Adult Men Shouldn’t Skateboard.

hal9000

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Jan 30, 2016
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Got to know when to fold em....

I've been having a series of issues- heart, shoulder, neck, back. My MD even asked me (about surfing), "Do you want to continue this activity?"

Activity? I'm sure you'll all understand when I say it's kind of my life. No way I'm going to give it up without a fight. But skateboarding? I used to just flow some turns at the gently sloped parking lot at my local beach break. It's been a while since I did even that. Probably not worth the risk any more...

Sorry to hear about health issues. Hope you're able to manage and still get in the water.
 

rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
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Patrolman- doc said you wanna train jits another year or keep surfing. Easy answer. They ask about quitting surfing? I’d have lost my sh!t
 

TeamScam

Miki Dora status
Jan 14, 2002
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Age 46. Axle stall to flat. Took forever to get better. I have skated a little since then, but nothing over the coping in the pool. Much rather ride out my 50's on a surfboard. It's a 6'6" right now and probably going smaller again this year. I'm happy with that.
 

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Retropete

Phil Edwards status
Jan 20, 2006
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Must be disheartening for older skaters watch 5 & 6 year olds air the bowls like its nothing at their skatepark?
Our local skatepark there are a number of micro skaters that do this. Hardly see any adult skaters getting air.
 

PhatCruiser

Michael Peterson status
Feb 8, 2007
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Must be disheartening for older skaters watch 5 & 6 year olds air the bowls like its nothing at their skatepark?
Our local skatepark there are a number of micro skaters that do this. Hardly see any adult skaters getting air.
Nah, not really. I was hoping to get my airs back by the time I turned 50, but 7 years past that now. I did get a frontside 50-50 with cross-step (see avatar) going when I was 53. Inspired by Mason Ho's floater with cross-step. I'm just stoked for anyone having fun on a skateboard, doesn't matter if they're better than me or not. I'd say that most of the 25-30 1/2 centenarians I skate with every week feel the same way.
 
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GromsDad

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Jan 21, 2014
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I was watching my son at the skatepark last year and a guy in his early 40s had a very minor spill on flat ground right in front of me. Super minor like any flatland minor spill. Caught himself with his hands. It looked like nothing. He must have ruptured his bicep. His entire bicep muscle was in a ball and the guy was in agony. It was actually a pretty grusome injury. Heard later that he had to have surgery the next day. Such a minor fall. That's what stood out to me.
 

oneworlded

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I was watching my son at the skatepark last year and a guy in his early 40s had a very minor spill on flat ground right in front of me. Super minor like any flatland minor spill. Caught himself with his hands. It looked like nothing. He must have ruptured his bicep. His entire bicep muscle was in a ball and the guy was in agony. It was actually a pretty grusome injury. Heard later that he had to have surgery the next day. Such a minor fall. That's what stood out to me.
That's what tripped me out about breaking my shoulder. It didn't seem that bad a fall. One thing a doc told me is how important it is to warm up your muscles when you get older before putting any real effort into your skating. Ten minutes of pumping around, jumping jacks, pushups, whatever. Old guys can rupture muscles not warmed up way more easily. I've torn the fascia on both quads. One doing a popup while surfing in cold water, one slipping walking down an incline and having my quad lock up. Both of my quads have bumps on the front of em now - and forever.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
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Must be disheartening for older skaters watch 5 & 6 year olds air the bowls like its nothing at their skatepark?
Our local skatepark there are a number of micro skaters that do this. Hardly see any adult skaters getting air.
Sure there’s a little envy. But it’s easily turned into being stoke.ed. At the Kapolei skatepark there’s groups/generations of kids that start, progress move on. Coaching, encouraging, screaming, bribing a kid to try their first drop in on the quarter pipe. When they fall, get up try again and make it the whole park goes nuts. Even old skaters getting back into skating making their first drop into the bowl gets the whole park fired up. That’s why if you watch a skate clip when the skater drops a hammer they show the whole crew celebrating. It’s a big part of skate culture the struggle is real, everyone celebrates the makes.

Out of the male skaters I know here, you know the main thing that keeps them off their boards and away from their crew? It’s not injuries, although there are a some. It’s pussy. Haha.
 
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hal9000

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Jan 30, 2016
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Must be disheartening for older skaters watch 5 & 6 year olds air the bowls like its nothing at their skatepark?
Our local skatepark there are a number of micro skaters that do this. Hardly see any adult skaters getting air.

Nah, we realize we're way past our prime. We're cheering the little dudes on. I do a few slappies and go home with a smile on my face.
 

hal9000

Duke status
Jan 30, 2016
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Sure there’s a little envy. But it’s easily turned into being stoke.ed. At the Kapolei skatepark there’s groups/generations of kids that start, progress move on. Coaching, encouraging, screaming, bribing a kid to try their first drop in on the quarter pipe. When they fall, get up try again and make it the whole park goes nuts. Even old skaters getting back into skating making their first drop into the bowl gets the whole park fired up. That’s why if you watch a skate clip when the skater drops a hammer they show the whole crew celebrating. It’s a big part of skate culture the struggle is real, everyone celebrates the makes.

Out of the male skaters I know here, you know the main thing that keeps them off their boards and away from their crew? It’s not injuries, although there are a some. It’s pussy. Haha.

My experience with skateboarding has largely been that skateboarders know exactly how difficult (and painful) skating can be and recognize that everyone has their mental and physical limits and abilities.

Most of the people I've skated with over the years are cognizant of these things and just let people enjoy their skating without talking sh*t on their style or abilities.

Surfing, on the other hand, is full of machismo dudebros who try to out-aggro each other and talk sh*t about people they perceive as less skilled than them.
 

santacruzin

Kelly Slater status
Oct 17, 2007
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Sure there’s a little envy. But it’s easily turned into being stoke.ed. At the Kapolei skatepark there’s groups/generations of kids that start, progress move on. Coaching, encouraging, screaming, bribing a kid to try their first drop in on the quarter pipe. When they fall, get up try again and make it the whole park goes nuts. Even old skaters getting back into skating making their first drop into the bowl gets the whole park fired up. That’s why if you watch a skate clip when the skater drops a hammer they show the whole crew celebrating. It’s a big part of skate culture the struggle is real, everyone celebrates the makes.
This is why I love skateboarding. Surfers are assholes , selfish pricks who all want the same resource.
I suck at skating but still get hoots when I stick one of my stupid old man bowl moves.

The other day I spent maybe an hour trying to do this grab carve grind through the corner in the old guy bowl
when I finally got a good one a bunch of heads hooted for me . And these are dudes that kill it.

My shoulder is fucked so I can only get about an hour session in surfing . Wit the way crowds are these days its become and exercise in frustration. I know skating is dangerous as fuck but so is driving in traffic where I live.
 

teeroi

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Oct 21, 2007
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It’s funny how this thread has evolved. F*ck you I won’t do what you tell me. To skating causes injuries don’t do it if you’re old. Back to f*ck it skating is fun.

Worse thing about 6 year olds that can do a couple of early grab stink bug airs over coping is the vicarious dad. The know-it-all, I used skate with Roskopp in the 80’s, Vans shoes and Thrasher t-shirt wearing dad that doesn’t skate but his kid is the next Tony Hawk or Lizzie Armato dad. The reason skaters hate posers so intensely is because we know how many falls and how much pain it takes to roll on one.
 
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oneworlded

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It’s funny how this thread has evolved. F*ck you I won’t do what you tell me. To skating causes injuries don’t do it if you’re old. Back to f*ck it skating is fun.

Worse thing about 6 year olds that can do a couple of early grab stink bug airs over coping is the vicarious dad. The know-it-all, I used skate with Roskopp in the 80’s, Vans shoes and Thrasher t-shirt wearing dad that doesn’t skate but his kid is the next Tony Hawk or Lizzie Armato dad. The reason skaters hate posers so intensely is because we know how many falls and how much pain it takes to roll on one.
This is solid wisdom. Here in Charleston we have way less of the 'soccer skate dads' than I reckon there probably are in much of So-Cal. Lots of dads though - and I know most of them from the water anyway. And our park is just so sick. It's really interesting to see the dads/kids sociology experiment at the park. Dads helping other dad's kids drop in. Dad's telling the kids the rules and trying not to be dicks about it. But sometimes having to. It's a new dynamic that didn't exist when I was a teen/20's skater because no dads really skated - and there weren't all these parks everywhere.
 

Random Guy

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Jan 16, 2002
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Are old pics uploaded to the old erbb accessible?
I posted a few that support the idea that adults shouldn’t skateboard
At least not me
cowabunga
rg
 

Subway

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Dec 31, 2008
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I stopped skateboarding in my teens when I realized how much I loved surfing more. You couldn't pay me to get on a skateboard now that I'm in my late 40's. I get my stoke from seeing the young shredders.
Word. Same
 
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Mr J

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Aug 18, 2003
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In my case they had just re-paved my street and it was like glass. The last thing I expected was to hit a stone that would stop the board in its tracks.
I use little rock hard wheels and I'm covering pavement featuring divots, uneven cracks with the possibilities of those stones. The only way I know of limiting this problem is to keep eyes glued on the floor ahead looking for those little hazards. Skateparks are different - the hazards (which can include things such as mounting bolt nuts) are easier to spot and some initial scan runs can be done.

Going fast helps to blast over them on pavement, worst seems to be hitting one when pushing with only one foot on the board. A few months ago I was in a nose manual on grey asphalt which makes it harder to spot the stones and my front wheel locked - every muscle in my body tensed and reacted as I fought to maintain balance - which I did and breathed a sigh of relief.

Another memory from a few years ago, was skating downhill pavement and a dog and owner appeared. Some dogs seem to go nuts at the sight/sound of someone on a skateboard so I foot- braked to negotiate a move to the other side of the pavement. With one foot on the board and the other braking I hit a stone and locked a wheel. Amazingly my reflexes served me well and I reacted by leaning back into a hairy, but semi controlled one foot, locked wheel skid. Then the stone released :eek:

My board flew out from under my feet and I fell flat on my back. That one did not decommission me, but the bruise on my tailbone took weeks to heal. Lying on the pavement is not a good look although that was early in the morning which limits embarassment.
 
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