GUEST POST:
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
Thomas Wayne: “Why do we
fall, Bruce?”
Bruce Wayne: “So we can
learn to pick ourselves back up.”
I
remember the first day I got on a skateboard. It was the summer before my
freshman year of college. My thought process was that a skateboard would be an
EXCELLENT way to get around Carolina’s brick and twig-laden sidewalks. At the
time, I was seeing a girl whose brother had skateboarded, so she became my
mentor. (She actually was able to teach
me how to push. Shout out to Jillian Allman.) We went Elon University’s
campus. It was a beautiful summer evening, with the sun setting on the horizon.
In other words, the perfect time to learn how to skate. Here is the end result:
In
case you couldn’t infer, that’s me taking a sexy tumble. In the time since that
little excursion, I can proudly say that I’ve figured out how to stay on my
board. However, I strongly believe that falling was an important aspect of my
learning process and is an important part of every skater’s skill arsenal.
Everyone
falls when they start learning. But at that time, you aren’t going fast. And
every time you fall, you learn how to make the fall a little less painful. For
example, a common mistake most boarders make when they first start is trying to
stop the fall with their hands, which, with the right amount of force, can
break wrists. However, after your first time of landing on your hands, you know
that it’s a way better idea to turn your body so you aren’t about to break any
limbs.
Now
imagine if you’ve never skateboarded before. Let’s say you’re standing at the
top of a big hill with your badass, reckless friend. He tells you to just stand
on the board. You do. Then you feel two hands on your back and you’re flying
down the hill. Chances are, if you fall, you will be in loads of pain. Not only
are you going fast, but you don’t have that falling muscle memory and you’ll
find yourself real messed up. You have to fall at the beginning when you’re
going one mile an hour so you can survive falling at fifteen miles per hour.
If
you’re reading this blog, chances are, you’ve got some boarding experience. By
now, you probably don’t fall too often. However, I submit to you that it is
just as important for you to fall now as it was when you first started.
Skating
is dangerous. You’re moving around on a board of wood with four wheels attached
to it and the only thing keeping you on that board is friction. Over time, we
all find ourselves becoming really comfortable with our boards. We ride it
every day and it starts to feel like a fifth limb. But with comfort comes a
higher chance of unnecessary risks, like taking a turn to fast or darting into
traffic. To some extent, we start to think that we’re invincible.
This
is why every skater needs a good fall every now and then. We need that feeling of soaring through the
air and thinking “Oh crap. This is gonna hurt.” We need to look down at our
freshly ripped pair of shorts and think “Nooo! These were my favorites.” We
need to see the blood and feel that pain for the next week. Finally, we need to
pick ourselves back up and keep skating.
I
promise that I am not trying to persuade you to fall off of your board. That’s
dumb. I’m saying that it will happen because it needs to. And when it does,
accept it. Learn from it. Whatever you do, just don’t
stop skating.
Jimmy Branley is an Advertising major at UNC Chapel Hill and moonlights
as your friendly neighborhood Spiderman on the weekend.
HUGE THANKS TO JIMMY
HUGE THANKS TO JIMMY
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