HARSH BLOKE
34
ASK THE DOCTOR
With Rick Blackhart
YEARNS TO LEARN
I'm a twelve year old girl skater. The
problem is that I'm the only one in town. The
other skaters expect me to be as good as
they are, even though they know I've only
been skating for a month. I want to get along
with them so they can teach me, but I also
want them to shut up. What do I do?
Christal (Chris) Biltaft
Rapid City, SD
You should tell them exactly what you
told me. Hang out and skate like you do
now. Watch and learn as much as you
can. It's much easier to pull off maneu-
vers when you can see how they're done.
When they start hassling you, pay them
no mind. Eventually they'll get the idea
and mellow out. It sounds like a territorial
deal-they don't want anyone muscling
in on their terrain. After they realize you
don't take any shit, they won't give any.
GIRL'S TROUBLES
I have this problem with my parents. I'm
a girl, I started skating not too long ago, and
all they do is criticize me. We went to Califor-
nia at the beginning of summer and I
couldn't take my skate. I was pretty ticked.
That was four weeks of no skating. I almost
died. My mom also thinks I should be more
"feminine." She tried to make me throw my
Vision shoes out, but I said, "No way, pal."
My step-dad is like my mom. My dad goes
along with it, but he doesn't like me skating
with guys. What can I do?
Jaime Newburn
Louisville, KY
What's the deal here? Why do people
think girls shouldn't skate? Many sports,
like basketball and soccer, started out as
men-only activities, but now women's
teams are hot. I think it's just a matter
of time until there are enough girls
skating that people won't even give it
another thought. In the meantime, tell
your parents to bite it. If you want to
skate, that's what you'll do. If you want
to pitch pennies for a living, no one
should tell you to do otherwise.
UNDE-SIDED
My friend Sean and I have been arguing
over the term of direction (from a regular
footed point of view). In other words, which
way is frontside and which way is backside?
Matt Stevenson
Somewhere in East Texas
First thing you do is get a compass.
Now, if your left foot is forward while fac-
ing magnetic north in front of your mom's
house, that's backside. If your right foot
is forward while facing south on the other
side of the street, that's frontside. Get it?
MARKSIST
I have stretch marks all over my board,
mostly in the area where the trucks are. Is
it because I tighten the bolts too tight, the
way I skate, or a board defect? What can
I do to prevent it?
James
Laredo, TX
That's the nature of the beast. It could
be any one or all three of those causes.
It sounds like normal wear and tear on
the board to me. It's probably not the way
you skate, more like tight bolts or even
too much paint that cracks and peels as
the board flexes. Also, wood continues
to dry out even after it becomes a skate.
Those hot Texas summers will dry that
ply if it's unprotected by paint or stain
and the top layers will crack and stress.
Solution: mow some more lawns and buy
a new board.
BURNT OFFERINGS
I have a problem. I've been skating for
about a year and a half. About a week ago
I was getting real depressed and didn't feel
like skating. Everyone's telling me I'm
burned out because that's all I do. When
I set goals for myself, I get to that goal and
can't pull any more tricks. What should I do?
John Servette
Pittsburgh, PA
It very well could be skate burn out.
One easy way to find out is to not skate
for a while. Take a couple weeks off. If
you're totally jonesing for a skate session
at the end of two weeks, you'll know
skating is meant for you. If not, maybe
you should put a set of golf clubs on your
next Christmas list.
SKIDDISH
I don't use a skid plate because if I do
I can't skate worth a damn. The bad thing
is I don't have the money to get a new deck
when my tail wears out. What can I do?
Jason Cagann
El Paso, TX
Nice. I like honesty. By all means, don't
go out and spend money on useless ac-
cessories when you can't utilize the main
objective for having them in the first
place. I almost never use skid plates and
yet have never had a problem with worn
out tails. This is probably because I don't
drag my tail.
Enclose a check for $12.45 in your let-
ter to the Doc and get a Dr. Rick t-shirt.
Send to: Thrasher, Ask the Doc T-shirt,
P.O. Box 884570, S.F., CA 94188-4570.
LUCIAN HENDRICKSE
Thunder
P.O. BOX 884413 S.F., CA 94188.
SEND $1.00 FOR STICKER AND INFO