I’ve been thinking long and hard about this for the past couple of weeks, and I thought I would put it on this site. I’m a 40 year old man, I have a kid, live with my partner and have a job. I also bodyboard and skate.
Skating
I strongly feel that these things shouldn’t be exclusive of each other. Say I’m going to the local shops, 9 times out of 10 I’ll skate there. Why? A few reasons really, I’ll list a few:
- It’s cheaper than driving. Not just petrol, but wear and tear on the car because cars hate short journeys
- Environmentally friendly. Related to the above, when you’re self propelled, you’re pretty carbon neutral
- It’s good exercise.
- It’s fun!
There are lots more reasons, but those four are pretty compelling to me. Its cheaper, better for you and the planet and its enjoyable.
With all those things in mind, why do people give you odd looks when you arrive somewhere on a skateboard? They wouldn’t look twice at someone pitching up on a bike. Both are wheeled, self propelled forms of transport, yet one has an image and the other doesn’t . That seems a bit daft to me.
“Skateboarders are dangerous and get in the way” is a phrase I hear a lot. Yep, I agree if that particular skater is being irresponsible and doing tricks etc on a busy street, but some people do the same on bikes and don’t get the same negative press.
Surfing
Friends and family don’t bat an eyelid if they know someone who plays football in a pub team, goes fishing or any number of other hobbies. So why is surfing or Bodyboarding any different? If you think about it, it’s actually a good thing for those concerned people. In the winter, they get to stay all warm and snug inside whilst their partner is out freezing cold so there’s the inevitable micky taking there (don’t say surfers aren’t generous) and in the summer you get to sit on a lovely beach in the sun. Honestly, can you see a downside to this?
In conclusion to this Monday morning rant, Even if you’re not in you’re first flush of youth and still think that the 90′s were the best decade for music (it was), don’t feel silly by getting on a Longboard skateboard, or putting on a wetsuit and having a play in the waves. It’s your life and you choose your transportation and hobbies.
