i 50-50'd a rail at the park...

[alittleethnicsong]

...after a much younger skater had just 5-0'd it. jokingly, i asked him if i'd just one-up'd him, or one-down'd him (get it, number of trucks touching surface)...he just looked at me in a kind of blank, confused, disdainful way...i guess the humor (perhaps all humor) was lost on him (i thought it was funny). anyway, he proceeded to kickflip into a 50-50 right after our exchange, and i guess, in his eyes, settled the matter.

i respect (not admire) his ability, and despite his silly, predictable, adolescent behavior, find much inspiration in his (and his generation's) skating.

do you (and i) love skating enough to keep on keeping on, even though you're not the one shining the brightest at the spot, park, session, etc. anymore? if you have never been plagued with these types of (what i consider normal) concerns of passage, in the first place, you're way ahead of a lot of us.

these are questions that ANY AND ALL skaters--whether they are too young to acknowledge it or not--will have to eventually face...and the answers to these questions will determine if you (or i) are going to be a "lifer," or eventually, just another drop in the vast ocean of people that "used to skate."

[someguy185]

its about time some one made a thread about this...

[cheep]

well.... i cant say that quitting has ever crossed my mind... but being a "lifer" hasnt either.  and i dont care if i shine brightest at a spot, or in the city i live in, or whatever... i know that there are many out there better than me, and it didnt stop them from quitting.  for me its not about being the best, its just about riding around on a silly little toy made out of wood, aluminum, and urethane.

[dudebro]

its about time some one made a thread about this...

in my current state of mind, i think i'll always have the desire to roll around at least down the street to the store or at a good conrete park every once in a while, but who knows if that will change later on in life. i'm 27 now and there's dudes like Carroll, Koston and Howard who are in their mid 30s and still progressing and ripping. i know they're the exception but i like to think i'll still be able to bust somewhat at that age. i just like that feeling of grinding coping or popping a little ollie or even just cruising around real fast. i know eventually i'll slow down but i know several guys who are still crazy skate rats in their 30s. i'm fine with the younger generation coming up and being better than the older guys, i once was that younger generation, and i think its rad to see. i still try to skate as hard as i can, but as i've gotten older and wiser, i'm no longer concerned with keeping up with the trends or worrying what other people think of my skating, and its made it much more fun.

[Guile]

ive never heard of any of the above posters.......

[Sleazy]

...after a much younger skater had just 5-0'd it. jokingly, i asked him if i'd just one-up'd him, or one-down'd him (get it, number of trucks touching surface)...he just looked at me in a kind of blank, confused, disdainful way...i guess the humor (perhaps all humor) was lost on him (i thought it was funny). anyway, he proceeded to kickflip into a 50-50 right after our exchange, and i guess, in his eyes, settled the matter.

i respect (not admire) his ability, and despite his silly, predictable, adolescent behavior, find much inspiration in his (and his generation's) skating.

do you (and i) love skating enough to keep on keeping on, even though you're not the one shining the brightest at the spot, park, session, etc. anymore? if you have never been plagued with these types of (what i consider normal) concerns of passage, in the first place, you're way ahead of a lot of us.

these are questions that ANY AND ALL skaters--whether they are too young to acknowledge it or not--will have to eventually face...and the answers to these questions will determine if you (or i) are going to be a "lifer," or eventually, just another drop in the vast ocean of people that "used to skate."

as i've gotten older it's all about the solo session and the only person i one up is myself and i'm fine with that

[Guile]

Expand Quote

...after a much younger skater had just 5-0'd it. jokingly, i asked him if i'd just one-up'd him, or one-down'd him (get it, number of trucks touching surface)...he just looked at me in a kind of blank, confused, disdainful way...i guess the humor (perhaps all humor) was lost on him (i thought it was funny). anyway, he proceeded to kickflip into a 50-50 right after our exchange, and i guess, in his eyes, settled the matter.

i respect (not admire) his ability, and despite his silly, predictable, adolescent behavior, find much inspiration in his (and his generation's) skating.

do you (and i) love skating enough to keep on keeping on, even though you're not the one shining the brightest at the spot, park, session, etc. anymore? if you have never been plagued with these types of (what i consider normal) concerns of passage, in the first place, you're way ahead of a lot of us.

these are questions that ANY AND ALL skaters--whether they are too young to acknowledge it or not--will have to eventually face...and the answers to these questions will determine if you (or i) are going to be a "lifer," or eventually, just another drop in the vast ocean of people that "used to skate."

[close]

as i've gotten older it's all about the solo session and the only person i one up is myself and i'm fine with that

on a more serious note, one upping is only allowed when youre drunk, youre trying to annoy a friend, or if youre at a contest and greg lutzkas hat is in front of you.

[dudebro]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

...after a much younger skater had just 5-0'd it. jokingly, i asked him if i'd just one-up'd him, or one-down'd him (get it, number of trucks touching surface)...he just looked at me in a kind of blank, confused, disdainful way...i guess the humor (perhaps all humor) was lost on him (i thought it was funny). anyway, he proceeded to kickflip into a 50-50 right after our exchange, and i guess, in his eyes, settled the matter.

i respect (not admire) his ability, and despite his silly, predictable, adolescent behavior, find much inspiration in his (and his generation's) skating.

do you (and i) love skating enough to keep on keeping on, even though you're not the one shining the brightest at the spot, park, session, etc. anymore? if you have never been plagued with these types of (what i consider normal) concerns of passage, in the first place, you're way ahead of a lot of us.

these are questions that ANY AND ALL skaters--whether they are too young to acknowledge it or not--will have to eventually face...and the answers to these questions will determine if you (or i) are going to be a "lifer," or eventually, just another drop in the vast ocean of people that "used to skate."

[close]

as i've gotten older it's all about the solo session and the only person i one up is myself and i'm fine with that

[close]

on a more serious note, one upping is only allowed when youre drunk, youre trying to annoy a friend, or if youre at a contest and greg lutzkas hat is in front of you.

a very fun aspect of skateboarding for me...

[philliehaus]

if youre at a contest and greg lutzkas hat is in front of you.

that made me lol.

[cahl]

and you liked it ?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EFrYNGGC1CA

[Fongstarr.]

I am 27 and am super frustrated with skateboarding but my enjoyment really comes out of seeing people skate. I think I will always be more of a fan then an actual skater. Progression literally is at a stand still with me. I think I am at the Atiba route where I am interested in other things associated with skateboarding like snapping photos. It's still all fun but I think there will be a point in my life where all I will be riding is cruisers and zip zingers.....

[H8R part 4]

lifers are a rare breed.  i've been skating for almost 23 years now and don't consider myself a lifer.
if i'm still skating when i'm in my 40s/50s then perhaps i'll feel i deserve such a title.

[gub!!]

when i see some little shit at the park doing everybody else's tricks i just remind myself that i can shop in liquor stores and get laid

[Choad Muskrat]

Sometimes I'll try the same trick as some kid at the park because it looked fun. I think if someone is trying to "one up" you, take it as a compliment.

[dudebro]

Sometimes I'll try the same trick as some kid at the park because it looked fun. I think if someone is trying to "one up" you, take it as a compliment.

That's a joke right? If not, then you're probably that ignorant kid at the park that doesn't realize that's bad etiquette, annoying and it pisses a lot of people off. I can understand seeing someone try something and thinking it looks fun and "oh, that's a good idea" but you should wait until a little after they're done trying it or moved onto something else. Not a huge deal, but seriously, if someone is trying something for a while and you come rolling up and do their trick its kind of fucked up. Its like some douchebag Lutzka type shit.

[Jura]

Skateboarding isnt a contest.

"One  upping" someone only means something if you actually care.

[Cheapboarder]

must... make...thread...gnarly.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jh4gfzTpF0&NR=1

[Choad Muskrat]

Expand Quote

Sometimes I'll try the same trick as some kid at the park because it looked fun. I think if someone is trying to "one up" you, take it as a compliment.

[close]

That's a joke right? If not, then you're probably that ignorant kid at the park that doesn't realize that's bad etiquette, annoying and it pisses a lot of people off. I can understand seeing someone try something and thinking it looks fun and "oh, that's a good idea" but you should wait until a little after they're done trying it or moved onto something else. Not a huge deal, but seriously, if someone is trying something for a while and you come rolling up and do their trick its kind of fucked up. Its like some douchebag Lutzka type shit.

haha obviously I know the difference between trying the same thing and being a dick about it. It is pretty dumb when kids seriously try to one up the next guy. But if some kid want's to "one up" me, like I said, it's a compliment. Why else would he want to do that trick if they didn't think it was good.

[h8r episode 3]

real skaters don't give a fuck. anarchy! 

[Jura]

H8r, welcome back!

Is it really you?

[h8r episode 3]

H8r, welcome back!

Is it really you?

ha, whats up man.  yeah its really me.
once H8R, then H8R vol. 2, now h8r episode 3. 
i'll be focusing this acct at 999 again just like the last time and i'll be h8r series 4.


i see a lot has changed and not for the better, why are so many regular assholes here now?
i leave and this place turns to complete shit, whats going on here?   
 

[Jura]

This place is bad news lately. Just straight spam shit.

Schools out is what happened. I may take a break till summers over and all the little kiddies are back in middle school.

Work sucks ass without Slap though...conundrum.

[h8r episode 3]

i forgot about school being out, i guess that explains all the regular threads in the whatever section i just breezed through....its used to be fun over there WTF?  i used to like this place, i better not end up having to chill on the TWS board or some other lame spot.    at least theres still a few non-dick familiar faces around.  i'm guessing everyone that is a dick changed their user name by now.  i'm gonna have fun trying to figure out who everyone is.
thanks for the welcome back and i'll see you around the boards.

   

[bothersome]

Not to give the typical old man rebuttal but I never was the one shining at the spot.
Skateboarding has always been a challenge for me, skill wise and confidence. I can't think of any aspect where something clicked in 3 tries and I was taking that trick to something bigger or doing it switch by the next day. If my main motivation for riding a skateboard was for adulation of a younger crowd or even my peers then i shouldn't have ever stepped on one in the first place.
The thing you talk about is the exact reason I skate alone or with a select group of people. I don't go to a park to enter the perpetual "contest" that seems to run dawn to dusk, but to do a few tricks that feel good and have fun with my friends.
If I progress then cool, other wise I am more than content to do the same stuff I've done for the last few years.
Then again a lot of that has to do with ego and the need for people to pump it up.
As for quitting you can bet I'll be rolling well into my 50's in some capacity,there is no quit in this body. Skateboarding defines my existence, my waking life is spent in some way or another either doing it or living from it. I'm all about finding distractions, but thats about as much as I can manage.Knowing full well my body can only take so much, I do what I can to prolong the inevitable.
Either way I'll be the old guy who gos to park meetings or helps pick up trash all while watching the next generation get theres.
Roll forever.

[grimcity]

why did he get kooked for this?

His use of a parentheses machine gun?

(Not hating, I use mine a lot too)

[Numeral]

a friend of mine used to do something that i thought was the funnest thing you could do when someone else was trying to "one up" you, he would skate switch until the kid gave up or felt better about himself. it was awesome to see because automatically the kid would feel like the "spot champ" and move to something else.

[neko]

Expand Quote

why did he get kooked for this?

[close]

His use of a parentheses machine gun?

(Not hating, I use mine a lot too)

awesome.

one-upping is rad.  so is beaming.  both so unquestionably identify the kooks...saves a lot of wasted time/small talk.  you instantly know who to avoid.

[dudebro]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

why did he get kooked for this?

[close]

His use of a parentheses machine gun?

(Not hating, I use mine a lot too)

[close]

awesome.

one-upping is rad.  so is beaming.  both so unquestionably identify the kooks...saves a lot of wasted time/small talk.  you instantly know who to avoid.

exactly. i think this is replacing beautifull's quote as my new signature.

[PAWL]

the kids at the park are so much better than me they dont have to one up me anymore.

[alittleethnicsong]

i know for a fact, after roughly 25 years of skating, that there is a direct correlation between acutely critical, trend sensitive perspectives of the sport amongst newer, younger skaters, and a fleeting relationship between them and the act of skateboarding. in other words, through the years, i've witnessed time and time again (after working at a number of shops, in a number of states) the kids that are the ones who are most consumed with trends, newest tricks, clothes etc., and thus, most critical of everything that isn't what they feel is acceptable, are the kids who are not going to last, no matter how talented they are, and no matter how many friends they have to enjoy skating with.

figuratively, as well as literally, skating is about resilience...in perspective as well as physically, and the narrow-minded rigidity that these young skaters view skateboarding with, simply robs it of its fun...which of course is what it is all about.

these young heads keep doing it, because they are the current "new" generation. but when--inevitably--they stop being the "new" generation (once again, as ALL OF US experience), and are no longer able to keep up with some of the younger rippers, since they had this rigid, myopic, "unfun" outlook on the sport to begin with, they quit. innocent, unadulterated enjoyment is what keeps most of us up in it, and without it, there's no reason to continue, especially if what made it fun for you in the first place, was simply being the best at the session...because...with total and utter certainty, that will pass.

anyway, i'm not saying that quitting is some horrible thing in itself...if anything, it's one less kook to deal with, but for some reason, as many of the older skaters in here might agree, it seems like there is also a high correlation between ex-skaters, and post-skating, self-destructive life-style choices...