1. Skating is fun. We know that. But it is also very good exercise. When you are learning a new trick, , messing with skateboard decks, the constant balance and tension of muscles required makes sweatiness (at least for me). Sweating is good for the body because it releases endorphins, which make you feel good. So skating makes you physically feel good.
2. On a more philosophical note, skating takes a lot of practice, like most skills. Becoming good at skating takes a lot of time, but achieving your goal and stomping a heel flip after working on it for a month is very rewarding.
3. You can skate to get around, which is an added plus, because you’re saving the environment and being green and that jazz.
4. Choosing skateboard decks also requires a certain artistic taste which is cultivated through skateboarding and manifested through your skate clothing.
5. And skating also helps you get girls, because let’s face it, girls like cool guys, and skateboarding makes you cool. So if you have some lame friends who are cool, but could be cooler and aren’t sure about whether they want to learn to skate, show them this post, and convince them that skating is the right thing to do.
Last night, my friend and I were talking about the art of the complete skateboard. When you are one with your complete skateboard, wearing skate clothing that you feel comfortable in, you will land every trick, you cannot and will not miss, and then you will feel the triumph of excellence.
And then, other days, you will feel disgraced and your confidence will shrivel, and you will feel as though skateboarding is dishonoring you, but secretly, you will love her because she is simple and kind, and you will not feel worthy of her, and you enjoy her rebukes when you become overly confident, and she scrapes your knee or raspberries your elbow. But all the while you will love her. Why? Because you return to her, no matter how she treats you, no matter how bad you feel one day, you know that the next has the possibility for more skate, for growth and learning, for greater and better things.
This is the harmony of skate, in which the ups and downs mediate upon your soul and strike the strings in tune so that sometimes a beautiful melody results, and other times, a knock on the tuning board is necessary. The beauty, my friend, is that she exists, and the possibility for existence is worth loving. So you will love skate.
Softies are better for a number of reasons. First, they allow you to cruise. They absorb more of the shock that exists on pavement so you don’t feel every little bump and rock that your board runs over. This is especially important if you’re skating on city roads or in bike lanes; places that aren’t super smooth and well paved.
Second, you can go faster. Faster means less pedaling, which means less sweaty. In the summertime and during other seasons, this is important. If you use your whip as a mode of transport, it’s nice to not be sweaty on a continual basis.
Third, in the park you don’t have to worry. While it’s true you get more pop with harder wheels, unless you skate only in parks, this shouldn’t really matter to you. Softer wheels like Bones don’t present any problems in the park. Complete skateboard enjoyment begins with softer wheels. Skateboard items like grip tape don’t matter as much as your wheels or skateboard trucks. A complete skateboard matches all of your preferences, but no one has ever complained about their wheels being too soft. Look for wheels with a softness of 95A for a nice medium.