As our amazing summer ends, so do a lot of sports, and around our house, that means less time at the skatepark.
When I tell people my son skateboards, I get mixed reactions. Mostly, people wonder if I actually let him go to the skatepark. At first, I had the same reaction, so we went early, before all the teenagers showed up, to practice on the hills and ramps.
Of course, I didn't want to cramp his style, so I told him I'd stay out of his way and just watch. I'm sure I've avoided many bruises and fractures with that decision.
As he practiced, his confidence grew, so we started showing up a bit later. More teenagers were there, and I was apprehensive about colourful language and bad influences. Sure, there is a little profanity, but no more than you'd hear at a hockey game or anywhere else young men practice their second language.
What struck me was the amazing talent these kids have, and as I watched them skate around the park, I realized how much a child could learn about life by skateboarding.
Skateboarding is tough. It requires incredible balance, courage, dexterity and patience. As an individual sport, there is no one to blame if a trick fails, the cement is hard and except for a helmet (I insist on that), there isn't any padding to break the fall. Scars, scabs and scrapes are the norm.
There is more failure in skateboarding than success, but if you aren't failing, you aren't trying. These kids will try a trick over and over until they get it. They may get a little discouraged, but there's no one to do it for them, no coach to tell them what to do, only an understanding of what they want their body to do and a desire to get back up, wipe off the dirt and try it again. And again. And again. To say they are tenacious is an understatement.
I never really thought of skateboarding as exercise. After all, they are standing on a piece of plywood going up and down hills. But looking around the park, there is hardly a kid carrying an extra pound. They are pumping their legs, jumping, running, crouching, flying, landing and tensing every muscle in their bodies constantly.
All this practice culminates in competitions. Each competition is an individual performance, and this time, there are winners and losers. Sometimes it all comes together, and a top three performance results in a few prizes from sponsors. Sometimes a good performance is overlooked, and they have to face defeat. Each defeat drives a desire to learn, get better and try again, a valuable lesson we try to get kids to understand. These kids already get it.
What impresses me most about skateboarders is how much they support each other. The older kids mentor the younger ones, encouraging them to try something they never thought possible. I have to admit, I don't see that at every park, which I consider a testament to how our local kids have been brought up.
Sure, I was concerned when my son wanted to go to the skatepark, until I realized that tricks were only part of what he'd learn.
