Skateboarding has come a long way since I first had a go at it way back 30 or so years ago. Yes that makes me a real old fellow in his forties now. Does that make me officially a fossil?
I remember back when we visited a friend's place and he pulled out this amazing skateboard. It wasn't amazing because it had super graphics on it; in fact I think it was just a plain brownie colored board from memory. However it was amazing just because he had one. Unlike today when it seems as though every young whipper snapper has his or her own board.
Anyhow, our friend gave us a quick demo of how it worked on a bit of concrete driveway in his yard. After about 10 minutes or so we quickly discovered we were experts at the craft of skateboarding and wanted somewhere more challenging to ride.
So up the road we went to the next corner and there it was - skateboard paradise. Or as the adults saw it, a big hill with a concrete footpath. At the bottom of the hill there was even a huge sand pile we reasoned that if in the rare event we crashed we would have the perfect landing place.
Excited beyond words off up the hill we went arguing who was going to go first as all well mannered children do and of course the owner of the skateboard won out which seemed only fair but I got second pick.
Off went our friend down the hill handling that skateboard like a true professional. This skateboarding looked so easy I couldn't wait for my turn that came soon enough.
With the skateboard in hand I quickly put it down on the concrete path and away I went. Not content to pick up natural speed from the hill I really pushed hard to build up extra momentum. With my friends cheering from behind me and the thrill of the wind rushing through my hair and the sound of roller bearings on concrete life couldn't get much better until...
The skateboard hit a piece of the footpath that was sticking up further then it should. With the skateboard wedged to the footpath at high downhill speed my feet obviously departed from the board and I was propelled at a hundred miles an hour - No wait, it must have been a thousand miles an hour through the air.
I must have looked like superman. Hey who needs a skateboard I'm flying gracefully through the air without one until... Splat!
Gravity took over and I crashed landed right into that sand pile. I knew it was there for the safety of us skateboarders. Of course it was really there for the workman to fix that rotten footpath.
Anyhow, apart from a mouth full of sand I escaped unharmed and I still maintain that it was the best trick to be ever performed on a skateboard.
Of course we didn't have knee guards or helmets back then, perhaps that's why we speak a little slower now?
However I reckon if that skateboard had some graphics painted on it I would have been able to ride it a lot better. There is no doubt the lack of quality artwork affected it's performance.
So before kick flips, 180's, 360's, heel edges, nollies, nosegrinds, railstands (ouch I am really glad I didn't try that one) or 50-50 grinds I was finding air man. Yeah dude, before skateboard ramps were even invented I found plenty of air and of course sand too.
Ah, you mightn't believe it now but us oldies were cool once as well. Maybe my skateboarding trick should be given an official name? Maybe something like the - sandpit? Yeah, that sounds good and of course that would make this old fossil the Sandman.
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