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Welcome to the second entry of my journey back into skateboarding. Along with updates about my progress, I’ll share skating stories and anecdotes from the past.

This week, I’ve been thinking about my daily routine of skating after school. I’d meet up with friends in the back parking lot of a local “teen center,” a somewhat shady spot that the skaters made our own. We filled it with homemade ramps, a fun box, rails, and slants. Though a far cry from a true park, it was a helluva lot better than anything we had before. The most notorious aspect was a sizeable gap over gravel and bushes. To get enough speed to clear it, you’d have to bomb a hill from across the street. I’m not ashamed to admit that I never cleared it. I saw too many skaters plucking rocks from their road rash after failed attempts.

Every day, multiple “generations” of skaters hung out at our spot. My brother and his crew were the ones that took skateboarding in our town to the next level. They built the ramps, carted them around town, and were dialed in to the larger pulse of skateboarding culture. My friends and I started off as the younger grommets living in their shadows until we were old enough to pass on the label. At any given time, you could find skaters ranging from preteens to 20+ all hanging out. No matter your level of skill, if you loved to skate and were trying your best, you were welcomed.

Skating for hours at a time, I’d need to refuel. But with only a few bucks, my options were limited. I’d go to the local Chinese restaurant to pick up a small white rice and strawberry kiwi Snapple. Exhausted and hungry, I sprinkled on some soy sauce and scarfed it down like a gourmet dish.

I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia or what, but there was something so pure about those afternoons. A sense of belonging and growth. Maybe I learned a new trick, or maybe it was a terrible session, but either way it was time well spent. 

Week Two – The Ollie

My wife and I went to the Rail Trail three times this week. The nollie shuvits I began to dabble with have come along nicely, but the cardio of skateboarding is kicking my ass. Except for walking my dogs, I haven’t done much physical activity lately. Muscles that have been dormant for too long are waking up and begging for mercy. My front leg quad is getting stronger, increasing my balance and maneuverability, but it still feels like dead weight after a half hour. I can definitely feel the workout in my core, too. The physical demands of skateboarding are no joke!

With my comfort level increasing sessions by session, I started to work on my ollies. This trick is one of the foundations of street skating, and it needs to become second nature. Disclaimer—the wheels I’m riding are too large and heavy, my shoes have no grip, and I need to tighten my trucks. Upon commencing this journey, I set up my board for the most support. The better I become, the more I will fine-tune everything. 

How’d it go? I landed one!

Sketchy and stationary, but damn it felt good. That rush of landing a trick after umpteen tries…there’s nothing else like it. Just look at my goofy smile and Seth Rogen-esque chuckle. Landing one ollie, however, is only the first step. I need to work on jumping higher, leveling out my board beneath me, and landing them while in motion. Getting stronger (cue Rocky training music). 

There you have it: two weeks in, and the ollies are coming back to me. Pretty good, right? I’m not sure what’s next on the agenda and am open to suggestions. Perhaps a fakie bigspin shuvit? I’ll check back in soon. Thanks for reading!