Skateboards As Troublemakers

I was only 11 years old when I had joined my very first skateboarding competition. I was beyond nervous. I had practiced for a month before the actual contest. I had practiced and perfected a whole routine of tricks in a row that I would have planned to do. When the competition had finally come, I was a mess. I heard the judge call me down to start my run. “Martin Aviles” the judge had called. I was the first runner up. I focused all my energy on my run. I was completely zoned out. I wasn’t thinking of anything else besides skateboarding. I dropped in. Every nerve inside of me was tingling. As I prepared for my first trick, I completely failed it. My whole run that I had been preparing for a month was just ruined. I completely forgot all about my run. I had just decided to wing it. I had 30 seconds left after my fall. I picked up my board and decided to go for a trick that I had only landed once in my life to make up for my fall. This trick could change everything. I decided to take the risk that would either get me to win first place, or end up 3rd. I didn’t want to just play it safe and get 3rd place. This was the trick that mattered the most out of all. The crowd cheered me on. I picked up my board, and just skated as fast as I could. I rolled up to the obstacle. My mind was completely blank. One mississippi, I get into the correct stance in preparation for the trick. Two mississippi, I ollie up into the air and rotate my body. Three mississippi, I locked my board perfectly onto the obstacle and get ready for impact on the landing. A split second later, I had realized that I just landed the trick that would get me into the top spot.

Skateboarding teaches resilience. When a skater falls down after trying a trick, he will get back up and try again and again until he succeeds. To learn a skateboard trick, you will fall a countless amount of times, but still get up and try again. Skateboarding teaches you how to take risks. “It’s better to go out like a man than to play it safe and get second” -Professional skateboarder, Sean Malto. Skateboarding pushes your limits, and forces you to challenge yourself and conquer your fears. Skateboarding boosts your creativity and changes the way you see things. It is a way of expressing yourself and letting go of all the stress inside of you. “I consider skateboarding an art form” -Tony Hawk.

Skateboarding is not just a sport. It is not just a hobby. It is a way of expressing yourself and redefining the world around you. When you skateboard, you are constantly learning. You are constantly pushing yourself, and there is no limit. Skateboarding changes the way you see the world. It opens up a new perspective which brings millions of new ideas. “I believe skateboarding brings a lot of adventure, new ideas and changes the way you see the world.” -Alex Midler. Skateboarders are being discriminated by the society because they are “troublemakers”. What people really don’t know is how many benefits you can get out of it, and how much more there is to it than a piece of wood on wheels.

There are thirteen million skaters in the United States alone. About 80% of them identify themselves as “street skaters”. The art of street skateboarding shows how government structure can be used to give skaters the opportunity to use everyday street landmarks as obstacles. Skateboarding is art. The skateboard is your paintbrush and the whole world is your canvas. “Skateboarding lets us employ the handiwork of the government structure in a thousand ways the original architects could never dream of” -Tony Alva.

Jim Bates was the boy who skated with dragons, one of the most iconic professional skateboarders of all time, went to hell and came back. Jim Bates has gone through very tragic moments in his life which caused depression. Jim Bates had “disappeared” for many years which caused people to wonder what has happened to the professional skateboarding legend. The most amazing and inspiring part about Jim Bates was that he was able to battle depression and the demons inside his head just by Skateboarding. Jim Bates is now active and Skateboarding regularly. He had recently written his own book called, “The Boy Who Skated With Dragons”.

The best part about skateboarding is that no one is the best. Each skater gets to use their skateboard in a way that they choose to. They use it in a way to express themselves and show how each of them is different in their own way. Skateboarding has no fixed definition. It is different for everyone.

Stop what you are doing and go outside. Pick up a skateboard and do whatever you want. The world is your playground. Learn to ride down hills or even visit a skatepark. You will definitely fall along the way, but you always have to get back up and learn from your mistakes. Learn some tricks and just let your creativity flow and express yourself. There are so many possibilities and so much to learn.

Written by Martin