Can you be a "lifer" and not skate?

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

I'd have to agree with the no excuse policy.  If you're a hardcore lifer, then you're skateboarding to the core (sounds pretty corny though, I know).  The skateboarding fan being a non-kook would have to be assessed on a case by case basis.

I have two kids (daughter almost 6 and son almost 2) and they both love skateboarding.  My son always wants to sit on my lap when I'm watching skateboarding videos and my daughter loves watching them, too (although now I have to mute them or not show her some of the gnarlier non-skateboarding behavior I don't want her to see).  I can't bring them to the skatepark with me all the time or else my son will try to ride my board the whole time (with a little help from me, for now) and when it's not his turn, it's my daughter's.  It's just a matter of time when it will be just another family outing at the skatepark.

My wife understands that I have to go skateboarding because I start to act chemically unbalanced if I don't.  She says that I'm a much nicer person after I've gone skateboarding (which is true).  After I've rolled around, I feel centered again.  Like a re-calibrated scale.  The only setback I have due to my job responsibilities, I can't skate as much street or trespass as freely as I used to since my behavior falls under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  My rank in the navy puts me at a leadership position and I can't go around trashing private property without thinking about this.  I quit smoking and I drink very rarely now and I do a lot of cross training (bicycling, weight lifting, running, etc) just so I can minimize injury and enjoy the fountain of youth that is skateboarding.  If that's all the sacrifice I need to keep going then I'm not really giving up anything for what I gain in return.

Yesterday, I relearned proper frontside smith grinds on one of the ledges at the park (knee high ledge, going a good speed, dipped pretty low, grinding longish).  It took me an hour and a half to make it and I almost gave up (maybe I should have just broke down and waxed the ledge?).  I could have grinded shorter or tried to relearn it on something lower, but it just wouldn't feel right.  It would be an act of surrender to even do that.  But when you can connect the dots and everything comes together like a winning a fistfight against father time and the body that you have.  That pay off is why I keep coming back to my board.  I'll keep skateboarding as long as my body will let me even if I lose my ability to perform tricks I'll still roll around.  Just remember, most of the general populace can't even push around comfortably with speed.

When that day comes, I'll probably be happy follow-filming my son (or daughter), sharing secrets of foot placement and weight distribution on certain tricks, and showing off the miniscule amount of existing skate footage of their dad (taken years after my prime) as I see them progress farther than I ever got.  Then hopefully I can dispense advice about life's bullshit impediments and a means of overcoming them in skateboarding terms (strangely, it's been this skater's perspective of knowing what I know I'm capable of and imagining myself surpassing that barrier by willing something to happen by persisting has gotten me further in life than any advice any adult has ever given me).

See, this is what I am talking about. If we give the title of lifer to any dude who still thinks about skating but doesn't make it happen, then how are we going to describe this fine gentleman's dedication to skating? There is nothing wrong with not being a lifer, but lifers are, in fact, rad dudes who deserve more respect than many realize.

[Inanimate Object]

Your friend isn't a "lifer" he's a "fan".

[CigaretteBeer]

i work a lot i go to school, i have a family, i have a dog, i have a girlfriend, i have other interests , the people i used to skate with are a bummer to be around now, i still skate every chance i get but its not like it was when i was 16 skating every day and always learning new stuff.

Are you ever sad you were born without a sense of humor?


Me:You seem like the type of guy who wouldn't laugh if someone farted very loudly

Gnarles Manson:yeah i probably wouldnt

[GnarlesManson]

=[

[just_peysa]

no that's weird.

[starvingrobot]

The older you get, the more priorities you obtain.  Hobbies change, if you can't keep things fresh.  It's just life.  Some choose to work around them for the little things they enjoy, some don't.

[Sleazy]

\

I'd have to agree with the no excuse policy.  If you're a hardcore lifer, then you're skateboarding to the core (sounds pretty corny though, I know).  The skateboarding fan being a non-kook would have to be assessed on a case by case basis.

I have two kids (daughter almost 6 and son almost 2) and they both love skateboarding.  My son always wants to sit on my lap when I'm watching skateboarding videos and my daughter loves watching them, too (although now I have to mute them or not show her some of the gnarlier non-skateboarding behavior I don't want her to see).  I can't bring them to the skatepark with me all the time or else my son will try to ride my board the whole time (with a little help from me, for now) and when it's not his turn, it's my daughter's.  It's just a matter of time when it will be just another family outing at the skatepark.

My wife understands that I have to go skateboarding because I start to act chemically unbalanced if I don't.  She says that I'm a much nicer person after I've gone skateboarding (which is true).  After I've rolled around, I feel centered again.  Like a re-calibrated scale.  The only setback I have due to my job responsibilities, I can't skate as much street or trespass as freely as I used to since my behavior falls under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  My rank in the navy puts me at a leadership position and I can't go around trashing private property without thinking about this.  I quit smoking and I drink very rarely now and I do a lot of cross training (bicycling, weight lifting, running, etc) just so I can minimize injury and enjoy the fountain of youth that is skateboarding.  If that's all the sacrifice I need to keep going then I'm not really giving up anything for what I gain in return.

Yesterday, I relearned proper frontside smith grinds on one of the ledges at the park (knee high ledge, going a good speed, dipped pretty low, grinding longish).  It took me an hour and a half to make it and I almost gave up (maybe I should have just broke down and waxed the ledge?).  I could have grinded shorter or tried to relearn it on something lower, but it just wouldn't feel right.  It would be an act of surrender to even do that.  But when you can connect the dots and everything comes together like a winning a fistfight against father time and the body that you have.  That pay off is why I keep coming back to my board.  I'll keep skateboarding as long as my body will let me even if I lose my ability to perform tricks I'll still roll around.  Just remember, most of the general populace can't even push around comfortably with speed.

When that day comes, I'll probably be happy follow-filming my son (or daughter), sharing secrets of foot placement and weight distribution on certain tricks, and showing off the miniscule amount of existing skate footage of their dad (taken years after my prime) as I see them progress farther than I ever got.  Then hopefully I can dispense advice about life's bullshit impediments and a means of overcoming them in skateboarding terms (strangely, it's been this skater's perspective of knowing what I know I'm capable of and imagining myself surpassing that barrier by willing something to happen by persisting has gotten me further in life than any advice any adult has ever given me).

i'm 37 with 1 child and a second on the way and that pretty sums it up for me. when the weather got nice my wife started coming to the park with my daughter and it wasn't long before i started taking her for rides on my board. here's a video

she gets so hyped on it and then just like you said it got to the point that if she came she'd want to ride the whole time and so i haven't taken her in a bit because i also get off balance in other aspcects if i haven't skated in a while.

for me i chose skating over bro down time basically. you only get a few hours a week to yourself once you start a family and my top priority is skating so i always skate in that time. it's definitely the fountain of youth and i also put a lot of effort into staying healthy so that i can continue to skate. i'm hoping to get into more street and diy skating when i move to austin next week. i talked to some homies that live there who are 20ish and they told me the that they know tons of great spots that are close together. i love skating natural terrain but am so limited on time when i skate and like a variety so it makes street skating in a place like houston hard when you have to drive 20mins from one spot to another. downtowns cool but i kind of feel a little old for arguing with security as well so i usually just hit it on the holidays.

my best friend from growing up doesn't skate anymore but i talk to him daily about skating and he's definitely a skater but he pretty much threw in the towel for a few reasons. not taking care of himself meant lots of injury's and he was never that good so he would injure himself even when he was in better shape. plus his injuries put him out of work while my job i can work injured.

[H8R part 4]

your friend is a skate fan, lifer status is a long way off.   i've been riding for over 2/3 of my life and i don't consider myself a lifer yet.  i'm sure i'll be more comfortable giving myself the title when i hit my 60s and i'm still pushing around with a giant cheeseburger smile on my face.   

i'm 35 and i skate everyday(as long as its dry out).  i might not go out and break myself off every time i step on my board but i always make time to ride even if its just a short trip to the bodega.  sometimes i'll ride back and forth in my apartment just to get the itch out.  sometimes i'll roll out in the middle of the night by myself just to clear my head.  skating is both fun and therapeutic for me, i really couldn't imagine my life without it.  i always make time for it, i have to otherwise i'd go insane.           

[robasheep]

I'm 34, been skating since '86-'87.  I don't skate nearly as much as I would like to.  A nagging ankle injury keeps me down.  

What sucks about getting older(for me anyway) is...I feel that I should be skating a certain level, but ever since my ankle break, I can't.  It's so discouraging.  

[Cthulhu!]

No you're not.

[Choad Muskrat]

I have a friend who completely focused his ankle skating and had multiple surgerys. He was told if he fucked it up again he probably wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of his life. So he pretty much had to quit skating because of the risk to his fucked up ankle.

He still loves skating, and wishes he could skate so bad, but physically he can't. Dunno if that makes him a lifer or watever, but it sucks.

Also, a friend of my brothers was the biggest skate rat and had a brain anyurism that fucked up his motor skills so now he walks with a cane. He still loves skating so much though and its seriously the saddest thing, I can't even talk about skating too much around him because i feel like I'm gonna bum him out. He always brings it up though, and wants to watch me skate whenever I'm around, so I do, but you can tell he wants back on the board so bad.

So yea, people who skated and had to stop due to physical ailments can be lifers in my opinion.

[Narcissus]

My homie who was the biggest skate nerd I had ever met fucked up his knee time after time after time over a 3 or 4 year span. Eventually, it wouldn't work any more and he had to stop the physical act of skateboarding. He paid attention for a little while, but I think it got to be too painful for him to not be able to skate so he dropped out entirely. I can't even imagine....

[robasheep]

I have a friend who completely focused his ankle skating and had multiple surgerys. He was told if he fucked it up again he probably wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of his life. So he pretty much had to quit skating because of the risk to his fucked up ankle.

When I met with my surgeon I asked him when I would be able to skateboard again...his response was "Never!  You're never gonna be able to run again!  You're gonna probably walk with a limp!".  I don't know if he was just trying to light a fire under my ass to prove him wrong...or if he was just being an asshole.  I was skating(if you can call it that) 3 or 4 weeks after getting my cast off.  When I met with my surgeon for a follow-up appt. I told him that I was skating...he once again tried to scare me...he said that if I rolled my ankle to not be surprised if the screws in my ankle popped through the skin.  Now I skate with an ankle brace and mob all my flip tricks.  But I can still skate.

[Canuck]

I have a friend who completely focused his ankle skating and had multiple surgerys. He was told if he fucked it up again he probably wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of his life. So he pretty much had to quit skating because of the risk to his fucked up ankle.

He still loves skating, and wishes he could skate so bad, but physically he can't. Dunno if that makes him a lifer or watever, but it sucks.

Also, a friend of my brothers was the biggest skate rat and had a brain anyurism that fucked up his motor skills so now he walks with a cane. He still loves skating so much though and its seriously the saddest thing, I can't even talk about skating too much around him because i feel like I'm gonna bum him out. He always brings it up though, and wants to watch me skate whenever I'm around, so I do, but you can tell he wants back on the board so bad.

So yea, people who skated and had to stop due to physical ailments can be lifers in my opinion.

That's super sad

I have a similar story. So a good friend of mine, probably the biggest skate rat ever, found out about three years ago that his hips were dying (not cancer). Anyways, had to basically have his hips removed at the age of 25 and replaced with synthetic ones. Dude couldn't walk for 6 months. Really bummy. Doctors told him he'd never skate again and basically have to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. Basically a Cardiel-type scenario but less intense. Anyways, dude kept a positive attitude, did his exercised and 8 months later we were skating together - smiles for days.

EDIT:
Here's a dope pic of him living life overseas


Back to the point, I don't really care about this. If someone wants to be involved in skateboard culture, whatever. I'm not the guy that's gonna say someone is more 'real' than the next guy. I know dudes that skate ever day do tricks that they don't know the name of and have no idea what the berrics or slap message-boards are. Then I know guys that know every single thing about skateboarding but haven't skated in years. Who cares? You like what you like and do what you do...

[Choad Muskrat]

Expand Quote

I have a friend who completely focused his ankle skating and had multiple surgerys. He was told if he fucked it up again he probably wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of his life. So he pretty much had to quit skating because of the risk to his fucked up ankle.

[close]

When I met with my surgeon I asked him when I would be able to skateboard again...his response was "Never!  You're never gonna be able to run again!  You're gonna probably walk with a limp!".  I don't know if he was just trying to light a fire under my ass to prove him wrong...or if he was just being an asshole.  I was skating(if you can call it that) 3 or 4 weeks after getting my cast off.  When I met with my surgeon for a follow-up appt. I told him that I was skating...he once again tried to scare me...he said that if I rolled my ankle to not be surprised if the screws in my ankle popped through the skin.  Now I skate with an ankle brace and mob all my flip tricks.  But I can still skate.

thats sick man, proving docs wrong is the best. I think it was more along the lines of my buddy not wanting to risk it, he does tiling for a living and needs to be in good physical shape for his job. Plus his ankle still hurts him after like 5 years from the surgery so it's pretty sketch.

[kevbo999]

sounds like me, but i just roll around and don't try tricks anymore, i ollie though.

Weren't you half decent a couple years ago?  Why would you stop trying tricks?

It gets boring skating your flat bar in the middle of a rough street.

Don't you live in California?  I'm sure there's more than a flatbar at your disposal.

[Brandon]

someone tell me to go to the park tomorrow morning. *Paging Brandon* Are you in Stockton or in Santa Cruz or something? The talks of a slap meet started years ago but never happened.

i'm in santa cruz at the moment.  you should come up and sesh it with me and SR junky/nosferatu. 

[Mr. DNA]

Give me awhile to get another coffee before I respond to this one.

[CaptainMorganFreeman]

I'd have to agree with the no excuse policy.  If you're a hardcore lifer, then you're skateboarding to the core (sounds pretty corny though, I know).  The skateboarding fan being a non-kook would have to be assessed on a case by case basis.

I have two kids (daughter almost 6 and son almost 2) and they both love skateboarding.  My son always wants to sit on my lap when I'm watching skateboarding videos and my daughter loves watching them, too (although now I have to mute them or not show her some of the gnarlier non-skateboarding behavior I don't want her to see).  I can't bring them to the skatepark with me all the time or else my son will try to ride my board the whole time (with a little help from me, for now) and when it's not his turn, it's my daughter's.  It's just a matter of time when it will be just another family outing at the skatepark.

My wife understands that I have to go skateboarding because I start to act chemically unbalanced if I don't.  She says that I'm a much nicer person after I've gone skateboarding (which is true).  After I've rolled around, I feel centered again.  Like a re-calibrated scale.  The only setback I have due to my job responsibilities, I can't skate as much street or trespass as freely as I used to since my behavior falls under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  My rank in the navy puts me at a leadership position and I can't go around trashing private property without thinking about this.  I quit smoking and I drink very rarely now and I do a lot of cross training (bicycling, weight lifting, running, etc) just so I can minimize injury and enjoy the fountain of youth that is skateboarding.  If that's all the sacrifice I need to keep going then I'm not really giving up anything for what I gain in return.

Yesterday, I relearned proper frontside smith grinds on one of the ledges at the park (knee high ledge, going a good speed, dipped pretty low, grinding longish).  It took me an hour and a half to make it and I almost gave up (maybe I should have just broke down and waxed the ledge?).  I could have grinded shorter or tried to relearn it on something lower, but it just wouldn't feel right.  It would be an act of surrender to even do that.  But when you can connect the dots and everything comes together like a winning a fistfight against father time and the body that you have.  That pay off is why I keep coming back to my board.  I'll keep skateboarding as long as my body will let me even if I lose my ability to perform tricks I'll still roll around.  Just remember, most of the general populace can't even push around comfortably with speed.

When that day comes, I'll probably be happy follow-filming my son (or daughter), sharing secrets of foot placement and weight distribution on certain tricks, and showing off the miniscule amount of existing skate footage of their dad (taken years after my prime) as I see them progress farther than I ever got.  Then hopefully I can dispense advice about life's bullshit impediments and a means of overcoming them in skateboarding terms (strangely, it's been this skater's perspective of knowing what I know I'm capable of and imagining myself surpassing that barrier by willing something to happen by persisting has gotten me further in life than any advice any adult has ever given me).

sick fucking post.

[cigarettedeer]

Expand Quote

sounds like me, but i just roll around and don't try tricks anymore, i ollie though.

[close]

Weren't you half decent a couple years ago?  Why would you stop trying tricks?

Expand Quote

It gets boring skating your flat bar in the middle of a rough street.

[close]

Don't you live in California?  I'm sure there's more than a flatbar at your disposal.

kilgore. is sick! I like his skating more than his posts.

[loophole]

sounds like me, but i just roll around and don't try tricks anymore, i ollie though.

i play games of skate every now and then. i don't really skate any more

[able]

My brother is a sportswriter for a major newspaper in North Carolina. He watches every football game, participates in fantasy leagues, and constantly checks on players stats, etc...
However, I think it's been over a year since he actually threw a football.
I've never once, thought of him as a poseur.

[oyolar]

I have a friend who completely focused his ankle skating and had multiple surgerys. He was told if he fucked it up again he probably wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of his life. So he pretty much had to quit skating because of the risk to his fucked up ankle.

He still loves skating, and wishes he could skate so bad, but physically he can't. Dunno if that makes him a lifer or watever, but it sucks.

Also, a friend of my brothers was the biggest skate rat and had a brain anyurism that fucked up his motor skills so now he walks with a cane. He still loves skating so much though and its seriously the saddest thing, I can't even talk about skating too much around him because i feel like I'm gonna bum him out. He always brings it up though, and wants to watch me skate whenever I'm around, so I do, but you can tell he wants back on the board so bad.

So yea, people who skated and had to stop due to physical ailments can be lifers in my opinion.

That's really sad. I don't know what I would do if I never had the option of skating again.

[Mr. DNA]

I'm 36. I was addicted to skating from like 15 to 32. My obsession cost me jobs, education and relationships. There's just that certain level of ability or satisfaction I wanted to achieve whenever I skated. I may hit it one day and I would feel great and then not be able to get to that level again for months. I was obsessed with going to very new park. I would be pissed when a spot got shut down or some wiener ass kid wouldn't let us skate his ramp.

Now, the last few years I have cut back. I am in a relationship with a girl with a kid so I like to do family stuff. He's into skating sometimes, but not all the time.  I like to get out in the hills hiking or mountain biking. It's nice to have mellowed out on being obsessive about skating. I took some nice road trips and had lots of great times. I slept on floors and in snake runs.There's decent parks around here now so I don't need to drive 2 hours to ride transition.

 I still want to be able to skate to a certain ability when I do get a chance or feel like it. I remember an interview in an old early 90's Transworld with some 70's pro who's name I can't recall. There was a current photo of him doing a huge frontside air on a 70's board in a small wooden bowl. The dude pretty much said he skates when he wants to and is able to keep himself at a skill level he is content with. That made a big impression on me.

I have had reoccurring issues with my back for the last 10 years. I have arthritis in my hip which causes my lower back to tweak out. I get crazy sciatica issues. When my back goes out I am literally crippled for days. It takes a few months to fully recover and I always think ,"That's it, I'm done skating." I was out from last February until June. Now I've back back in yoga since spring and I am not having issues.

When I get the bug I pull out my crappy driveway ramps and do some pivots , blunts and rocks or mess around on my parking block. I am just trying to keep myself prepared for that day when I get a ride a to a good park or ramp from a friend so I can catch a proper beer buzz and then it will be on.

[Mr. DNA]

Oh, what I wanted to say was if I didn't have a job sitting on a computer that allows a lot of internet browsing time then most of the skate drama and gossip wouldn't even be on my radar. I come here because it is a fun place to hang out at, but sometimes it does get a little weird for me and I get embarrassed and focus my account, disappear for awhile, comeback lurking and then have to create anew account to block NSFW signatures and avatars. That site Chrome Ball Incident is one of my current  major inspirations for skating. I love all the classic photos. Looking back the stereotypical old guy heroes like Gonz, Blender, Grosso, I don't know what it is, but that stuff really inspires me.

[H8R part 4]

we all slow down or stop at some point in our lives.  i stopped skating several times throughout my life due to work, partying, injuries and whatever but i've been lucky enough to find my way back to the board and thats whats important.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

My brother is a sportswriter for a major newspaper in North Carolina. He watches every football game, participates in fantasy leagues, and constantly checks on players stats, etc...
However, I think it's been over a year since he actually threw a football.
I've never once, thought of him as a poseur.

I wouldn't call him a football player though
My friend has pointed this out many times when people ask him about watching so many skate videos. He points out that he actually does it, and that you will almost never see people who watch major sports turn off the tv when its over to go out and actually participate in the sport. Then he asks if whoever it is asks why people watch so much football on sundays.

[ASSHOLES and ELBOW GREASE]

Expand Quote

My brother is a sportswriter for a major newspaper in North Carolina. He watches every football game, participates in fantasy leagues, and constantly checks on players stats, etc...
However, I think it's been over a year since he actually threw a football.
I've never once, thought of him as a poseur.

[close]

I wouldn't call him a football player though
My friend has pointed this out many times when people ask him about watching so many skate videos. He points out that he actually does it, and that you will almost never see people who watch major sports turn off the tv when its over to go out and actually participate in the sport. Then he asks if whoever it is asks why people watch so much football on sundays.

I'm trying to learn old school tricks every time I skate so when someone who doesn't skate asks me to do a trick and they're expecting a kickflip or something, all they're gonna get is a backside bertle slide to fast plant double varial spin breakdance maneuver lol. Not even bull shitting, the best part about being a lifer, is the amount of sarcasm you get to play around with, on the non-lifers.

[vegan*shawn]

I would consider the friend of the thread starter a fan not a lifer.

As far as me, I am 38, started skateboarding in 1985, I  skate about 4 or 5 times a week (sometimes more). I have 3 kids, all 3 of them like to skate, my 5 year old is really getting into it and likes to go to skate parks with me. When my family goes on day trips, we always find out if there is something nearby to skate, my wife is really supportive of my skating. When we first started dating I told her that skateboarding was my first love and to never ask me to quit, she is down for skating and would never think of doing such a dumb thing. I am going to build a mini ramp in my garage soon.
I do feel out of step with other people my age, I don't relate to the couch potato mentality of most people my age. I know I am not the best skater now a days, but as long as I can skate and have fun I am stoked.



Here is my youngest, she jumped from the first board to the fourth.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

When we first started dating I told her that skateboarding was my first love and to never ask me to quit.

I got dumped by a girl for saying that once. Not on the spot, but later she dumped me and told me she needed a guy who had her as the top priority. Fucking bitch. Anyway, I don't say that anymore, I just think it.