My step-dad or rather I say Papa, Kevin was the one skater with a rat tail and wide trick board during high school, when I asked him for a skateboard for my birth-day, he was very enthusiastic that I would become his pupil. I got my board and he bought a replica of his board from high school. We went to my old intermediate school to practice and practice and practice until I got the hang of it and he got his “skating legs” back. It’s a Saturday morning and we think that after a few weeks of me figuring out the basics and Papa finally being able to perform small tricks to test out a skate park. After some thinking we decided to go to the foundation skatepark in the river’s arts district, a free skatepark made by volunteers and sponsors. After getting to the park I start going back and forth on a flat area without any obstacles or ramps, but Papa decided to go straight into it by going up small ramps and trying to get over hills. Many attempts were made with a handful of falls, but we still got back up, my mom watched from a bench making sure we were okay every time me or him hit the ground. Papa had been trying to properly make it over a three feet hill near the center of the park with no prevail, he had already fallen multiple times and was taking a rest before going back into it.

     I was skating laps around the park as Papa gave yet another attempt at that tiny hill, I could tell that he was lacking in momentum this time because of how slow his arrival to the hill was. Half of his other falls were due to him not having enough momentum to be able to get over and down onto the concrete. I was sitting up on a ramp taking a break for a moment watching him make this final attempt. He as I said earlier had an inefficient amount of momentum and was most likely going to fall, which he did but this time he didn’t get up. Some people from the park came to help, a guy around Papa’s age brought him an ice pack while he rested and talked with him about their high school days to keep his mind off the pain. It turned out that he had split his tibia down 4 inches, this break hindered his life greatly, but it still didn’t stop him from loving skating. Hell, one time went skating when he still couldn’t put any weight on his leg and he still tried to get me to let him ride my board. But this injury wasn’t caused by the fall itself or the lack of fresh concrete in the park, my papa is a diabetic with very weak bones so a small fall like landing wrong when falling off a skateboard can be far more severe than it would be for the average person.

     Skateboarding is underrated; most people see it as dangerous or less beneficial to you than other activities. Skating is a great form of cardio when done regularly, you utilize your core and torso to balance yourself on the board and to take turns, you also push off with your legs which uses a lot of energy. Skating is safe when done with proper training and experience, but that isn't always the case, Papa has been skating for years, but he still takes a spill every now and then. That’s the reason why I love to skateboard it can help you gain new skills even if you fall because the only way to learn is through experience. You can take a few spills and gain a few scratches, but you still get back up laughing. The feeling of wind in my hair, the vibrations of my wheels rolling on the road brings a wave calm into my life. It’s fun and even though some one I love dearly was hurt doing it, but that didn’t stop me or him from loving it as a hobby and nor did it stop him. This shows how skating adds a little bit of spice into people’s life without being increasingly dangerous. In conclusion skating does have a level of danger in it, just like any other sport a kid plays. It’s an outlet to many different people, people who look put for each other. Skating forms a family that you can’t quite describe and if you don’t feel welcomed maybe it’s not a life fit for you. Skating is like life itself, you may fall every now and then but you still get back up and that’s my philosophy; always get back up.