Skating

So since Monday I've managed to have one of the best weeks of my life, and I don't think that I could have done it without my plank and 4 wheels, although it has taken a beating!

Skating for me is a release. If I have something on my mind or bugging me, constantly gnawing away like an assignment or a falling out with someone, more often than not I find myself just going down the bottom of my road and practicing flatground. I'll admit this has turned me into the kind of guy that can do a fair amount of moves on flat and probably not is probably that good at much else, but the thing about skating is that whatever aspect of skating you choose to pursue you know that you're always going to have fun. There are some people that only skate bowls or some people that just constantly skate skateparks, they're having fun, I'm having fun, everyone's happy. Back to the release thing; when you're focusing on trying to land a move it's like nothing else in the world matters at that point in time other than trying to make your board flip this way and trying to land on it in a handstand (I'm kidding, but you get my drift). Nothing else matters, and the feeling of landing a trick after you've worked and sweated for it is immensely satisfying.

I believe self satisfaction is a very important part of life. It's important to feel good about yourself, and I believe incorporating this into your daily routine will make you feel alot happier and fresher. Recently I have started skating into Catford in the mornings to catch the bus; the bus stop is literally 3 roads away but it's such a nice skate into Catford, especially when the sun is out and you can just whizz past people on their daily grind. And when I get to Catford, I can feel good about myself in the fact that I've put a fair bit of effort to get to Catford (burned off that curry the night before) and I've had a good time excercising.

People get addicted to excercise, it's not uncommon. The whole principle of excercise or working out means that you tire yourself or hurt your muscles more than you can actually stand, and the body being the amazing organism that it is not only heals the muscles but actually makes them stronger in the hope that the next time you tire yourself out that much it will be better equipped to deal with the situation. After 'damaging' yourself through excercise, the body releases endorphins into the blood, which give a sort of 'ahhhh' effect; you feel tired but there is a slight ecstasy due to the endorphins which make you feel happy and relaxed, also the self satisfaction part of it comes into play and you can feel happy in the knowledge that basically you're not a fat lazy slob.

Once you understand this it is easy to see why some people get addicted to the gym, going there everyday in order to get the perfect figure. I am not against excercise but there is something about the Gym which kind of scares me, I'm quite a competitive person and I'd always think that there's some aspect of showing off in the gym: How much you're benching or how long you can hack the cycling machine - it just doesn't really appeal to me. If you're going to knacker yourself, why not enjoy yourself, which brings me back to skating.

The most rewarding thing about skating is progressing. The better you get at it, the more fun it is, and the more ideas you get in your head (if I can do that there then I could do it in this way, or over that - the cycle never ends). Although skateboarding has changed so much since the 70's when it began, there is always a new trick to try or something new to do, to the point where these days if you actually stop and watch some of the modern day professionals there is nothing more to do than just stare in awe, these guys are literally magicians with their skateboards (watch some Daewon Song or Mike Mo Capaldi on youtube and just stare in amazement as you struggle to even understand how they got their board to do these things).

However, one of the most rewarding things that I get out of skateboarding is not my own progression, but watching other people progress. I have recently started going to a new skatepark on Peckham Rye, they've put some new ramps in and it's banging in the sunshine. There are kids there half my age who are doing things that I wouldn't even think about trying in the next couple years or so, their enthusiasm scares me sometimes! There's this one black kid there who was trying to drop in the other day (as in, stand at the top of a curved ramp and go down it). I saw him fall flat on his face and his arse at least four times, but at the end of the day he was doing it every try. For me, that was really uplifting because no one in the skatepark was laughing at him each time he fell (like you would expect), but in fact everyone was encouraging the kid and giving him loads of support. Imagine if the first time he'd tried it a load of youths had been watching and completely ripped the piss out of him, he'd have been devastated and probably not tried it again for a while, if ever. There's something quintessentially British about cheering when someone fucks up, when a plate is smashed in a restaurant or when a footballer misses badly the reaction is usually 'WEEEEEY'. Are we congratulating someone fucking up?

Skateboarding is a powerful medium, it brings people together but it can also drive people crazy if it lets them. It's as addictive as cocaine, except it's actually good for you, and I think that if everyone was able to skate the world would generally be a friendlier place. The only thing that spells doom in the eyes of any skater is that dreaded english phenomenon called rain. So as long as this sunny weather continues, you may see me skating down the road, singing out load, dancing through cars, generally being unusually happy. You might think I'm nuts, but
it doesn't bother me, because I'll be having such a good time :)

More skating more emancipating.

James