Can I Learn to Skateboard at 30?
The first time I got on a skateboard was when I was in high school. I was transferred from a black school in Detroit to a white-dominated school, and when I learned to navigate the new cultural landscape – hacker sack, field hockey, acoustic guitars – led me to Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, and then to the band children play SKATE on the street.
The rules were familiar enough – no different from the HORSES and PIGs I was used to on the basketball court – so when I was told that ollies were easy to learn, I believed them. But when I got on the deck and tried to jump, the board flew out from under me, and I landed sideways. I couldn’t breathe and hurt my ribs. I never touched a skateboard again.
When local health genius Lifehacker Beth Skorecki hosted our monthly Lifehacker Fitness Challenge this year, I noticed that I wanted to use it as an opportunity to do what I feared; My logic was that if I choose something that I always wanted to do, but was too intimidated, I would make it public in order not to back down. (This was probably the logic behind our parenting editor, Megan, deciding to become a runner .) So I, closer to 40 than 30, decide to overcome my fear of skateboarding.
Why am I scared of skateboarding?
Learning new things rarely scares me because I’m not afraid to make a fool of myself. I have this to my advantage: Adults often do poorly because we’re so used to being competent in our jobs, hobbies, and interests that we resist looking or feeling stupid, but I’m good at laughing at myself. Like many adult learners, I am inspired by the endless quotes about how Vera Wang didn’t start designing dresses until she was 40, or how Toni Morrison didn’t publish her first book until she was 39, or how Ava DuVernay didn’t. … t shoot her first camera until she picks up her first camera.
However, skateboarding is different in that it is not so much a mental skill as a physical one. Skateboarding in particular is a physical hobby in which I am about to get hurt. This is almost inevitable. When I learn a new language, my tongue may be bandaged, but my mouth will not bleed; my fingers don’t hurt when I hit the wrong piano keys.
So, I am afraid of pain and long-term injury that could take me out of the game for a longer period than this ordeal was designed to handle. I’m afraid of how I felt when I played SKATE and landed on my ribs, and the instant rejection that injury can bring. To alleviate these concerns, I’ve probably overdone it a bit.
How much did my beginner skateboarding equipment cost me?
Lifehacker staff writer Sam Bloom wrote about how to get started learning skateboarding as an adult , so naturally I followed his advice by buying a skateboard (I bought it from a local skateboarding store in NYC called Uncle Funky’s Boards), finding one that beginners’ surface to practice. on (I picked a local basketball court in Harlem) and get inspired by watching other skaters ( my Instagram feed is full of figure skating accounts now).
However, Sam did not mention the safety equipment I would need to feel confident enough to return to deck at my age. I bought enough pads to protect myself from two stories of falling, not to mention the usual fall – enough to make Sam laugh when he saw the pads swallowed me up. Have I overdone it? Probably. In the interests of complete transparency, I did not shop and compare prices.
Here’s what I bought and how much I spent:
- Completed Fairweather Street 8.5: $ 175.00
- Triple8 Certified Sweatsaver Helmet: $ 60
- 187 elbow pads: $ 38
- 187 handcuffs: $ 25
- 187 knee pads: $ 45
Add $ 30.44 to the 8.875% New York sales tax and my total is $ 373.44 to justify my concerns. Anyone else who learns to skateboard can probably get by a lot cheaper if they go shopping, but my determination was in a race against my fear, and I was happy to support a local skate shop that patiently answered many questions. which I asked them.
You can also buy a lot less. As I have learned so far – officially after a week of my travels – I could only do with the wrist protectors and dispense with the other pads. This is just the type that is required at my local skate park, and although I fell with difficulty a few times, thankfully none of them were heavy enough when I felt the pads were critical.
How the skateboarding community can help a beginner
Since I started learning to skate, I have received some advice and support from helpful friends and strangers, and I have asked them the same question: “What trick is right for a beginner?”
(The first question I asked the staff at the local skate shop was I was able to learn ollie in a month, the salesperson replied, “It depends … how committed are you?” good “newbie trick” are different, so I changed the question from “can I learn to ollie in a month” to what trick I should try.)
What I know for sure is that I need a goal in order to achieve it, and this is where I need help. I quickly found my own answer to the ollie question: here’s my first ollie baby after skating almost daily. So what’s next? Best Allie? Tic-tac-toe? Something other? I will take advice on what is a sane, achievable goal – and I will accept his support as well. At the end of the day, I’m still scared, but I won’t let that stop me.