Skateboarding

No I don't skateboard but it is my son's favorite pastime. Today's photo is one which I took of my son at an outdoor skateboard park last summer. This Saturday and he is with me for the weekend as usual. Since we haven't had enough snow yet he is off to an indoor skateboard park today and maybe when he is back in two weeks we will go north to ski.

I know that plenty of adults have a negative view of the kids that skateboard and some of them deserve it but for the most part the younger teenagers who skateboard as a pretty decent bunch of kids. I have been dragged to several skateboard demonstrations and competitions and through it all I have gained an appreciate for the skill and physical ability required to do some of the tricks that they do.

When I took him to start to ski three years ago, the same year that I learned to down hill ski, he wanted to snow board rather than learn to ski. The reason was that snow boarding at least in appearance to a novice looked to be similar to the skateboarding skills and also that some stores have chosen to market themselves as boarder's outlets combining both snow boarding and skateboarding. I thought like a parent and felt that skiing was something else I could give him that he would be able to use for the rest of his life so I told him that if he learned to ski first then he could go and learn to snowboard afterward.

During the first year of skiing he saw that the teenagers on the hills were pretty well equally divided between snowboarders and skiers. Plenty of the teenagers on skis were on those short trick ski they call skates. The snowboarders and the skiers went on the half pipes together and both the boys and girls were pretty well equally divided between skis and boards.

The first year he was pretty well finding his feet like I was but by the end of the second year he and I were pretty comfortable, at least on blue and green runs. So at the end of the second year I told him that the next year he could take snowboard lessons and start to board if he wanted to. He announced to me that he was a skier Dad and he didn't want to start to snowboard now that he could ski. Well last year was our third year and I still stick to the blues and greens and I am happy to do so. I have a bad knee and wear a knee brace when I ski and I am happy I can do that so far without injury. My son of the other hand was getting braver and had gone off on the black runs by himself.

At the end of last year I took him over to Ellicotville in New York state about an hour north of Buffalo. It is a great little resort town and a good place to ski. I believe they have eight lifts and about sixty runs. On the weekend I took him one of the staff told me that they had other managers from work for a ski and party weekend. They do know how to party in that town.

On the weekend I took him he really enjoyed himself. Among other things he found that there were tons of girls his age. I recall it was getting late and my legs were getting tired and I told him this was going to be one of my last runs for the day. He disappeared off on another slope and I proceeded down my run when about half way down I got cut off by a young woman and ended falling pretty hard. As I was attempting to get back on my feet this young woman and her friend came over to ask me if I was okay. As I start to lift myself up, out of nowhere someone skis up to me pretty quickly and slides to a stop shooting snow in my face in the process. I look up and there is my young son is standing there looking down at me wiping the snow from my face, "you okay Dad?" I thought the young women were going to pee their pants laughing.

I can see what the future holds for me. After years of teaching him to find his feet in so many things the tables will be turning quickly and he will be giving me a hand to find my feet.