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After out of skateboarding 28 years I learned my first grind

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Long Board John
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:01 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 22 Jun 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Norwalk, CT
I will never forget the summer of 07.

When I was 12years old, back in the summer of 76, we built a 8ft tall by 4ft wide vert ramp at the bottum of the driveway. We rode that ramp almost every day. In the summer of 77 my parents took me to two local parks, one cement bowls and the other fiberglass ramps. I loved it but didn't get to go often. I couldn't do much, just go up do a 180 and come back down, a few fakies at the park and some other simple tricks. When I was 13 me and my parents moved out east to Connecticut. There were no parks any where!!

Being that I liked vert I quit skating. The 80's came and things got worse for skateboarders every where. I dreamed of a skatepark a nice cement one but it never came. After over a decade of dreaming and wishing I gave up hope.

Then a ramp park came to Norwalk Ct, my local town. Every time I went to the beach I would stop and watch the kids. I was disapointed to not see a half pipe. But they did have some good five foot and six foot ramps. My daughter asked me if she could have my skateboard. I told her she could borrow it. She said "Daddy I want to keep it. You never once rode it and besides you are way to old to ride skateboards. You can't ride it and you will never be able to ride ever again!!" For about 5 minutes a deep gloom came over me. She had a point. I was 41 years old. Was I to old? Is 40 the beginning of the end? My Doctor had told me that I had high blood pressure, high sugar, and high colesteral. I fully expected body parts to start falling off any day now. Maybe a heart attack or two in a couple of years.

I desperatly needed vigerous exersise, something fun so I would do it a lot. The more I thought about being old the more angry I got. I looked at my 7 year old daughter. Normally she was this cute little thing but now she looked like the devil hiding in a little girls body. I yelled back at her. "NO!!! NO!! you can not have my skateboard. Daddy can still ride it!! I through the board in the car yelled at Megan to get in and drove down to the skate park. Skating after 28 years was tough!! I fell a lot and couldn't do much. After some painful bruises I left for home discouraged. I went back to that park and other places for about a month and a half. I learned to ride up and down the ramps. I found a half pipe in front of a skateboard factory called Rampage. The owner was nice and gave me the combination to the lock and let me ride any time I wanted. One day in September I sprained my ankle bad and went on cructches. It got very cold outside before my ankle heeled enough for activity. The season was done. I thought my skateboarding days were done too. I was to old so I thought.

Then the spring came. Over the winter I gained some weight. My blood sugar was even higher. I needed to see a doctor and go on some serious medication. The gloom came over me again. Another year older now I am 42. I thought maybe if I just lose a couple of pounds.

One day I was bored at work and feeling really depressed. I looked on the internet for skateboarding web sites. I saw these great cement parks in California. That made me more depressed. Then I found Billy Bonebreaks posting of the plans for Stamford CT. Holy Shit!! I thought. Thats it!! That is the skateboard park of my dreams. After 29 years they plan to build it. I read more. It was a California company Grindline building it. 12 foot bowl!! Wow!! It looked sick!! Wait construction photo's ?!?!? They are building now!!!!!!!!!

That day was in May of 2007. On May 17th 2007 I loaded the family and my skateboard into the car and went to Stamford. I expected to see a working construction crew. I planned to spend the day at the play ground with my kids. As I got closer I could see some dirt piles with cement coping coming out of them. Then I saw a skateboarder in the distance fly out of the bowl. Wow!!

The big bowl was finished. The Grindline crew and others, about a dozen total were skating. I never saw anything like it. Four big bowls conected together. These skaters flew from one bowl to the next with massive speed. They then popped out and another dropped in. I stayed. My wife left me behind and went to the play ground with the kids. I watched in amazement for hours, holding on to my board as if it were some rare piece of gold. They asked me if I wanted to try. I said no. I told them they were 30 years to late. Finnaly the skaters stopped. Me and another skater jumped into the bottum and pushed into the waterfall. The bowl looked huge from inside!!. We rode a little. That was it I was hooked. I bought the Grindline crew beers and they let me skate.

I was really bad so I came every day at 5am to learn to skate. I kept comming. When the city guys shut down the site I went to other parks. I kept skating,getting better all the time. I learned to carve up the bowls and drop in. The weight fell off fast. My blood sugar dropped like a rock. I lost over 30 pounds. I started to feel much better.

Yesterday I was skating with Billy Bonebreak and his friend John. They are 44 and 45 years old. Both can rip through the park. I carved up the park pretty good myself but not as good as them. I was proud of myself. I felt like a kid again. Hell I was only 42 and younger then they are. John began to teach me how to grind on the pool coping. Treat this section of the bowl like a mini ramp he said. Just keep getting closer and closer to the coping.

I tried again and again. I inched my way up until I hit the coping, then finnally my back wheel slipped off the coping and the trucks grinded and tugged against the coping!! I did it!! I grinded!!!
I grinded about six times until I took a nasty fall. I didn't mind the bruises. It was better then a heart attack.

I was 42 and I could drop into the big bowls of Stamford and carve them up from one end to the other.

And now I could Grind!!!!!!!

I guess I am not to old after all.

P.S. Hope to see you at the park!!!!!!!

Long Board John
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Soulcrusher
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:10 pm Reply with quote
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Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 7692 Location: Cunt Back, MT
Great story. Inspiring, to say the least. I myself just got back into it this year, but I don't have a story like yours to tell. Thank you for sharing it. Good luck and keep it up. Remember, some of the legends in this sport are in their 50's, and you're never too old to do anything if your hearts in it.

I lost my L5 disk in June, which is going to make it hard for me to skate again, but I sure will give it a shot when I get better.

Good luck to you and keep us informed.

Jim

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DTAskater
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:24 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 31 Oct 2006 Posts: 821 Location: Groton, Connecticutz, U.S.A.
great story, john! i wanna see some grinds next time i see you down in groton.

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BillyBonebrake
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:58 pm Reply with quote
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Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 7513 Location: The Institute
Now that you've opened you big mouth we're going to heckle you when you don't grind it.
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mike.v
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:18 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 30 May 2007 Posts: 34 Location: The 'Port, CT
good work johnny. next time i'm in town i want to see sweepers in the clamshell...

had a good trip out to chicago... hit kokomo... um... yeah... that park rules. talk about tough gnarl... the shallows are super steep and the deeps tight in the corners. it's a really fun park to skate. i can't wait to get back.

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Long Board John
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 10:04 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 22 Jun 2007 Posts: 115 Location: Norwalk, CT
Guys,

I just learned it. And in one spot only. Give me some time to practice it and to gain confidence.

One step at a time.

Thanks though,

Long Board John
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gamby
Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 11:46 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 4925 Location: No Prov RI
Keep up with it, bro. They'll get easier and easier. Skate enough and you;ll be in decent shape before you know it.

My first bowl grind was witnessed by 3 English dudes (one of them was forum bro Scon). Nothing better than riding out of that grind and having three Brits give you a big cheer!!!

Congrats on getting back into it. I couldn't be happier that I did. Good luck w/ future sessions.
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Johnny B
Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:24 am Reply with quote
Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 365 Location: NC
WELL DONE LBJ!!!!

ya' worked hard and ya' got it.
'was an honor to be part of it.

being old...
don't worry about that stuff yet, you'll have plenty of time to be old, later.

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claywheels
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:39 pm Reply with quote
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 1312 Location: Orange County, Cal
Nice job LBJ! Cool story! Similiar deal here and I am diabetic also. 43 and grinding, woohoo. Been skating 2 yrs now. Wait til you skate with your kids, even funner.
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derekblankporritt
Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:53 pm Reply with quote
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Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 2672 Location: Kelowna, BC
great story. thanks.

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