Friday, August 13, 2010

Scored with the Board

I've decided that all my childhood I was participating in the wrong sports. Dancing was great, but I never did any team sports because balls and I never got along too well. Baseball, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball - all kind of nightmarish processes that were forced upon me in P.E. Here comes life after high school and I'm suddenly finding that I'm good at snowboarding, wakeboarding, and longboarding - or at least they all come a lot more natural than anything else I've tried. I just want to jump in the air and say Hallelujah! I can be good at something!!


Longboarding should have, and was almost going to be on my 20s list, but somehow didn't make it. I'd been planning on trying it sometime, but out of the blue at work yesterday Jake asked if Kayla and I wanted to go learn that night. I'm so glad we did! I was absolutely 100% positive I was going to hurt myself and fall off a LOT - hell, I didn't even think I could stand on one without losing my balance, let alone while the board was moving. But somehow, after a few minutes of practicing the most basic things, my fear was replaced by comfort and I felt totally in control. Not once did my body come in contact with the ground! Now, of course I wasn't ready to try any tricks like daredevil Kayla on the first night that in that big empty parking lot, but I felt pretty spiffy cruising around like nobody's business. Knowing how uncoordinated I used to be on things with wheels, it was a HUGE improvement.

So here's a thanks to the awesome Jake (whose birthday is tomorrow!) for being a good teacher and introducing me to something that I enjoy doing. This short recollection may sound cheesy and naive to anybody with even a tiny bit more life experience than me (so, like, everyone), especially considering longboarding is supposedly easier than a lot of other things, but that's not what matters. I had fun and am proud of myself for trying something new that was scary to me at first. I definitely want to have another lesson, and in snowboarding too, when the seasons decide it's time. To sum it up, I think it's safe to say me and boards are pretty much like this: (imagine crossed fingers, indicating good friendship).

iPhone pic: Jake & Kayla, barely noticeable, in the distance

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