Today saw me back at the top of the halfpipe with my skateboard, but this time armed with my camera, and fully in control. Don’t be distracted by my skinny legs and well worn running shoes, rather share my fear!



Luke has been able to drop in for ages. His problem is that he reaches the other side with speed and little idea of what to do with it. The last couple of weeks have seen him trying to harness all of that speed into a big turn, but with little success.

Yesterday he tried until his session ended with a thump as he landed on his head. It turned out that he had hurt his wrist as he tried to stop his fall. After a few moments spent moaning on his back, he tried again. And landed on the same wrist, retiring hurt. I did pause for the briefest of moments to consider the injury potential of this insane ramp, but those moments passed! He did of course require a bandage for his wrist, but I think that was mainly for his school appearance!

With my camera poised for a beautiful shot through my legs, I was most surprised to see Luke charging up to the ramp with board and pads in hand. The bandage had disappeared and in its place was a proper wrist guard. This boy was ready for action! It was a hard session to watch as he crashed spectacularly five or six times. Each time required a little more time for recovery, until I was sure it was the fatherly thing to do to step in and get him off the ramp. He of course knew better and wanted to try once more.

He dragged himself to the top of the ramp and then readied himself. A moment passed before he threw himself off the edge, accelerating down his side of the ramp, riding the flat section and starting up the far side in the blink of an eye. I almost closed my eyes as he went into the top turn but was surprised to see him make it and ride it out shakily on two wheels. He jumped off his board, mid ramp, punching the air with a smile that said, ‘I am the man!’ Then he picked up his board and did it a couple more times to make sure.

Just like that his success had brought about the potential for learning two critical life lessons. We had a great chat about his injuries, the pain, and his complete lack of tears. He suddenly saw that he had managed to rise above his pain and reach much further toward what he really wanted. A remarkable breakthrough for a sensitive eight year old! We also talked about how long it had taken him to get this one move right. He reckoned about 20 weeks, although it was more like six! The point was that he persevered until he got it right, as not everything in life is so easy it can be done right first time. Now that he has seen how it is possible to conquer his fear and pain, he should be able to tap into this mind set again and again!

His dad on the other hand is a whole different story. He is still wallowing in his own fears. But the time will come when he will have to face that fear and take the plunge. And I will be on hand to report on every aspect of that adventure!