you have no idea what that means. He had to dictate that last sentence to me!)
He managed to get about three practice runs in and then it was time for the 13 and unders to skate. The only problem was that they were starting on the pyramid....which he hadn't had a chance to practice since earlier in the day. Bravely he stood at the top of the ramp (he says 7-feet...), then took his turns across the pyramid, kickturning and coming back to manual the pyramid. (Again, dictated. Let's just agree that from now on anything technical that I write about skateboarding was something someone else told me to write.)
He skated the zone 1 competition (the pyramid), then waited while the older group took their turns. Eventually the winners of zone 1 were announced and, to no one's surprise except maybe his own, Sk8terdude did not win his age group. More everyone-for-themselves practice time ensued. Sk8terdude was able to get in some runs on the pyramid, then of course it was time for the zone 2 competition on the A-frame. He skated better in this round, but again did not walk away with the prize.
Let me be clear. I'm not complaining that he didn't win, or suggesting he should have. The winners definitely outskated him. But Sk8terdude is not generally a good loser. And by this point he had been at the skatepark for almost seven hours. And he hadn't really eaten lunch (Chipotle Grill, a sponsor of the Make It Count tour, provided burritos to the skaters, but he only had a few bites of his). So he was hungry and tired and it had been a VERY long day....but he didn't complain. Not once. Not a tear. Not a whimper. Not even an argument when I said he could not stay for the third and final competition (the stair set - which was bigger than any stair set he'd ever skated and which, I knew, would be a recipe for disaster, not to mention injury, if he tried to compete at that point in the day).
So although he didn't end the day with a trophy (or, more precisely, a new skate deck, skate bag, Skull Candy headphones, new wheels, etc.), he did come home with a sense of accomplishment for having skated with the "big boys" and for having survived the day.
And I couldn't be more proud.
(p.s. Congrats to the under-13s who DID win today...whose parents were my fellow lounge-lizards!)
Sk8terdude was amazing. Okay, okay, I admit I'm not even remotely objective, but in my defense let me say that I'm NOT talking about his skateboarding, even though I'm going to take a minute or two to describe it.
He was surely one of the youngest kids in the competition today...or at least one of the shortest. The 14+ skaters outnumbered the 13 and under group (contrary to early predictions by Greenside staff) and within the 14+ group it looked like the 18+ skaters may have held the majority. In the too-blurry-to-paste-here-photo I took, he barely reaches the other skaters' shoulders. As I watched from the parent lounge, I could see that he was intimidated by the size, speed, and temerity of the other skaters. For a good twenty minutes he stood in the pack, waiting for an opening to take a practice run down the ramp toward the A-frame, while skater after skater stepped in front of him or raced toward him from the other side.
Eventually, either impatience or determination took over and he launched himself down the ramp, early-grabbed the transfer, kickturned on the wall, and olley/nose-grabbed the a-frame. (Don't worry if you have no idea what that means. He had to dictate that last sentence to me!)
He managed to get about three practice runs in and then it was time for the 13 and unders to skate. The only problem was that they were starting on the pyramid....which he hadn't had a chance to practice since earlier in the day. Bravely he stood at the top of the ramp (he says 7-feet...), then took his turns across the pyramid, kickturning and coming back to manual the pyramid. (Again, dictated. Let's just agree that from now on anything technical that I write about skateboarding was something someone else told me to write.)
He skated the zone 1 competition (the pyramid), then waited while the older group took their turns. Eventually the winners of zone 1 were announced and, to no one's surprise except maybe his own, Sk8terdude did not win his age group. More everyone-for-themselves practice time ensued. Sk8terdude was able to get in some runs on the pyramid, then of course it was time for the zone 2 competition on the A-frame. He skated better in this round, but again did not walk away with the prize.
Let me be clear. I'm not complaining that he didn't win, or suggesting he should have. The winners definitely outskated him. But Sk8terdude is not generally a good loser. And by this point he had been at the skatepark for almost seven hours. And he hadn't really eaten lunch (Chipotle Grill, a sponsor of the Make It Count tour, provided burritos to the skaters, but he only had a few bites of his). So he was hungry and tired and it had been a VERY long day....but he didn't complain. Not once. Not a tear. Not a whimper. Not even an argument when I said he could not stay for the third and final competition (the stair set - which was bigger than any stair set he'd ever skated and which, I knew, would be a recipe for disaster, not to mention injury, if he tried to compete at that point in the day).
So although he didn't end the day with a trophy (or, more precisely, a new skate deck, skate bag, Skull Candy headphones, new wheels, etc.), he did come home with a sense of accomplishment for having skated with the "big boys" and for having survived the day.
And I couldn't be more proud.
(p.s. Congrats to the under-13s who DID win today...whose parents were my fellow lounge-lizards!)
Make It Count Competition at Greenside Skatepark
It's been a long, frustrating, no-internet-access morning...but finally we're back in business!
Sk8terdude was the first person at Greenside this morning, and for about 20 minutes he was the only person in the park. Slowly but surely the other skaters started to arrive along with a small but dedicated group of parents.
Some, like me, traveled across state lines: three from Vermont, one from Maine, a handful from Connecticut. The general consensus is that we may get less press than the soccer moms, but we're no less dedicated! (And, by the way, there are an awful lot of dads in the room.) We're a grumbling group. And although no one is listening, I'm posting our official list of demands in the hopes that future skate competition organizers might take note.
Skateparks and skate competitions seem to be run primarily by a bunch of young guys who don't have kids. That's great. But maybe they could take a few pointers from us parents in terms of organization and communication.
Early promotions for this event said admission to the competition was a can of food (presumably for a local foodbank). But on arrival yesterday, we were told that they would take the food as a courtesy but there would be a fee to enter the event. That's fine for us. But what about the kid who gets dropped off in the parking lot and isn't prepared to pay?
The Element pros headlined to appear changed at least three times that I know of. Again, maybe not a big deal for most people, but what if you traveled here specifically to meet your skating "idol," only to find he is a no-show?
Let's talk registration, too... The pre-event advertising talked about pre-registration on Friday night, with giveaways, at the local Chipotle Grill. Only it turns out the "local" Chipotle is an hour away from here...so they didn't run the pre-registration last night. And this morning, instead of registering skaters as they arrived, the organizers decided to wait until noon to open registration. I'm not sure why it is preferable to have a big line of people trying to register all at the same time instead of getting as many pre-registered beforehand as possible, but so it goes.
That said, the park has filled up nicely. The older skaters look like a solid bunch and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do. And Sk8terdude is really excited, a little nervous, and completely out of his league, even if he doesn't know it!
Sk8terdude was the first person at Greenside this morning, and for about 20 minutes he was the only person in the park. Slowly but surely the other skaters started to arrive along with a small but dedicated group of parents.
Some, like me, traveled across state lines: three from Vermont, one from Maine, a handful from Connecticut. The general consensus is that we may get less press than the soccer moms, but we're no less dedicated! (And, by the way, there are an awful lot of dads in the room.) We're a grumbling group. And although no one is listening, I'm posting our official list of demands in the hopes that future skate competition organizers might take note.
Skateparks and skate competitions seem to be run primarily by a bunch of young guys who don't have kids. That's great. But maybe they could take a few pointers from us parents in terms of organization and communication.
Early promotions for this event said admission to the competition was a can of food (presumably for a local foodbank). But on arrival yesterday, we were told that they would take the food as a courtesy but there would be a fee to enter the event. That's fine for us. But what about the kid who gets dropped off in the parking lot and isn't prepared to pay?
The Element pros headlined to appear changed at least three times that I know of. Again, maybe not a big deal for most people, but what if you traveled here specifically to meet your skating "idol," only to find he is a no-show?
Let's talk registration, too... The pre-event advertising talked about pre-registration on Friday night, with giveaways, at the local Chipotle Grill. Only it turns out the "local" Chipotle is an hour away from here...so they didn't run the pre-registration last night. And this morning, instead of registering skaters as they arrived, the organizers decided to wait until noon to open registration. I'm not sure why it is preferable to have a big line of people trying to register all at the same time instead of getting as many pre-registered beforehand as possible, but so it goes.
That said, the park has filled up nicely. The older skaters look like a solid bunch and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do. And Sk8terdude is really excited, a little nervous, and completely out of his league, even if he doesn't know it!
Greenside: Frusration
The wifi connection keeps failing. I've given up the ghost and put away the laptop. Can't keep you all updated via iPhone (too hard on the thumbs) so you'll have to wait for the recap later tonight.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Greenside Parent Lounge - part 3
Guilty confession: remember the work I said I was going to do? It turns out, not so much.
Skating in the park are Element pros Donnie Barley, Chad Tim Tim, and Mark Appleyard. Skating with them? Sk8terdude! Oh, and all the other kids from this morning's skate clinic, too!!
I have to admit that I'm really enjoying watching the pros skate the park in addition to enjoying the fact that Sk8terdude is in seventh heaven. He just ran up here to the parent lounge to hand me a tech deck and stickers he won in the mini "clinic competition" the kids just had in the bowl.
Doesn't he know it's lunchtime? I don't think I'll ever get him out of here!
Greenside Parent Lounge - part 2
This is what the park looked like this morning when we first arrived.
Greenside Parent Lounge - part 1
And we've arrived at Greenside Skatepark...after a quick detour to Mystic Aquarium yesterday. Our hotel is located next door to the park, and whether it's by coincidence or by design, we can actually see Greenside from our room.
The good news about Greenside (for me) is that this might be the nicest parent lounge I've ever seen, although this picture doesn't quite do it justice. My only complaint is that there are no electrical outlets running along the bank of windows, so I'm tethered to the wall at one end of the room and the only other parent here is stuck at the other end. If there were more of us, we'd be fighting for space to plug in our laptops!
The good news about Greenside (for me) is that this might be the nicest parent lounge I've ever seen, although this picture doesn't quite do it justice. My only complaint is that there are no electrical outlets running along the bank of windows, so I'm tethered to the wall at one end of the room and the only other parent here is stuck at the other end. If there were more of us, we'd be fighting for space to plug in our laptops!
The long bank of floor-to-ceiling windows, left, overlooks the skatepark, which is visible almost in its entirety. Sk8terdude is in a two-hour skate clinic, along with a handful of other boys and one girl. The advance team from Element is here setting up for the Make It Count competition tomorrow.
I'm going to try to get some work done but will check in later...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
I Don't Go Anywhere without Duct Tape!
Last night was a rough evening, but Sk8terdude and OlderBrother are coping with our loss. They both went to school today, shared their news with some friends and teachers, and returned home asking if our other cat seemed sad. Both boys continue to say that it all seems so unreal and hard to believe because it was so sudden. Many thanks to those of you who reached out to us with words of comfort.
In the meantime, we are looking forward...
Sk8terdude is busy packing for our first-ever-mother-son-skateboard-themed-road-trip! We plan to spend the next two days at Greenside Skatepark, where Sk8terdude will participate in a skate clinic on Friday and the Elemental Awareness Make It Count skate competition on Saturday. His packing involves skate gear, multiple pairs of skate shoes, and the requisite Shaun White tee shirts. Mine involves more mundane items such as toothpaste, socks, and duct tape.
Now you might well wonder why I would pack duct tape for a trip to Rhode Island, and the only answer I can give in response is that I never leave home without it. The evidence speaks for itself. Below is a photo taken about 15 minutes after we arrived at the Greenwich Skatepark one day last fall. Sk8terdude was olleying a gap into a half-pipe. He landed it the first time. The second, not so much. He reports, "My trucks hit down so hard that they popped out of the sockets." He fell. He slid. His pants pocket caught on a nailhead sticking up at the edge of the halfpipe. This was the result:
Might be cute on a teenage rock star, but not so cute or convenient for a day at the skatepark! We didn't have a change of clothes in the car (note to self: next time, pack a change of clothes in the car) but we did have the aforementioned duct tape and I wasn't about to give up without a fight.
So I channeled a little Martha Stewart, sent up a quick prayer to Tim Gunn, and did this:
In the meantime, we are looking forward...
Sk8terdude is busy packing for our first-ever-mother-son-skateboard-themed-road-trip! We plan to spend the next two days at Greenside Skatepark, where Sk8terdude will participate in a skate clinic on Friday and the Elemental Awareness Make It Count skate competition on Saturday. His packing involves skate gear, multiple pairs of skate shoes, and the requisite Shaun White tee shirts. Mine involves more mundane items such as toothpaste, socks, and duct tape.
Now you might well wonder why I would pack duct tape for a trip to Rhode Island, and the only answer I can give in response is that I never leave home without it. The evidence speaks for itself. Below is a photo taken about 15 minutes after we arrived at the Greenwich Skatepark one day last fall. Sk8terdude was olleying a gap into a half-pipe. He landed it the first time. The second, not so much. He reports, "My trucks hit down so hard that they popped out of the sockets." He fell. He slid. His pants pocket caught on a nailhead sticking up at the edge of the halfpipe. This was the result:
Might be cute on a teenage rock star, but not so cute or convenient for a day at the skatepark! We didn't have a change of clothes in the car (note to self: next time, pack a change of clothes in the car) but we did have the aforementioned duct tape and I wasn't about to give up without a fight.
So I channeled a little Martha Stewart, sent up a quick prayer to Tim Gunn, and did this:
Sk8terdude and I were delighted with the sartorial results. Unfortunately, my efforts to rescue his skateboarding day turned out to be for naught, since duct tape couldn't repair the broken trucks. After a quick trip up the road to Capsule Boardshop (where I took this second photo), Sk8terdude was the proud new owner of his current skateboard.
Will you be skating in Rhode Island this weekend? I'll be the mom wearing a roll of duct tape as a bracelet. Be sure to say hello!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
OT: When the Unexpected Happens
This morning I made an appointment for Sk8terdad to take a stuffy-nosed, coughing, sneezing Sk8terdude to the pediatrician in hopes we could cure what ails him before the Elemental Awareness tour arrives in Rhode Island this weekend. I also asked Sk8terdad to take our two cats to the veterinarian (my least-favorite task, since I am allergic to the cats, and they shed tons of fur when we try to get them into the cat carriers and into the car).
I left for work, confident in Sk8terdad's ability to take one mildly ill child and two healthy cats to their respective doctors' appointments.
By midday, I knew that Sk8terdude was not getting an antibiotic (doc thinks it's viral) or a prescription for oral steroids (even though he's wheezing, as usual, with the onset of a respiratory infection), and I knew that our older cat, who had been losing weight, most likely had a thyroid condition. The younger cat was still at home, since Sk8terdad had not been able to get her into the carrier by himself, but he had made a second appointment for later in the day so I could help him.
Getting the cat into the carrier was no easy feat. It took all three of us and about 40 minutes and ended only after two beds were completely dismantled because she was hiding under first one and then the other. She's always been a "scaredy-cat" - rarely seen by non-family members - and today was no exception. She yowled and scratched and clawed and did everything she could to evade capture.
Once she was safely secure in the carrier, I left to pick up OlderBrother at school. Sk8terdad and Sk8terdude drove around the corner and dropped her off at the vet, promising to return an hour later for her appointment.
My cell phone rang while OlderBrother and I were on the way home. With Sk8terdad on speakerphone (I forgot to grab my bluetooth on the way out the door), OlderBrother and I were both listening as Sk8terdad told us that the cat had a heart attack and died at the vet's.
We were stunned.
And heartbroken.
I could hear Sk8terdude crying in the background. OlderBrother started to sob in the backseat. I drove the rest of the way home and we talked as a family about what a wonderful cat she had been and how much we would miss her. We gave both boys the option of going back to the vet to see her and say good-bye. OlderBrother didn't want to see her, but Sk8terdude asked to go. Together we went to the vet's where he was able to spend some time petting her and saying farewell.
Rest in peace.
I left for work, confident in Sk8terdad's ability to take one mildly ill child and two healthy cats to their respective doctors' appointments.
By midday, I knew that Sk8terdude was not getting an antibiotic (doc thinks it's viral) or a prescription for oral steroids (even though he's wheezing, as usual, with the onset of a respiratory infection), and I knew that our older cat, who had been losing weight, most likely had a thyroid condition. The younger cat was still at home, since Sk8terdad had not been able to get her into the carrier by himself, but he had made a second appointment for later in the day so I could help him.
Getting the cat into the carrier was no easy feat. It took all three of us and about 40 minutes and ended only after two beds were completely dismantled because she was hiding under first one and then the other. She's always been a "scaredy-cat" - rarely seen by non-family members - and today was no exception. She yowled and scratched and clawed and did everything she could to evade capture.
Once she was safely secure in the carrier, I left to pick up OlderBrother at school. Sk8terdad and Sk8terdude drove around the corner and dropped her off at the vet, promising to return an hour later for her appointment.
My cell phone rang while OlderBrother and I were on the way home. With Sk8terdad on speakerphone (I forgot to grab my bluetooth on the way out the door), OlderBrother and I were both listening as Sk8terdad told us that the cat had a heart attack and died at the vet's.
We were stunned.
And heartbroken.
I could hear Sk8terdude crying in the background. OlderBrother started to sob in the backseat. I drove the rest of the way home and we talked as a family about what a wonderful cat she had been and how much we would miss her. We gave both boys the option of going back to the vet to see her and say good-bye. OlderBrother didn't want to see her, but Sk8terdude asked to go. Together we went to the vet's where he was able to spend some time petting her and saying farewell.
Rest in peace.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Odds and Ends...
I just broke the news to Sk8terdude that our school district has decided to cancel the February vacation due to all the snow days we've had this year. He was NOT happy (and that's an understatement). Sk8terdad and I discussed the options and decided that Sk8terdude needs the long-promised road trip to the indoor skatepark more than one additional day in school, so we're going to cut our road trip down to one park over a long weekend and let him miss one of the make-up days. Looks like Rhode Island is our destination...which means he'll be enjoying the morning skate clinic at Greenside Skatepark one day and competing in the Elemental Awareness Make It Count contest the next. He's looking forward to meeting pros Levi Brown (the skater, not the football player!) and Donny Barley. And now that I've looked more carefully at the website, I guess we're both looking forward to Mexican food for dinner the night before (since pre-registration apparently takes place at the nearest Chipotle Mexican Grill).
In happier news, the 2011 opening weekend of Graham Dickinson S.P.I.R.I.T. Skate Park in Ridgefield, CT is scheduled for March 12-13, with free skating planned for all. Of course, if the crazy weather continues, we may be watching snowboarding on the ramps instead of skating...only time will tell! Sk8terdude pointed out today that if the skate park was opening in four weeks then he was only a month away from getting a phone (I told you once he gets an idea in his head, he can't let it go). But he graciously conceded that perhaps the phone wouldn't actually arrive on opening day, since he couldn't be at the skate park AND shopping for the phone at the same time.
No...I haven't yet broken the news to OlderBrother...
Meanwhile, Sk8terdude is angling for a return trip to Drop In this weekend. I need a convincing argument to get Sk8terdad to agree that it's HIS turn to sit in the parent lounge. Any ideas?
In happier news, the 2011 opening weekend of Graham Dickinson S.P.I.R.I.T. Skate Park in Ridgefield, CT is scheduled for March 12-13, with free skating planned for all. Of course, if the crazy weather continues, we may be watching snowboarding on the ramps instead of skating...only time will tell! Sk8terdude pointed out today that if the skate park was opening in four weeks then he was only a month away from getting a phone (I told you once he gets an idea in his head, he can't let it go). But he graciously conceded that perhaps the phone wouldn't actually arrive on opening day, since he couldn't be at the skate park AND shopping for the phone at the same time.
No...I haven't yet broken the news to OlderBrother...
Meanwhile, Sk8terdude is angling for a return trip to Drop In this weekend. I need a convincing argument to get Sk8terdad to agree that it's HIS turn to sit in the parent lounge. Any ideas?
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