Results for cruising

Wow, it’s really cooled off in the deserts of AZ.  Finally getting out to ride again.  Took a little trip to Oregon finally.  The Lincoln City skate park is amazing.  And saw plenty of skaters just riding around Portland.  They build what they call “rain boards,”  just big soft wheels on smaller decks, for cruising the city even when it’s wet out.  Hopefully pictures and new adventures soon.

…but still excited to do it when I get a chance to skate. On MLK day, a few of us acted on Obama’s call to service. Hubby and I skateboarded around the U.S. Capitol with a couple of friends and picked up trash at
a do-it-yourself skatepark underneath a bridge in D.C. Patti made the video of our adventure (and learning a version of bert slides). I couldn’t figure out how to embed the video so check it out here.

I was cruising along and picking up speed on the concrete/asphalt square that I usually skate. I’m trying to get comfortable on my board while speeding. I am a slow-speed skater.

Before I know it, I hear this rough, loud noise. The skateboard comes to an abrupt stop. Then, in slow motion, I find myself flying in the air. “Ohhhh crap!” I yell. Ah, yes, it happens. I hit the ground with the right side of my body. I am in pain.

I lie on the ground. I feel a throb of pain on my right thigh. No bones are broken, but I can feel a huge bruise forming on my thigh. I get up, brush off the dirt, and gently rub my thigh. I walk over to my skateboard and look down. I notice a white trail on the concrete. Yup, I found the culprit. A freaking pebble took me down.

I remember having the thought, “Gee - I should post on the OMA forum and ask if there is anyone in my area who’d like to skate with me.” Several days later after posting my “Random Thoughts” post, Marye provided a wealth of wonderful suggestions, which included posting on OMA to find someone to skate with. So, with Marye’s prompt, I posted on OMA. Sure enough, someone responded. (yay!) Patti, a Skateboard Mom, invited me to skate with her and Karen, another Skateboard Mom, on Sunday.

My Sunday adventure with Patti and Karen was absolutely a fun and wonderful learning experience. It was my first outing with fellow skaters so I was quite nervous about it. I had all these thoughts doubting my skating level and abilities. The fear of the uncertain and unknown crept up inside of me. I think we all struggle with these things at different points in our lives; it’s just funny how they sometimes grab a hold of you.

I didn’t have the right gear to skate the streets and sidewalks of Capitol Hill. Lucky for me, the Skateboard Moms were prepared; they both brought an extra longboard. I never skated a longboard so I was surprised how smooth the ride was over the brick and cracked sidewalks. I didn’t think I’d be a fan of the longboards but, after riding one, I am now officially a fan!

After meeting Patti and Karen, most of my doubts and fears dissipated. I was still uncertain about a few things but, in all, it didn’t matter because of the awesome company I was in. Patti and Karen gave me lots of pointers and suggestions about my skating. (It’s great having others observe your skating and provide you with feedback — don’t you agree?) They motivated and encouraged me, answered my skating questions, and taught me a few things.

We skated the streets and sidewalks of D.C. and ended up at a small DIY skatepark under a bridge. Patti encouraged me to ride up the ramp and ride fakie. She told me to stay perpendicular to the board as I rode up/down the ramp. With little steps, I started to ride up the ramp and hold my balance as I rode back down. It was such a weird and incredible experience balancing yourself while you’re moving backwards. I rode fakie!

As I rode the Metro home that Sunday afternoon, I felt excited and motivated to implement the things that the Skateboard Moms suggested. I made a mental note of the things I’d like to work on. Looking back, I’m glad I went skating with Patti and Karen because it was a great experience. Y’know, if there’s one key thing I’ve learned through this process of learning to skateboard, it is that a skating support community (whether online or face-to-face) is a must! No doubt.

For the past few days, I’ve been wondering about whether I should start skating at a skatepark. These thoughts started after I went cruisin’ on my neighborhood streets and almost crashed hard on the asphalt. I foolishly thought I could ride a small hill. That I could take down that small hill. That I was moving along with my skating progress to ride a small hill. Hmm…I guess not.

Maybe it’s fear. Or, maybe I’m ashamed. Maybe it’s both. Not sure. But, I do know that cruisin’ in my neighborhood is a bit scary for my skating level. There are too many hills and several speeding cars that make my cruisin’ feel like a dangerous adventure. I would love to skate sidewalks but this old neighborhood (houses circa 1930’s-1940’s) doesn’t have many. The green lush of grass lawns extend from the house to the street. Damn suburbia!

So, why not keep my skating to the little playground at the park? For the most part, it works for learning tricks but it’s not big enough for cruisin’. I want to cruise. I want a challenge. I want a challenging cruise that won’t have me eat asphalt! Oh yeah, I am also getting tired of watching 30-year-old-something parents with their little kids watching me, a 30-year-old-something female, learn to skate on ‘their’ playground.

If I go to a skatepark close to my house, at what time should I go? I hear mornings are good because the kids aren’t there, yet. Oh crap, I need to buy a helmet, though. The skatepark requires them, and I still don’t have one. What if I’m the only chica? Okay, I can deal with that. What I think that I can’t deal with is this: is there a certain skill level to ride in a skatepark? Am I at that “level” to even ride at the skatepark? Is there even such a thing? Oh the questions that I ponder! Any advice, chicas?

I’m one of the new users to Carve Starved. I’m a newbie skater at the awesome age of 31 years old. I’m excited to share my newbie skateboarding experiences with y’all. I hope to ride like the ladies that are posting on Carve Starved. I also hope to do some mean street skating with women in my neck of the woods — D.C. metro area.

The last time I was on a skateboard, I was about 10 years old. My experience back then only consisted of riding and kickturns. So, I feel like I’m basically starting from scratch this time around. This past week was my official start of my skateboarding experience. I found a local park that has this huge slab of concrete. It’s a large square that has hop-scotch and other kid games painted on the concrete but it’s pretty faded. I don’t think kids play on that thing anymore, which is good news for me because that patch of concrete is now my “skateground.”

Monday was tough on my body. My balance was off so I slammed on the concrete pretty hard for a total of three times (ouch!). I got up each time to continue skating so that I would shake off the fear and keep making progress. After 1.5 hours, I got the hang of it. I started to get a feel for my board, my skate shoes, and myself. The fear was still there but now I felt more confident. When I went home that day, I noticed that I was itching to get back on my board despite the scrapes, bruises, and sore muscles.

So, I went back on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday and things went much better. I didn’t fall down, and I am now able to carve, stop, and do a few kickturns (I’m still working on the kickturns, though). I am making some mean progress! It is such a satisfying, exciting, and fearful experience — all at the same time! As I cruized along and went in the direction I wanted to go at speeds that were a bit fast for my level, I started thinking, “hmm….so, THIS is what skating is all about, huh? (pause) I…really…like…it.” A huge smile was on my face, and I realized something amazing at that point. I officially caught the skateboarding bug. Crazy!

I am curious about the skateboarding adventures I’ll experience, plus the skaters I’ll met. I’m pretty enthused about it all. But before all that, let me formally introduce myself to Carve Starvers.

Hi, my name is Becky. I’m addicted to skateboarding (and it’s ALL good!).