Embrace the Pain!!! – Why Sk8boarding iz LIFE

For me, skateboarding was love at first sight. The first footage I ever saw was on an extreme sports TV channel (I think it was called FuelTV??) while channel-flipping when I was about 10 years old. I remember staring with bewildered eyes at clips of Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom Huck Jam, Bucky Lasek & Bob Burnquist at XGames, Travis Pastrana’s Nitro Circus, and Christian Hosoi shredding a bowl like an absolute boss. I was amazed: I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This was around the year 2002. Shortly after, I stumbled upon Tony Hawk’s autobiography at my local Toronto Public Library, and the rest was history. The way Tony described his own journey and love for the sport was awe-inspiring. I read the 155-pg book through twice in a row and after that, I decided I had to get my hands on a board to try it for myself.

Nowadays, skateboarding has become an activity that I often mentally refer to in order to help me get through ordinary activities. I’ve been involved in many sports in my life, but there’s something distinct about the way skateboarding embodies certain attributes that has really stuck with me. These are concepts such as: dedication, practice, patience, and overcoming fear. The beauty of skating comes from the fact that success at any given moment depends 80% on what’s going on in your head, and only 20% on what you’re actually physically doing.

Perseverance—aka—No Magic Formula??

When I was learning how to ollie, I knew the physics behind exactly how the board worked and what I was supposed to do with my feet to make it happen, but I couldn’t do it. I tried for weeks, but my legs just would not do what I wanted them to. I asked a few skaters around my neighborhood, “What’s the quickest way to learn how to ollie??” and I consistently received this frustrating response: “Practice. Just keep practicing. Every day, until you get it.” What?? No magic formula?? No pixie dust to accelerate the process?? How symbolic of life. So many times I catch myself trying to find a way to take the express route to learn something new or reach something I’ve been striving for, and I become discouraged because things aren’t happening fast enough. It took me about a month to land an ollie, and an entire summer to become comfortable with ollie-ing off curbs and over small obstacles. It was an emotional experience; I still see the image of me dragging my board home at dark, head slightly lowered, disappointed after another evening of jumping up and down without landing what could easily be referred to as the most basic trick of the entire sport. These days when I’m struggling with something, I contrast those emotions with how amazing I felt when I finally got it, and it helps me to carry on.

Embrace the Pain!!!!

One of my old tattoo artists once told me that skateboarders are prone to getting a lot of tattoos because skateboarders enjoy pain. LOL. I don’t generally look forward to being in physical agony, but I can honestly say that I regard my skateboarding-related injuries with a deep fondness that I have a hard time explaining to most non-skaters. I’ve accepted that the pain is part of the beauty of this sport I fell in love with. If I don’t fall or become injured in some way (at the VERY least, a good smack to the shins by a wayward board), my skate session feels unaccomplished. If I’m in zero pain by the end, it means I probably wasn’t pushing myself, and I probably wasn’t taking many risks. I realize that may sound insane to some people, but it’s the truth haha. As someone who is very driven in life, I’ve noticed that career-wise, in my family and in other relationships, I need to be challenged and uncomfortable at times in order to grow. Anyone who knows me personally knows that sometimes, I tend to be a closed book emotionally. Recently, through efforts to develop my self-awareness, I’ve been discovering the beauty and freedom of allowing myself to experience and express a full spectrum of emotions, even the uncomfortable and negative ones. Of course, just like in skateboarding, sometimes the pain is overwhelming and I feel like I can’t go on, but I’m learning to value the pain because it gives me perspective.

Tossing Fear Out the Window

Any move on a skateboard, whether it’s pushing down the street, dropping in on a ramp, or switch tre-flipping down a set of stairs presents an impending danger of falling off and injuring yourself (protective gear obviously helps decrease this risk!). If the fear of falling is at the forefront of your mind, then you won’t land the trick. Guaranteed. If all you’re thinking about is the negative outcome, you won’t land the trick. In life, fear can be crippling. Fear can keep some of us from wanting to get out of bed in the morning. Fear sucks the wonder, awe, and delight out of our relationships, and hinders us from taking chances in life to experience new levels of joy. Skateboarding has helped me understand the importance and the reward of putting fear aside and taking a leap of faith!

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I love skateboarding, and as cheesy as it sounds, it’s helped me become the person that I am today.

What’s one of your hobbies which has helped you through life in unexpected ways?? Leave a comment below— I’d love to hear about it!

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to read :) <3

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