I clearly remember my mother showing great concern for me when I was 9 years old. While she was pumping gas, I grabbed my skateboard, jumped out of the car and started skateboarding around the gas station parking lot. She was concerned that I was addicted to skateboarding. Her concern may have stemmed from a deeper frustration (having three rowdy ragamuffin children in the car can be taxing on a mother's sanity, or so I imagine). Either way, she was right. I am completely and utterly addicted to skateboarding. I have often contemplated what it is that I love so much about riding this board with four wheels on it, and I am going to try my best to explain why.

It started on day one. My older next door neighbor had a banana board that he rode on occasion. At age 8 he let me ride it for a minute. The first thing I did was kneel on the board and hold on with my hands as I pushed around. I was hooked. It was the funnest thing I had ever done. After that, I regularly rang his doorbell and asked to borrow his board. I needed my own. I was saving change that I found in an envelope that had, "Anthony's Skateboard Money" written on it. My father told me that if I saved half of the money, then he would pay the other half for my birthday. I did not even come close. I probably had two dollars in that envelope. Out of the kindness of his heart he bought me my first board for my 9th birthday. Now it was on.

I had always been involved in basketball, soccer, and baseball leagues. To me, those were just more ways that took away from my time on my skateboard. I was on my skateboard every free second I had. Skateboarding was my way of life. I found that in every part of the city that I would see other kids skating, we were instant friends. Skateboarding had a brotherhood that was just an added bonus to the amazing activity. All of my friends skated, and that is all we did.

This went on year after year. We were constantly pushing our bodies, minds, and hearts to the limits trying to learn new tricks. Progression on a skateboard is an emotion in itself. It is a feeling that is indescribable in words. Complete satisfaction. I did this. I learned this. I did not have a coach yelling at me and telling me what to do, or how to do it.

Skateboarding is a parallel to freedom for me. I can do anything I want on my board. Whatever feels good. There are days that I will skate around my neighborhood and not do one trick, just cruise. There are days I will carve the bowls at my skate park barefoot. There are days when I skate handrails and go through mental anguish trying to land a trick. People often ask me if I am a street skater or a ramp skater. That is an interesting question to me. I just skate. I am a skateboarder through and through. I love and respect every aspect of skateboarding.

I am now 31 years old, skating hard, progressing, having as much fun as ever. Quitting is out of the question. My soul would not allow it. In whatever capacity, I will always ride a skateboard. I have no idea what heaven is, but I imagine pure bliss. I have imagined skating on half-pipes made of cloud and water, and the most perfect skateboarding that has ever been orchestrated - too beautiful for the human mind to even begin to comprehend.

From An Eternity of Skateboarding by Anthony.
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