Advice Part 75- Skateboarding for the uninitiated

One of the good things about being in a relationship is that often the other person will introduce you to new things that you would NEVER have known about otherwise (and just to preempt the obligatory remark, that IS NOT meant to be a sexual reference!!!)

However, my advice to young players is that it is all very well taking an interest in your partner's hobbies, but that there is a limit to how far this should go....

How do I know this? Read on......

My boyfriend, Ricardo, is, err, "somewhat different" to me, and we tend to attract some rather bemused glances when we venture down the street together, because I look ridiculously conservative, and he is the TOTAL opposite. And, not surprisingly, we have pretty diverse interests.....Whilst I enjoy reading, yoga and going for walks, Ricardo likes punk music, horror films, and skateboarding.

Good-o. Nothing wrong with that.

But in the first flush of "new relationship-dom", I decided that I should try and be "supportive" of Ricardo's hobbies. And so I resolved to learn a bit more about skateboarding.....

• I began by watching clips of skaters Ricardo recommended, such as Richie Jackson (check out the hair! And the clothes!)

• I then progressed to sussing out some skating "mags" at the shop.

• I also began reading about the different brands of skate gear, and the best teams 

• Then I started looking at skating internet forums to try and learn some more about the "culture" (interesting fact- there's a guy who's writing his PhD on skating!) and the "lingo" (who's for an ollie or kick flip?)

All was going well. And then Ricardo suggested that perhaps I'd "like a go" at riding his board.

With my two weeks of knowledge under my belt, I thought that I was qualified for the task. After all, I'd watched LOTS of videos. And I'd seen Ricardo coasting along with significant ease and panache. OK, so I knew I wasn't going to be Dean Palmer on my first attempt (note flagrant name dropping....). But how hard could it be?

Answer- VERY hard. It pains me to say it, but I couldn't even stand on the board.

I had erroneously assumed that like a bike, the skateboard would stay still whilst I got on. But given the fact that the wheels were smooth and shiny, it kept sliding away from me as I tried harder and harder to get my feet onto the confounded contraption. The more I tried, the worse it got, and eventually, Ricardo suggested that perhaps I should give the skating "a rest" for a while.

I needed little convincing, I can assure you.

But I do have almost two weeks holidays over Christmas, which will perhaps give me sufficient time to master the act of standing on the board.....

But I'm not holding my breath for a professional deal anytime soon.....