By : Henry Gennari, Wheels N Waves Marketing Coordinator
Me in October of 2013 – Age 11
I grew up in a small, suburban town in Massachusetts where skateboarding initially wasn’t a very popular activity for most kids. Despite that, I always thought it was the coolest and any time I would come across someone skateboarding I would always stop and watch them if I could. For some reason, I was simply always drawn to it. Towards the end of the 2000’s though, skateboarding began to ride a wave of popularity and it was as if every kid had one. Then-my neighbor, who was a few years older than me-got a skateboard for his birthday. He came over to my house and let me ride it in the driveway, and I lost my mind from excitement. I can still remember running into my house at the age of 6 yelling to my mom in the other room that I had been able to ride the board for a bit before falling off. My parents were definitely concerned about safety, but after being worn down again and again they finally caved on my seventh birthday and changed by life forever by buying me a skateboard. Looking back, I’m so grateful to them for putting me on this path, but I would want my younger self-and others who are entering the amazing world of action sports-to hear some words of wisdom that might help to guide them on their journey.
1. Don’t Compare
Especially in the world of social media where only the best clips and photos are shown, it can be so easy to slip into the rabbit hole of feeling bad about ourselves because we don’t think we’re as talented as someone else. Looking back, I can visualize myself as a kid looking up to certain skateboarders at the park or individuals because of what they were able to accomplish on a board. Sure, if you can kickflip a 6 stair that might make you the coolest 13 year old at the park-but it doesn’t make you who you are as a person. That can be hard for younger people to understand, and I think the simplest way to convey that is to simply emphasize a focus on riding rather than achieving a certain goal. Everyone has different abilities and potential; when one person has something we don’t or that we want, it can be so easy to put that ability or object on a pedestal. I cannot emphasize how important it is to not do this. Each path is different, each circumstance is different, and each rider is different. The joy comes from skateboarding, not from focusing on if one person is as good as another. If you’re the best skateboarder you can be, that’s all that matters.
2. Go To The Park Once a Week
It can be hard for kids to get rides or find time with school and other activities, but if they can find the time to go to a public space and skateboard, this can be a game changer in so many ways. There’s no better feeling as a kid than having peers to share your hobbies with, and many times, kids who might not want to play sports or participate in other team structured activities will pick up a skateboard. This can cause them to miss out on making friends through this avenue of interaction, which means being in situations where they can meet similar minded individuals is super important. Plus, it will encourage consistency and progression on a week to week basis. Everyone goes through phases in which they get sick of something or they find a certain activity boring, but if kids can be a reason for each other to keep skating, both their interest in skateboarding and their friendships will hopefully last a long time.
3. Don’t Be Afraid
4. Practice Healthy Habits
I remember being scared to skate around teenagers as a younger boarder for fear of messing up or not looking cool. If I could go back in time to my younger self, I’d keep my message simple : “Stop caring. It’s not that deep, and they want to see you win.” It can definitely be daunting to go to a park at a young age or as an inexperienced skateboarder, but the skateboarding community is a supportive one. If I go to a park now and see younger kids skateboarding, it makes me so happy. Everyone started out somewhere, and going to the park and putting yourself out there in public is the hardest step. No one likes to fail, no one likes to fall, and everyone can get anxious about looking dumb or messing up, but this is the beauty of skateboarding: when you overcome these anxieties, you grow as a person so use skating in public as a formative experience.
Especially in younger years, health is not a huge concern for many people. In my experience though, good skateboarding ability and health go hand in hand. I’ve definitely noticed that when I eat healthier foods, sleep better and have a clearer head I have a much easier time the quality of my skate sessions improves drastically. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also become more and more involved with fitness. When I get stronger, my ability to skateboard well improves; I feel more athletic and capable. Even running or doing cardio several times a week will improve endurance and allow skateboarders to ride for that much longer. Although these thing may seem trivial, they’re not. Feeling good while skateboarding on a consistent basis can be the determining factor in whether someone decides to ride or not on a given day. In my experience, only good results come from taking health into consideration as a skateboarder and I would encourage everyone to do so.