skateboarding personal breaking points?

[zombie_ritual]

Of course you can call every kid carring skateboard a skater, but for sure there is certain level of tricks which can be defined as 'breaking point'. What is that in your opinion? An ollie or maybe something more? I'm very slow in getting progress in doing tricks and I always though kickflip is the trick which makes one 'a person who skates' (yeah sounds terrible, but I hope you get my point). But since I landed some flips I found it is not really that hard of a trick, and I started thinking a true skateborder (which means someone whos really commited to it) is someone who's comfortable with 360 flips and some switch stance abilities. What do you think? Do you feel that the amount of tricks considered 'basic' is getting bigger and bigger all the time?

* Ah - I'm living in europe, and I never really learned english. I understand it but have problems with writting. Thanks for your patience.

[Buzz Killington]

This makes my head hurt

[finknoos]

where as i agree that the ammount of basic tricks is getting larger i disagree with your point about real skaters.

I dont care if someone can kickflip or 360 flip, to me a true skater is someone who lives and breathes skating, the kinda person than on journeys gets caught staring out of windows at stairsets and the like. for me as far as tricks goes a true skater must look comfortable on their board at speed, tricks dont make the skater.

Also i wouldnt say that theres a "level of tricks as a preaking point" id say its how you could do them, eg someone doing a 2 foot high shove it, or a nicely caught popped bs flip over a lil kid grass chopper treflop anyday

[Paul Cicero]

Thats one hell of a first post!
I think your a skater when you look at random bits of concrete
and you think of how you would skate it... I guess the only example I can think
of is me being at a local shopping centre & finding the most insane ledge / manny
pad inside one of the shops.
Or driving through a place you have never been to & seeing wax on ledges. That
gets me pumped.

[Mad Max]

If I understood your post, you're asking if the general standard of skating is on the rise to the point where "good" skaters are landing harder and harder stuff more regularly? And if so, where is the limit?

I remember when shove-its were the set-up trick for kids to do in lines, then this was replaced by the fakie flip, then the switch heelflip and nowadays just about anything goes.

However skating goes in cycles, so as soon as shit gets too technical, there is a return to very simple skating again just to calm things down for a minute.

Something tells me I probably didn't understand you're opening comment...

[Monty Burns]

I often define ppl from their jobs . So a person who is pro , am , flow and does pretty much nothing ells then that is a skateboarder.

If you ask me what I do , Im a chef .  Skateboarding is my hobby or activity or what ever .  So I skate but Im not pro or am .

some ppl play football , hockey , go to the gym in there off time from working there 9-5 . I dont think most of them say they are football or hockey players ?

I could be way off though ?

[chillout]

where as i agree that the ammount of basic tricks is getting larger i disagree with your point about real skaters.

I dont care if someone can kickflip or 360 flip, to me a true skater is someone who lives and breathes skating, the kinda person than on journeys gets caught staring out of windows at stairsets and the like. for me as far as tricks goes a true skater must look comfortable on their board at speed, tricks dont make the skater.

Also i wouldnt say that theres a "level of tricks as a preaking point" id say its how you could do them, eg someone doing a 2 foot high shove it, or a nicely caught popped bs flip over a lil kid grass chopper treflop anyday

[bandini]

I feel like there's a lot of different ways to be a skater, and I think it's regular to try to decide which is more "real."

Like, there's the full-on 15-year-old skaterat with no other interests or responsibilities who skates every day & is obsessed with progressing and learning as many tricks as possible, who really lives & breathes the shit.

Then there's the 40-year-old who hits the bowl a couple of times a week, full-padded, and just carves around for an hour, enjoying the feel of wheels on smooth crete.

Which of these is the "real" skater?

Your relationship to skating will likely change as you age, but ultimately the relationship is yours to define - not someone else's. And if you're judging someone's love/dedication based on what tricks they are doing, you've probably got some growing up to do.

[FiftyScent]

alot of good responses in this thread. the only other thing i can say is that youll know a "real" skateboarder when you see/talk to one.

[pica]

i'm skating for 11 years, and i still consider myself a person who skates rather than a skater.
caspar from kids is a skater.

[LemonParty]

 switch tre is a milestone. i think youve made it in skateboarding when you can switch tre. I landed one two days ago, and plan on retiring from skateboarding on a high note, and never skateboarding again.

[friendly dave]

I think it's the mental change that makes you a skateboarder. It's when you can think about nothing else. I think Mumford put it well in his into in The Reason. "I'm sure every skateboarder does it. You're not driving down the street seeing foots paths and driveways, or stuff. You're seeing spots. You know what I mean?"

!

[Justis]

Anyone who skates because skateboarding is fun.

[happenstance]

I think my response will be similar to other peoples, but I have a friend that I always think of when I think of a real skater. He has been skating for 15 years and it does not show. I mean he has barely progressed at all. But he takes every single moment he can to go skateboard. He works construction for a traveling firm and has ended up in some shitty rural places and he will seek out something to skate. He lives it, breathes it and heck he even has a few skate related tattoos. He is a true skater. I can think of people that kill it and they quit but if someone handed them a board they could still do a bunch of tricks my 'true skater' friend can't. But he has the heart and dedication so he will always be the truest skater I know.

edit: I hope this friend doesn't lurk slap and figure out who I am. haha. If this does happen know I have nothing but love for you!

[Jive Turkey]

So tricks make the skater?

[mandibleclaw]

i just skated with a kid who, i later found out, is also a professional rip-sticker.  this kid nollie flipped a 10-stair.

[GarglesCmen]

i just skated with a kid who, i later found out, is also a professional rip-sticker.  this kid nollie flipped a 10-stair.

CAN I GET HIS AUTOGRAPH?!?!?!

[StroudMears]

I'll consider you a skateboarder, if one of the first things you do in the morning is looking outside to see if the concrete is dry enough.

[popsiclesandskatin]

Where I live theres a few of us that do skate then a whole town of people that can ollie and heelflip but not kickflip and they dont even give a fuck about skating. Tricks dont define the amount of a skater you see yourself as.

[fruitpunch]

its not about how good you are. its about the dedication you have for the sport, and how well you educate yourself. one you but ur self into the "skate culture" and become addicted then your a skater

[Mullet Man]

I've got three words for you:

ollie power

and

lines

Once you've got some ollie power to where you can pretty much ollie as high as you can jump, and you can do lines (multiple tricks in a row, not cocaine), then I'd say you can officially skate. You should feel like it too. Let's go!

[sprayTAN101]

its not about how good you are. its about the dedication you have for the sport, and how well you educate yourself. one you but ur self into the "skate culture" and become addicted then your a skater

wait. sport?

true skateboarding is a state of mind. most people just ride a skateboard.

[bakedRice]

I often define ppl from their jobs . So a person who is pro , am , flow and does pretty much nothing ells then that is a skateboarder.

If you ask me what I do , Im a chef .  Skateboarding is my hobby or activity or what ever .  So I skate but Im not pro or am .

some ppl play football , hockey , go to the gym in there off time from working there 9-5 . I dont think most of them say they are football or hockey players ?

I could be way off though ?

ur a fag. defining someone's life by what they have to do to pay the bills is such an antiquated and narrow way of thinking about people. this is what your parents would say, i feel most skaters understand the difference between what you do to get by and what you do to live.

like already stated, being a skater is a mindset not put into pure ability, but the intangibles like determination, dedication, and commitment. also, the looking out to see if the concrete is dry is so true, i live in the basement of my house and im always peering out my bathroom window when i wake up to see how it looks.

[Jive Turkey]

Has anyone had buffalo meat? I heard it’s pretty good and now in high demand apparently. I’ve heard of buffalo-burgers but do people also make steaks, roasts, etc. with it? I heard ostrich meat is pretty good too. I’m going back to the states for a short stay and am keen to try it.

[gutterhead.]

Thats one hell of a first post!
I think your a skater when you look at random bits of concrete
and you think of how you would skate it... I guess the only example I can think
of is me being at a local shopping centre & finding the most insane ledge / manny
pad inside one of the shops.
Or driving through a place you have never been to & seeing wax on ledges. That
gets me pumped.

This.

[jacktharipper]

One point that this thread has me thinking about is a different type of breaking point. I realized that throughout my progression, I feel like certain tricks actually seem to mark a time of intense progression. For example, when you learn to kickflip, a new realm of tricks suddenly seem do-able. The 360 flip is another really good example, along with the switch flip. You learn tricks like these and it seems that a lot of other tricks come very hand in hand.

[mandibleclaw]

around 4 beers is where my breaking points happen

[Paul Cicero]

One point that this thread has me thinking about is a different type of breaking point. I realized that throughout my progression, I feel like certain tricks actually seem to mark a time of intense progression. For example, when you learn to kickflip, a new realm of tricks suddenly seem do-able. The 360 flip is another really good example, along with the switch flip. You learn tricks like these and it seems that a lot of other tricks come very hand in hand.

I agree 100%.
And there is no better feeling than knowing you can do a new trick.
Its just the best.

[ihitmyheadalot]

i'm not sure if tricks has anything to do with being a skater..
I mean if you catch yourself running for your skateboard on the best of days cause you wanna go skate to amp it up and make it that much better.. youre probably a skater.
If you catch yourself on the edge of freaking out and you just wanna put your face through a wall.. so you grab your board and go for a rip cause pushing mach 10 across town through the back streets just calms you down and makes you realise lifes not so damn horrible and serious.. youre probably a skater.
Heck.. if you catch yourself running just to hop over a puddle cause you dont wanna get your grip tape wet.. but you dont even HAVE a skateboard with you at that very moment.. Youre probably a skater.

I can trick it up with the best of em.. but at the end of the day.. with this knee injury im dealing with right now im not going to be doing much other then rolling for a good long while.  And anyone who IS a skater knows.. 

The one thing i do know?

If you find yourself questioning.. "am i a skater?"

You probably arent..

[asakusa75]

around 4 beers is where my breaking points happen

Same. I go out the front, try some kickflips, hit my shins, realise the 90s is finished, back to sofa, remote in one hand beer in the other.