Received this message on Facebook from my Glasgow based master Tweenie last week:
“Ruaraidh Mac: alight bruv! no clues on flatige mate , you could come live on my couch if ya want! sweet skillz man!! can you drop a curb yet? carry a little speed, lift the front wheels a little of the ground, push forward,land flat, roll off nd look steazy!! start small nd work big! peace xx”
I am yet to try this. The thought of leaving the ground is terrifying. I am sure the parting of man and board upon landing would be of Moses proportions. But this is my next goal. And I do have my own brand spanking new, first ever ever ever skateboard, so why not?
Ah my new board. I don’t know too much about makes and brands and things, but as it is pretty interesting and might help someone else looking at buying their first board, I’ll devote a bit of time to describing it here. As I said before, it’s gorgeous. It has a full size picture of a plastic orange 80’s skateboard on the bottom. It’s made by Girl. It's got Guy Maranio's name on it somewhere [I'm yet to YouTube him - apparently he's a Legend]. I’ve got intermediate wheels (not too hard, not too soft) made by some brand I can’t recall the name of. They’re connected to the cheapest trucks in the shop made by, um, a company beginning with ‘V’, and despite being the cheapest, the guy at Note in Manchester said he rode them too, so that was fine. But basically I don’t think it’s worth dwelling on all those aspects too much. Just get yourself down a skateshop [NO internet: OK!!?], choose a deck with a design YOU think is way cool, and get the staff to recommend bits and bobs based on you telling them what you want to do on the board. For example, I wanted a good board for cruising about on and carving up the streets; rather than one for mental high altitude tricks. And that’s what they sold me. Magic.
So that’s my board. Despite its beauty, I feared it like a like an awkward 1st year kid fears having to make conversation with the most slamming hottie senior girl in school. I just wanted to hold and look. However, I realised there was no point in this purchase being just an ornament. So, finding a slabbed area just off the main pavement, between a Café Nero and Manchester Music Shop, I carefully stepped on, and rolled a few metres. The trucks were REALLY loose (my fault; I asked the guys at the shop, Note, for that when they had already set it up perfectly DUH!) and it meant I was wobbly as one of those red fortune telling fish things you get in Christmas crackers. Finding my feet though, I managed to board most of the way back to Manchester’s Potato Warf Youth Hostel without too many problems. I like Mancs. “Give us kickflip then!!” some workie lad joked, and he found my reply of “Here! I can hardly do this!!!” really funny as I snaked and wobbled by, not going very fast at all. BUT! I did manage to achieve some balance by the end of my voyage; skating onto the youth hostel patio being one of the hippest entrances I’ve ever made. Need to keep that in mind for the next party I get taken to.
That’s if I don’t get taken to a hospital first as the result a curb dropping disaster.
More cherry-popping board stories to come including my first go in a skatepark (aye, I know I promised that last time, but I’m conscious of holding your attention by not writing too much, so you’ll have to be patient!). Watch this space!
Later,
David
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