Another Day, Another Dollar (or two, or three, or...)

You may remember that just under one month ago, Sk8terdude got a new skateboard.

Yesterday it looked like this:

For those of you who don't skate (or who can't make heads or tails of this photo), you're looking at what was the edge of the board near the tail. I was hoping the board would at least last through our trip to Kona Skatepark in Florida, but it isn't even going to make it onto the plane.

Instead, Sk8terdude will be rocking this new shop deck from our buddies at Enclave Skate Shop.



Yes, we took another drive to New Haven this morning to purchase TWO decks...one for Sk8terdude to skate on immediately (thanks, Ryan, for gripping the deck and transferring the trucks and wheels from the old board) and one for the next time he needs a new board. I figure it's more money I'm spending today, but with the way gas prices are going up and up and up, at least I won't have to drive back to New Haven to replace this board once it, too, suffers irreperable harm.

Since we were already at the shop, we also picked up a new Pro-Tec helmet. Sk8terdude pointed out the other day that he was still skating in the first helmet we ever bought him - almost five years ago - and not only was it getting a little small, it was also REALLY stinky!

On the way home we stopped at Jennings Beach so he could break in the new board (that's break IN...not break). We practically had the park to ourselves (surprisingly), so Sk8terdude spent about an hour there before I begged for a lunch break. As he was taking off his knee pads, the velcro strap finally gave up the ghost. He was already skating in an unmatched pair, since he'd worn out another strap on a different knee pad earlier in the week. So we stopped around the corner at Day One Skateshop in Fairfield to pick up a new set of elbow and knee pads. After all, these have to go in our luggage on Wednesday...and if you smelled the old set you'd know why a new set was a good investment.

After lunch? More skating, of course! Sk8terdude is currently in Ridgefield for another afternoon at S.P.I.R.I.T. He phoned home a few minutes ago to tell me they will be hosting a skate contest on May 25th. (Really??? On a school day? I'll bet he got that information wrong...)

So by 2 p.m. today I had paid for two decks, a new helmet, new knee and elbow pads, lunch at McDonald's, and more gallons of gas than I want to think about at over $4 per gallon! And before the day is over, I'm guessing I'll be on the hook for his entry fee into the contest at S.P.I.R.I.T.

How old do you need to be before you can (legally) get a job in Connecticut???

Sk8terdude better start looking for a way to finance this passion of his...

Sk8terdude's New Creature Board from Enclave Skate Shop in New Haven

I tried yesterday to post this photo of Sk8terdude's new deck but for some reason the photo wasn't showing up after I hit "publish post" even though it was visible in the blog editor.  Anyone out there know what I'm doing wrong all of a sudden???  (And I'm trying again today with the hope that the photo will be visible when I'm done....)

[Note to Sk8ter-Bubby:  yeah, it's a picture of a guy with a chain saw, but I'm fairly certain it's harmless...]

First and Foremost

I'm diving in to the blogosphere...or maybe I should say that I'm taking my first "drop in" into the world of blogging and I'm hoping to drop in from the parent lounge whenever I take my son, Sk8terdude, to different skateparks around the country.

A drop-in, for those of you who don't skate (or don't have kids who skate), starts with the skater perched over the edge of a quarter- or half-pipe.  The skater puts his/her weight on the back of the board, back wheels against the downward slope, the front of the board suspended in mid-air.  Slamming the front foot down onto the board (and, hence, the board onto the slope), the skater drops onto the pipe and skates.

Here's a youtube video that shows exactly how to drop in on a skateboard (parents, don't try this at home!).  And, no, that's NOT Sk8terdude.  He's in the photo at the top of this blog.

It's an apt metaphor.  Sitting in front of the screen, I do feel like I'm suspended in mid-air.  If I succeed, plenty of skateboarding parents will find and read this blog.  And if no one finds it, reads it, and enjoys it, well, then I guess I'm the skater who failed miserably and landed on my rear.

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Today is February 6th and I'm writing from the parent lounge at Drop In Skatepark in Hillburn, New York.  If you've never heard of Hillburn before this, join the club.  It's located near (in?) Suffern - at the northern New Jersey border where it meets New York.  Like so many others, this skatepark is warehoused in an industrial park near a highway - not exactly a tourist destination - and it is colder and dingier inside than most.  This is our second trip to Drop In, more than an hour from our Connecticut home, but our former winter favorite, Vertigo Skatepark in Brookfield, Connecticut, closed its doors for good a few months ago.  Today our choices were limited:  drive here and skate for the afternoon, or wait until evening and skate in North Haven.  Since tomorrow's a school day for Sk8terdude, the trip to Hillburn won the toss based on time slot.  I didn't want him to begin skating at 4:30 p.m. and at Haven the BMX bikers rule the park on Sunday afternoons.

The parent lounge here is larger than most.  Painted an interesting shade of green, with bright blue trim, it holds a motley collection of discarded sofas, tables, and armchairs, a dirty carpet, and a television which seems to be set permanently on "1000 Ways to Die."  In other words, a decorating choice based primarily on what would appeal most to a group of teenage boys.  The promised free-wifi is not working properly.  Fortunately for me a skater-dad (not to be confused with Sk8terdad, the father of Sk8terdude, who managed to avoid this trip by volunteering to stay home with OlderBrother) graciously allowed me to join an ad hoc network he created by tethering his laptop to his iPhone.  (Okay, I don't really know what that means, except that thanks to him I have internet access!)

The highlight of my first trip to Drop In (and yes, this is tongue-in-cheek) had to be the bathroom.  Most skatepark bathrooms are, well, nasty.  Let's face it - a bunch of sweaty (mostly) boys racing in and out of the bathroom doesn't lend itself to sparkling clean.  Some skateparks have a second bathroom for women or for parents.  At Drop In, the guy at the front desk was nice enough to offer me the use of the employee bathroom....and then he apologized for the soft-porn decorations on the walls!  It was certainly eye-opening...not sure if I'll revisit the experience this time around.

One of the nicer (for real) features at Drop In  are the three large windows (6' x 3' or so) that look out over the park.  Except for one small corner in the back, most of the park floor is visible from the windows, so parents can keep an eye on younger skaters.  The park is set up like a street course - ramps, rails, stair sets, etc. - with no bowl.  During the skate session the park is a mix of skateboarders, inline skaters, and scooters.  Most of the skaters are teens or older.  Sk8terdude is one of the younger boys out there today.

BTW - Sk8terdude is skating on a Creature board with hollow Thunder trucks and Speed Demons wheels.  He's in DC shoes.  He thinks he looks pretty darn awesome!  (Of course, I agree.)

On the television, we've just reached "way to die #435" and I'm wondering if dying of boredom in a skatepark parent lounge is one of the 434 they haven't yet covered....

Guess that's my cue to end this post.

Next stop - either Skater's Edge in Taunton, MA or Greenside Skatepark in Middletown, RI.  I've promised Sk8terdude a road trip during February break, and the Elemental Awareness tour will be in RI that week, so we're debating the pros and cons of both trips...

[postscript:  After I logged off my laptop but before we left Drop In, I decided to use the bathroom.  After all, it's a long ride home!  I was pleasantly surprised to note that there is a new staff restroom and it does not include the previous wall-candy.  It may not have been clean, but at least it wasn't "dirty" - if you get my drift!  And for those of you who read the earlier paragraph and immediately decided that therefore Drop In would have to be on your to-do list, I guess you'll have to bring your own "reading material."  I hear the articles in Playboy are quite well-written...]