Hello again everyone! I hope that you all are doing well, and finding things to do to keep yourself busy during these trying times.
After my last post, someone commented suggesting that this was the perfect time to learn a new skate trick. With being at home so much, and spring being among us, I couldn’t agree more!
Right now, in the comfort of your driveway, garage, or an empty parking lot is the ideal place to learn some new tricks! No one says you can’t be outside just by yourself! I for one have been battling with trying to learn many new ones. I keep joking that by summer I’ll go pro.
Now that I have gotten most of the basics down, with commitment, some new tricks come pretty easily. But it hasn’t always been like that….
The last time I learned a difficult trick was pretty recently actually. I had been battling with it for over a year. Which one you might ask?…well…THE AWFUL DREADED KICK-FLIP.
There are only so many ways to go once you’ve learned all the basics, and with that being one of the most iconic tricks every skater-and non-skater has come to know, the temptation and determination was just too real. Not to mention it always seemed pretty cool to be able to do a kick-flip as a girl, in front of guys who doubted your ability to skate well in the first place. But that was just a personal flex.
I struggled for months. I would go out and skate for hours on end, trying them one after another and get so close every time, but something just wasn’t working. I have joked that kick-flips have been my biggest heart-break, which is pretty accurate. Not to mention they left me with bruises, rolled ankles, and the most annoying of all …sore heels after landing primo.
For those of you who are not familiar with this area of lingo….here’s a play by play of landing primo in action.
This can happen anytime you don’t rotate your board all the way during a trick……and it fricken hurts. But no worries! The bottom of my feet have become stronger and better than ever from this constant torture.
During the summer of 2019, I finally landed my first ever kick-flip. I remember feeling so relieved, happy, and emotional all at once. I actually cried. Part of me was mad it had taken me so long to figure out, but at the same time I was just happy I got there.
To this day I still struggle to land them consistently, but it’s been a major turning point for my skating, and I am so proud to say that after all the hard work it is something that I can do.
In life, I feel like it’s really important to have challenges. Even if you have to take a few slams on the way, the reward in the end once you’ve finally accomplished them makes up for all the lows.
So I highly encourage all of my readers this week to learn something new. Whether it be in skateboarding, or whatever it is that you like to do, spend some time working at it! You pretty much have all the time in the world!
In the comments below, let me know about something new that you have learned recently, and what your experience was like!
Skate Like A Girl 
I’ve never learned any skating tricks, even though it would be cool, but the newest thing I’ve learned is taking online classes because I had never done it before. It’s definitely been tough, but I’ve been taking it one day at a time.
What was a basic move that took you a long time to master?
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I feel ya with online classes :/. And as for a basic trick, an ollie! They are the backbone of basically every trick, so they are essential to learn sooner rather than later. It felt like it was going to take me ages, especially since it was a trick I had to get off the ground for. It took me years to perfect even after learning them, but none the less very worth it!
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Is there a natural progression of tricks that skaters learn or is it just kind of whatever you want to go for? I see in the above comment that you mentioned an ollie being the first or one of the first. What did you learn after an ollie?
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Congratulations on learning the kick-flip! It looks really hard so I applaud you on nailing it! I’ve relearned my time management skills within the last week since I was slacking in some areas of school. Are there any other tricks that you want to learn next?
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I’m glad you were able to successfully complete a kick-flip. It’s a great feeling to finally be able to complete a goal. Do you know what your next trick to learn will be?
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Congratulations on your accomplishment! Way to go! Have you ever taken the skateboard down a hill? I bet that would be scary but exciting.
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Yes! Though I have found it more scary than exciting so I usually stay away from hills. Getting the speed wobbles is actually terrifying.
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During this quarantine I’ve learned how to make a schedule and follow it. I’ve been having to make sure to keep track of all my work, which was never an issue at school. Also, when you learn these new tricks do you learn them from videos, other people or from your own knowledge?
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Most of the time I learn from other people I skate with who may suggest a new trick! However during these times of quarantine I’m getting a lot of inspiration from other people’s skate videos and clips online.
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First and foremost, congrats on the kickflip.
Lately, I’ve been learning the art of live-streaming meetings at work. Still some hick-ups on workflow on my end. But as my previous supervisor has said, “every production is a learning experience.” Hope you are getting through this new quarantine way of life.
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I love seeing the pictures of the trick, very creative and funny. However, I have seen the trick before and I realize how difficult it must be. I can’t even stay balanced on a skateboard. So your dedication is very noticeable.
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Do you believe there is a style when it comes to skating? In the pictures, I noticed you don’t wear a helmet. I don’t mean to sound like your mother but safety first… right? I just mean like a certain look or a way to dress. Maybe this could be elaborated on in. future discussion.
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