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Skateboarding => USELESS WOODEN TOY BANTER => Topic started by: Seamus_McShamebag on April 14, 2012, 09:18:22 AM
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When is a decent age to buy a kid their first complete?
I discovered skating relatively late in the game (my 20s) so I have zero experience to relate to on how early to start but I want to do try my damnedest to help others avoid my transgression. I have a plenty of older friends with kids and I have been working on the parents suggesting that they get their kid a board but for the most part I just see them getting the kids enrolled in sports, buying bikes all the typical stuff. Time to play the drunk uncle and start hooking these kids up. I want to take matters into my own hands and give these kids boards so they at least have the chance to get bit by the beast. The age thing is important because I don't want to be giving boards to kids that are too young and wind up hurting themselves right away and spoil the whole deal and I just don't have a fucking clue what a reasonable age is.
I'll ask my shop what they suggest about good completes for groms but if anybody has any suggestions I'd be happy to hear 'em in the event that it's a distributor that my shop works with.
Thanks for any help and hopefully not ripping me a new one for asking such a cheesedick question.
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Acid drop from the womb.
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No set age... I started when I was 10, but one of my best friends has a son that started rolling around when he was 8.
Come to think of it, a lot of little single digit aged kids skate our park... and even though they're not hitting the coping (for the most part) their are some groms that are good at cruising and popping curb-height ollies, and our place is relatively burly as far as parks go.
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I judged a contest where a four year old entered. He didn't do anything besides push in a straight line, but still.
I started about a month shy of turning 13, but my parents got me a board a few years before that. I just never committed to it.
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I got my first board in the summer of 86, being six years old. Got my son his first when he turned five, but he'd already been rolling around on mine since like he was 3.
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I started messing around on a board when i was about 8. Just sitting down on it while going down hills. Properly started going for it when I was 11.
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First board when I was maybe 5. Full-on 'skateboarder' by the age of 8. I wish I started earlier! It can never be too early.
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i started at 12, but i always wish i started earlier. as long as the kid is into it i think any age is good.
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Sounds like 8 might be a relatively safe bet if it's not my kid. I am not trying to start a Chinese gymnastics program or anything I just think it would be cool to give these kids the opportunity to try skating in event that they get out of it what I already have and that might not happen without a little intervention. It's crazy how different a lot of "how I found skating" stories are and maybe my efforts will be completely useless but, at the very least, I'll be throwing my shop the occasional bone instead of just picking up some shit toy from Target.
Thanks for the responses, it helped to get a little context.
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My wife had 3 premature babies and they've been riding tech decks
EDIT: Only joking fellas, take a seat.
-Dave
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Please tell your wife two things for me.
1. I am sorry for whatever it was that I exposed myself to that did such terrible things to my genetic material.
2. "I told you so" on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of the "pull out and blast all over your chest" method of birth control.
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first board was a toys r us complete when i was like 11 or 12 which i fucked around with until it got stolen, then got my first legit setup when i was 14.
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This question is generally fucked. A kid has to be exposed to some raw and real shit to be pulled in for the duration. The way I started was my friend had trilogy and showed it to me. I was instantly obsessed and insatiable for all things skate. I didn't have a board. But set up a deal with this kd from school who had a workshop board up for sale. Gave him my two bucks for lunch everyday for like 3 weeks. Haha. Anyway. It not just riding, at least not for me right away, it was culture and
Mystique behind all that shit. But to answer your question, I have no fucking clue. Good luck.
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I started skating at like 11, but I had some Ninja Turtle old school board I rode around on when I was 5 or 6 and don't remember ever hurting myself too bad.
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Just got my son a Antihero board, he will be 4 this summer.
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^It better be an 8.25 or larger or your son is a kook.
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i first started skateboarding when i was around 10 years old but i wasnt really a full on skater until i was 12. I had just moved & went to a middle school where i met a few new friends that skated, and the rest was history. id say whatever age they find skateboarding to be interesting would be good to start. dont force it on em but casually present it to them at first and see if they are truly into it. better to give a board to that one kid who ends up going pro than to 4-5 kids who'll skate for a few years and be done with it. thats just my opinion tho, kudos to you for tryna contribute to the next generation
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Honestly, who gives a fuck about going pro? If introducing some kids to skateboarding is something you feel compelled to do, give all your friends' kids boards and hope they have fun.
No, but seriously, you should only give one to whichever kid may be pro material.
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Honestly, who gives a fuck about going pro? If introducing some kids to skateboarding is something you feel compelled to do, give all your friends' kids boards and hope they have fun.
No, but seriously, you should only give one to whichever kid may be pro material.
i guess what i was trying to say was that its better to focus more on the ones who're genuinely interested in skateboarding instead of giving away free boards to a bunch of kids who'll skate for awhile until they find that scootering is more trendy amongst their elementary and middle school peer groups.
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If he can piss the bed, hes old enough to shred.
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The younger the body starts slamming into the pavement the better