![]() To a certain extent, this activity is innocent and pleasant enough. Some admire the skateboard as an artwork, contemplating the whole as a piece of sculpture, or extolling the graphics on the deck's underside. Setting them aside is the first step in establishing the mission of this book. Despite good intentions, these sorts of indirect praise may become distractions from a deep appreciation of the riding itself. Many of these media sources, however, applaud skateboarding mostly as a means to larger ends, whether artistic, didactic, or even spiritual. Often these publications invoke the term art. Today countless articles, magazines, websites, and books are readily available, thanks to skateboarding's global popularity and the speed of electronic communication. This is not the first book written in celebration of skateboarding. My students especially have prevented me from growing too old despite the passing years. I also count my students and colleagues at the school gracious enough to employ me for so long. I include among my teachers many older people with little formal education who have made an effort to guide me through the wider world outside of the classroom. Though few of my academic instructors knew about my skateboarding life (and I am not certain that they would consider this book the best use of the skills they worked so hard to inculcate in me), they took a deep, personal interest in the development of my mind that has shaped my every endeavor since. Any good ideas and successful writing in this book belong largely to them I take the blame for all of the blunders. OLLIOLLI FRONTSIDE 360 SPIN HOW TOSo too the pro skaters I have admired, most of whom I have never met personally nor even laid eyes upon outside of a magazine photo or video image.įinally, credit is due to all of my teachers and professors, who taught me how to think, write, and draw. Even riders I did not know well, beyond a shared experience at a local hotspot, contest, or demo one day, helped form a supportive community around me. The skaters of my hometown are the truest friends that I have ever had and ever expect to have. Third, I thank all of the skaters with whom I have ever shared a session. OLLIOLLI FRONTSIDE 360 SPIN PROFESSIONALBoth my brother’s and sister’s art school educations and professional lives in painting, music, and theater have inspired my own amateur efforts as well. My little sister deserves my gratitude too for always managing to entertain herself wherever I dragged her, so that I could still skate while babysitting. Second, I owe thanks to my big brother, who has been my leading role model since childhood, including the day that he brought home our first skateboard. He also operated the Super-8 camera that recorded our first skate video, and he let us become the filmmakers a few years later with the gift of a VHS camcorder. He built our first ramps and gave us a life-long appreciation for tools and craftsmanship. She continues to keep a watchful eye over their small children when they visit the pediatric clinic where she has worked longer than she would care for me to print.ĭad regularly shuttled my brother and me to a skate shop nearly an hour's drive away before we and our friends could sit behind the wheel of a car ourselves. To many of our friends, she became more than just a host she mothered them too with some encouraging words, a place to stay, and a little gentle nagging. She also welcomed our loud, sweaty friends into her house, onto her furniture, and through the refrigerator, as we sat down to watch again and again the latest and greatest skate videos. Although she never entirely understood or approved of her sons' skateboard madness, she allowed us to ride as enthusiastically as we liked. Mom has been a ceaseless advocate of the arts throughout my and my siblings’ lives, driving us hours away to city museums when we were children, and always finding the resources for whatever supplies we needed. Thanks, first and foremost, to my mother and father. ![]()
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