Don’t make the intangible, tangible.
Longboarding is a flow, a groove you enter. A state of mind and being of action and reaction. Time almost stands still at a break neck speed and focus becomes an unconscious reaction as the rider and board seemingly meld into a single functioning unit.
This is why we do this. The rush. The adrenaline. Like an addiction with one more push, one more run down the hill. It is our church. Our therapy of motion. Our dance. A waltz of blacktop and yellow lines.
Not many things in life free you and your expression as skateboarding does. To harness gravity in such an electrifying way to me is only rivaled by surfing. It’s the perpetual motion that thrusts us into a constant and endless euphoria. To experience your progression at your pace.
We do this for our enjoyment and fun, not as a labor but a labor of love. It’s you against the road, against gravity and your own fears. It’s more about you as a skater and not the gear that you skate.
"A man who has to be convinced to act before he acts is not a man of action. You must act as you breathe."
— Georges Clemmanceau
We started out skating with our friends. Jerkin’ around and learning the basics. The excitement of nailing that first heal side standup and then the toe side standup…Hitting 40 mph and somehow getting out of the wobble from hell. Gathering with other skaters at the not so secret spot and seeing who can slide the furthest.
Remember, a bad day of skating is always better than a good day at work or school!
SOLID LINES
BY TIM SCHAEFER