TALKING
ED
SKATE TO SCHOOL
Skateboarding is a
wonderful way to travel.
A skateboard is non-pol-
luting, a great way to
exercise, safer than a
bike, and it stows easily
when not in use. But we
already know that. Most
adults have either never
ridden a board or did so
in the steel and clay age
when they got pitched
into the bushes off a
pebble. That's their only
memory, and they will
gladly tell you about it.
Add to that a basic fear
of growing old, lack of
coordination due to limit-
ed physical activity and a
growing conservative
attitude, and what we
have is fear of skate-
boarding mixed with
mistrust of youth, money
worries, self-doubt and
general paranoia. (Most
of the letters we get from
parents support this, but
we know there are many
loving parents out there
who teach their kids
common sense and basic
values, give kids enough
rope to experience life's
peaks and valleys and
know when to shut up.)
Take some of the worst
cases of adult behavior
and make them teachers.
counselors and princi-
pals in public schools
that are underfunded.
understaffed and over-
populated and you get an
idea of what most kids in
America are facing when
they go back to school-
a grim situation.
Want to liven things
up? On that first day of
classes, after you've
thrown on the baggies,
doubled your T-shirt over
an XL long sleeve, laced
up a new pair of Vans,
and run a comb through
4 MA
a fresh buzz cut, complete
the uniform by grabbing
your board. Skate to school.
As a skater you are already
considered a freak by most
of the student body, so don't
worry about them. Since it's
the first day of the year, you
can't be expected to know
the rules, especially you
freshmen and sophomores
Play dumb. The main point
here is to commute via
skate. We're not suggesting
curb grinds on the quad or
ollies in the classroom-just
pure, clean transpo to and
from. When you touch
school grounds, pick it up
and proceed quietly to class.
The main idea is to make the
administration deal with
you; let them know how you
feel about your right to
skate. Suggest they start a
skaters' club or provide an
area where you can skate at
school for physical educa-
tion. At least they could con-
sider a safe place to keep
your board while you're in
class. Banning skateboards
from schools where bicycles
are allowed is unfair, and it
only takes a glance into the
parking lot at any high
school to realize the danger-
ous and idiotic behavior that
goes on there. The more
students who show up on
boards that first day, the
clearer the message, and the
less time you'll spend in
detention.
Last month in this column
I said Christian Fletcher said
inverts and fakies will never
happen on waves. It was
actually Don Redondo who
said something like that. As
far as I'm concerned Chris-
tian has probably already
pulled an invert on a wave.
it's just that nobody was
looking
Skate On.
Brethren and Sistren.
Kevin J. Thatcher
Steve Allison
stays after
school for an
extracurricular
one-footed
ollie tail grab.
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