Skate Expectations

The past weekend was the most gorgeous weekend of 2011!!! (So far!)  It was sunny and warm and it was MAGICAL!  I have a friend, Ruthy, who has never been on a skateboard EVER so I was going to teach her how to longboard.  [A longboard is a longer skateboard with bigger, more stable wheels.  You dont do tricks on them, you just ride.]  It was really just an excuse to hang out with her and be in the sun.  Anyway, she got sick (and still is!) and so my lady-skateboarding-date turned into dudes-plus-Lindsy-skate-fest.  My friend Ben once longboarded across America to raise money for the Boys and Girls club.  Pretty cool, right?  Needless to say, he's pretty good on a longboard.  Then, Shannon and Andy came.  They're both pretty good, too.  I know from my time on a snowboard that a) guys are usually faster and more daring than I am -and- b) I'd better be ready to haul balls.  So, we geared up and we stopped at Caffe Dei on 6th Ave for a vegan breakfast sandwich and then headed to Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance Park.  Guess what?  I didnt suck.  It was so glorious!  I didnt feel like I was holding them up in any way which was a major confidence boost.  It was sunny and the trees provided the perfect amount of shade. 

Everything was going great until Ben decides to ride the Fort Nisqually hill alone.  Andy, Shannon, and I took the easy way down to wait for him.  After a few minutes, Ben comes bombing down the hill and turned the corner.  By the time we caught up with him, he was in the dirt with a bloddy leg, his board upside-down, hunched over and shaking.  A guy in a truck had run him off the road, even though he was in the bike lane!  He transitioned from concrete to gravel and mud going about 15-20 mph.  Nobody can do that, not even Ben.  His leg is all bruised and scratched.  We are still so mad.

Skateboarding has always gotten a bad rep.  Until just last week, skateboarding was illegal in Tacoma.  Ben has been working with the City of Tacoma to legalize skateboarding as a viable form of transportation.  You can read the article here.  ALSO!  I am working with Ben and many, many others on a skate event in Tollefson Plaza (Pacific Ave, by the Marriot).  Go Skate Tacoma is a free event on June 21st from 2-10pm.  There's free skate, a cross-city ride, skate competition, and live music.  Please check it out and bring your whole crew!

http://goskatetacoma.com/