Returning to skateboarding after 23 years.

[Grindspine]

I had to take my car to the shop to replace suspension today. That shop happens to be on the other side of a long walking trail through my town, so I grabbed my board as my ride back. Since moving to this city, I have only been on my board maybe three times in the last three years. It is nice to wake up those muscles and not fall on my face though!

Today was a good day to skate!

I remembered that I had a photo from 2003 that my roommate had taken when I got my board. I had one other in the meantime where the deck had split, but the deck from the photo, along with the Independent trucks, Ninja ABEC3 bearings, and SpitFire wheels have managed to last 19 years with sporadic bouts of me out on the board.

I remember my dad saying on the phone, "You're 24, have no health insurance, and bought a skateboard?" Except for one scar on my left elbow, I have managed to not get too hurt over the years.

 

[bastardbullet]

Good for you man. Do it while you can.

I skated all through the 80s - grew up with Hawk, Caballero, Hosoi, Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding magazines, etc. It was my life during Jr High and High School, and for a few years after.

Kinda gave it up in my early 20s. Not because I wanted to, but I lived in rural Ohio and there was nowhere to skate and no one to skate with. Plus jobs, cars, guitars, drugs, all that got in the way. So it just kind of faded away.

Moved to Arizona at 34 but I was still just into partying and dumb shit. There are amazing skateparks everywhere. Wish I had picked it up again as soon as I moved here.

Got my shit together a few years later. Decided I had to skate these amazing parks. After 20 years off the board, it didn't come back easily. Did something to my knee one of the first times out that took a while to heal.

Turned 50 last September and it's sinking in that I don't have the ability any more. I'm in decent shape, can run a mile in less than 7 minutes, but the agility just isn't there. In the last 4 years I've broken my nose and separated my shoulder skating. It took a long time, but I'm just about to admit I can't do it any more.

One of my biggest regrets is giving it up in the 90s and not starting again when I should have.

I can't fight the knee fact. Even i'm 38, my right knee and my hip is just killing me everytime i try to ollie higher. I'll come back when i'm 50.

 

[Grindspine]

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Their first few albums were a big part of the soundtrack of my youth, along with DRI, Misfits, etc. Still listen to ST all the time. Fun riffs to play too.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

In 1986, there was nothing to skate in Northern Ohio (or most of the rest of the country). We had to build it.

This was my backyard. Every time I smell plywood it reminds me of this.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Summer of 1987. Wish I had more pictures from back then.

 

[mlp187]

Hell yeah, welcome back to skating. I’m in a similar boat, but need to lose another 35 pounds to safely ride.
My knees are fucked from being a fearless but moronic teenager when skating was my life.
Anyway, I was skating in my garage last weekend. Can still kick flip, and Nolly 360-flip. Maybe more, but after those two tricks I was hurting and out of breath.

 

[odibrom]

Yeah!.... Powell Peralta... that was my sk8boarding brand... like Ibanez is for my guitars...

 

[c7spheres]

- Heard interview on radio with Hawk promoting his new vid/biography thing since he broke his femer/leg. He's talking about how he's started retiring tricks so he can fade out without killing himself basically. If I heard right he busted it by just pushing to hard or something crazy like that.
- I can't even stand on a board anymore but was in contests and stuff in the 80's when I was a kid. I skated from 1982-90, skated everything from bowls, vert, street etc. I was 4 ft tall 8 year old that could get 4 ft airs doing stalefish's on 10ft vert ramps/. I saw Mullen and all them in person etc. It was great, but even 30+ years later I got the skater stance/twist and have pains and problems and stuff. I can't imagine what some of those guys are going through.
- Mullen is and always will be the greatest skater of all time, and he's in a lot of pain.
- I believe I've seen Animal Chin couple times out there.
- At least Christian Hasoi is finally free! : )

 

[jaxadam]

- Mullen is and always will be the greatest skater of all time

One of my favorites of all time as well. Just his innovations and how technical of a skater he was moving from freestyle to street kept things fresh and interesting. And he grew up on a farm in Ocala, Florida!

 

[MFB]

Y'all are out of your damn minds if you ain't reppin' Chad Muska

Muska4Lyfe

 

[pahulkster]

I'd like to get an old school board and pose as hard as possible. The Jackson crackle decks are sweet. Riding is another story.

 

[bastardbullet]

I’ve been to a local skate park in Ankara today for the first time in my life with my wife, and yes my kickflips still suck. :’)

 

[Grindspine]

I’ve been to a local skate park in Ankara today for the first time in my life with my wife, and yes my kickflips still suck. :’)

As long as you are doing something, it's all good! I mostly used my board to skate around when I lived in a college town. I would skate out to the nearest grocery store for a snack and such. My tricks never got much beyond ollies, and those were only enough to get over small debris in the road.

 

[Mathemagician]

I could only skate on flat proper asphalt like at a skate park or a well done park in garage. The slightest crack would send me flying as a kid I swear, lol.

 

[Humbuck]

I'm 53 and I still ride a bmx bike on the regular.

 

[odibrom]

I'm 53 and I still ride a bmx bike on the regular.

This is the way...

 

[Jake]

Man this thread is making feel things

I skated for the majority of the last 20 years (I'm 29 now) and honestly it was my life at one point. I was never really "good" in the sense that I had some decent tricks, won a few comps locally here and there over the years but I wasn't kickflipping down 20 sets

Then August of 2020 happened....was riding in the big bowl at my local park, just warming up. Popped a frontside ollie, landed it, but my back foot slipped off the board and twisted. Broke my leg in 5 places from that freak accident and at this point I don't think I'll ever skate again

I miss it, but it's not worth the risk to my health at this point, I still snowboard plenty though so that's still my passion but I just really wish things had gone differently that day at the park.

 

[odibrom]

Man this thread is making feel things

I skated for the majority of the last 20 years (I'm 29 now) and honestly it was my life at one point. I was never really "good" in the sense that I had some decent tricks, won a few comps locally here and there over the years but I wasn't kickflipping down 20 sets

Then August of 2020 happened....was riding in the big bowl at my local park, just warming up. Popped a frontside ollie, landed it, but my back foot slipped off the board and twisted. Broke my leg in 5 places from that freak accident and at this point I don't think I'll ever skate again

I miss it, but it's not worth the risk to my health at this point, I still snowboard plenty though so that's still my passion but I just really wish things had gone differently that day at the park.

When I was 14 or something, in 1991's (I think...?) 1st day of summer vacations and right after lunch I had a stupid fall trying a grind on a home made slide rail. I fell on a "push-ups" position, but my left arm gave up and I then hit the ground... it didn't hurt, just one more fall I thought. Getting up I felt something was different and I had my left hand facing up, twisting on the wrong side. I said to my buddies "I think I broke my arm..." and of I went to the closest medical post, which was relatively nearby, but I still had to climb a 60 (more?) steps stairway to get there. When I got there I was loosing the perception of color, somehow everything looked black and white (blood running out of the head and into the arm maybe?). I got at the nursery and lay down on a bed... colors returned (gravity re-balanced the blood flow in the body?) and I waited for my father to come rescue me and take me to the hospital. It turned out I did broke the humerus' internal apophysis which forced me to go to surgery getting a screw to lock it in place. I also had my radio bone displaced at the elbow, over-twisting the hand frontward/upward from the outside. I don't remember feeling any pain during any part of the process, not even when I waited more than 12 hours for the surgery (adrenaline released in high doses?). I had the plaster for about 2 weeks because I had a screw to lock the broken bone in place and because I had to start moving my arm again. Turned out when I removed the plaster I had about 15º to 30º movement amplitude on my left arm at the elbow. Now it over-stretches a bit.

This didn't stop me from sk8ing at the time, but injected some bigger fear in me for attempting more adventurous maneuvers and tricks, like jumping more than 4 or 5 stepped stairs and bigger gaps. By 17/18 I started Kung Fu and by 19 I wasn't sk8ing anymore. I used to play with nunchakus quite well, but every time they hit my left elbow they'll hit the nerve hard because due to that fall, my braquial nerve is more exposed and superficial... I dedicated myself to the 3 section staff and medium sized staff and sword and seldom some nunchakus as well... I kind of miss the freedom feel of sk8boarding, the rebelness inherent to it, the gravity and authority deffience, but I don't miss the pain in the shins, the twisted ankles and wrists, skinned knees and hands and elbows nor the broken bones.