13 Apr Back on Board

I wouldn’t say that skateboarding is an important part of my life anymore, but there was a time when it meant everything. At 14 or 15, my entire world was centered around two trucks, four wheels and seven layers of maple. The tricks, the culture, the music and the people; it was my identity, and I loved everything about it. Every weekend, my friends and I would be on boards for as long as daylight would permit. When it rained, we’d spend hours on my front porch, taking apart and meticulously cleaning and fussing over every part of our set ups. Skateboarding was life.

In as much as I was aware of California’s significance to skateboarding, I didn’t really think about it in the lead up to coming over. It was only after spending a little while here and seeing so many people coasting about on boards of all shapes and sizes, that I was reminded. And now that I have been reminded, I’ve realised that having a skate where it all began is a pretty cool thing, and I’d like to make it happen. Though I’m not interested in attempting tricks anymore, as I’d rather preserve my ankles and shins, coasting about a smooth surface on a late afternoon is serene and meditative. What better a time to rekindle a positive habit?

Of course, San Francisco is particularly interesting on the skateboarding front. While I was set on my side of the rivalry back then, and may often have attested that long boards were the work of the devil, my now more mature opinion and relaxed attitude towards the sport has opened me up to them. In fact, I think I’ve paid more attention to them than any other type of skateboard recently. This is because, in a perfect blending of the culture the outside world knows California for, and the technology and ambition-oriented mindset that characterizes today’s SF, some genius has gone and come up with motorized boards, and from what I can tell, you control their speed with an app on your phone! They’re everywhere. Back in my teens, there was only one way to skate. The idea of such a contraption would have been revolting, and I doubt I’d have been caught dead on one. But damn, do they look like a smooth ride.