Today, a birthday party invaded my skate park. but I didn’t mind ‘em. The pack of 9 year olds was fairly well mannered and did a good job of staying out of the way. They seemed pretty comfortable with most ramps in the park, but as the sun set beautifully behind the Southern Calilfornia landscape I heard a commotion by the bowl. The birthday boy was standing on the brink of the four foot transition, wheels over the edge, tail firmly planted on deck with a terrified look in his eyes, being cheered on by his buddies. They did their best to egg him on, but the little blonde kid’s nerves got the better of him. I heard him utter, “I’ll never do it” before trudging off with his eyes lowered.

That’s how if feels the first time you stand on that edge of a ramp and truly contemplate diving into a concrete or wooden abyss. Looking down from the top can rattle any new skater’s courage. It’s intimidating at first and does often lead to wiping out. But, if you’ve been walking up to the top of that ramp and it’s looking more and more feasible, apply these rules to your first attempts so you don’t get hurt:

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