Getting there

I've been skating practically every day lately. Yay. I mainly go to the mini ramp at Glebe after work, at night, when I am alone.

Today I went to Dulwich Hill - a pretty good skatepark, but I can't really skate it, although I am getting a bit better and can now at least drop in on a few of the ramps, most of them actually.

My new board is really good. I haven't really had a bad crash on it yet, except for the time this kid on a bike got in the way - that was bad, especially for him. Poor kid. First I ran him over and then I yelled at him. I did calm down and ask if he was ok, though.

Now that I can get into the bowls/ramps etc, I want to get speed - but I can't. I just coast along like a big blob. Maybe I'm too fat?

Anyway, trying to upload a video, but having no luck.

back to skool

Yeah, well it's just been the end of the silly season. For the technically minded, I started my skateboarding career on an off the shelf board I bought in a shoe shop. After about two days I bought a bigger board - just a bit wider - cause even though I couldn't stand on a skateboard, I read that if you want to skate 'vert' you need a bigger board. Plus I'm about 6 foot 5.

So I bought a new one, you know, the new school shape, just a bit bigger, and some 60mm wheels cause I wanted to go 'really fast'. That board has been good. I didn't realise then that it would be a board that Danny Way would probably ride. I actually didn't know who Danny Way was. The wheels were as hard as glass and went like f***.

Eventually I got some wider trucks in an effort to fall off a bit less, cause even though things were going well, I was still having too many bone crunching crashes. Just before Christmas I was walking with a limp and had a dead arm.

Anyway, being the silly season and all, I bought another skateboard, pictured. It is big, wide and old. I got the widest Indys available (I believe the ones DW uses) and some bowl wheels and took it to the mini-ramp.

This board is the business. It is so stable, so different. I have been twice to the mini ramp, where I fell just before Christmas and it was incredible. I guess when you're 45 years old, being old school isn't such a bad idea.