Hello Humanity,
I just wanted to write a quick little something about skating within your limits. The very idea of skating within limits is absolutely appalling to most skaters! No one wants to hear that they are being limited. However, I don't think that people really understand what I mean when I say "skate within your limits."
I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't push yourself or push the evolution of longboarding, cause I think that constantly trying to reach our own very best level of performance leads to the sport as a whole progressing. Every day I am on my board I am trying something new and making progress towards a goal that was out of my skill level a few weeks ago. I think that this is not only a healthy recreational and therapeutic outlet but a necessary part of the sport.
However, I AM saying to skate smart. Wear your help when you skate. If you know you're going to be hauling ass downhill today then you should probably at least wear slide gloves if not knee and elbow pads too. This is, in my opinion, all common sense though. Everyone has heard horror stories of people falling into comas after a crash without a helmet. My roommate has a friend who lost a foot because he thought skitching on a car was a good idea. My little sister actually got temporary amnesia from trying to hit a hill she wasn't ready for and she WAS wearing a helmet!
Skating smart doesn't just mean wearing your gear, I consider wearing your gear as not skating like a dumbass, skating smart means thinking things through before you do them. If you can't hit 25mph without getting the wobbles then why would you ever try and bump it up to like 40mph without any more practice. Just because you can early grab doesn't mean you can early grab a stairset. Practice on terrain you are unfamiliar with before going balls to the wall on it. Take stuff half way, then 3/4 the way, THEN all the way.
Biting off more than you can chew just leads to skaters getting hurt. Which means that is one less person who can advance the sport, that is one less person who can reach his or her personal best, that is one less person you can meet around town and shred it up with. And another important thing to remember is that when you fall off your board you are potentially knocking many other people off their boards too. This applies to a more downhill specific pack riding situation, but still. No one wants to see their friends or family get hurt, so be careful.
Remember I'm not saying to stop pushing the envelope and looking for those bigger hills and bigger tricks. I'm not even saying not to try them, cause that would be silly, of course you should try them.
Just make sure you're ready beforehand.
Longboarding is literally 50% commitment to whatever you're attempting at the moment and the other 50% is skill, but its really really hard to fully commit to something that in the back of your mind you don't think you have the skill for.
Be Smart.
Love,
Wayne
