Push Skateboarding, Gender Equality and Sore Joints

Right now I should be doing squats, push ups and stretching instead of sitting down typing on my computer. After last Saturday’s lesson with Aaron (the guy who is teaching me how to skateboard) I realized both my body and mind were not fully prepared for the challenges of actually learning how to skate. I fell repeatedly. All I could think about was how much I wish I had a helmet on and how uncoordinated I felt. Skateboarding is no joke. It is rough on the body and it takes a boatload of practice. I admire every skater who does what it takes to push their body and mind to learn and get better.

aaron kyro braille skateboarding

The upside of the physical beating I took Saturday is that I am starting to get a little excited about the idea of persisting and actually getting somewhat, kinda-sorta good at a sport. I am also excited about the opportunity to push back against the stereotypes that surround skateboarding and the concept that females shouldn’t even be allowed to skate. Yes, there are many skaters who believe that girls should not skateboard.

I received an email yesterday from a high school student in Oakland. She had found the first video I had done with Aaron and she wanted to interview me for a thesis she was doing regarding gender imbalance and skateboarding. Her goal is to inspire more girls to start skateboarding or at least let them know it’s not impossible to do so. I have written about stereotypes and fixed views before. It is a subject I feel passionate about, so I am very excited for the interview and the opportunity to reach out to girls.

The video of me skating (falling) and practicing the beginning steps towards learning how to ollie is going up on YouTube next week, but here is a video where we just went over the different parts of the board and what they are. Aaron stresses when he teaches skateboarding that you have to learn all the small steps bit by bit before you attempt tricks, etc. We thought it would be a good first step for me to learn what the different parts of the skateboard were called.

lance silber

This was the guy behind the camera, Lance Silber. He has been learning to skate too but is obviously 10 million times better than me. He also edits all the videos so I essentially hold him 100% responsible for ensuring I look somewhat composed in the final cut.

I think my goals over the next month with learning how to skate are to be able to enjoy just pushing and riding the board for a while without falling and maybe learning a few more steps toward being able to ollie.

That’s all for now! I’m off to do some squats and pushups and stretch before heading to bed.

ps. Here are a few videos I found of girls skateboarding. You will notice they are very competent and strong with their bodies. I hope to get there some day.

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