First feet

Last night was my first skate session. It took place in 2° Celsius temperatures, around 8pm after the boy went to bed. The driveway was a bit wet, and there was a pile of snow off to one side of the drive. The only light was coming from my kitchen window.

I set the board down and worked at the bushings a bit to get rid of that new deck squeak.

Then, I decided to do what every newbie does - actually try to get on the deck without falling down. And I did that, no problem. I stepped onto it and pushed off, getting about five feet before losing my balance a bit and stepping off.

And that’s how the rest of the brief session went, pushing off, riding for about 5 to 25 feet, then stopping short. Any way you look at it, I didn’t fall, so that’s a good thing.

It certainly is an advantage to skate in Canada in early Spring: you can keep your water bottle in the snowbank to keep it super cold.

My only difficulty on my first time out was, aside from looking like an idiot with arms all-a-jittery, my inability to move in a straight line. Instead, I tended to curve to the right. My untrained balance kept me from being able to really curve back left without having to step off the board. I surmise that my curving had something to do with my stance:

My feet both point in the same direction, both toward the right side of my board. I think that means I ride “Regular” style and not “Goofy” - even though I’m left-handed.

Having my back foot across the back truck area helps me control and steer while my front foot isn’t really sure where to go. So far if it’s in the middle, it’s easier to have balance and not fall overboard. I actually tend to ride with my back foot even further down the tail of the board, almost over the curve, which gives me even more lateral control, but sometimes causes me to lose it when I lose my balance.

Not having anyone to ask for help, I’m not really sure if I’m doing anything wrong here. I assume that the natural motion of a deck will curve in whatever direction your feet are facing.

Eventually, what I’d like to be doing is skating in a straighter line. For now, just being able to stay up is a treat, but in the future, I’d like to look at more of the mechanics of how to control the board while I move.

Speaking of feet, we went to the mall tonight after supper to a shoe store. The Airwalks on display at Payless and Zellers were terribly ugly so I’ve pretty much decided to stay far away from them.

At another shoe store, I saw some lovely green-ish Adidas skate shoes that I liked very much. Before I sunk the cash, I’ve decided (with the help of the lovely Jammer) to visit Legacy again and see what their discounts kicks look like. Of course, I’ll post pictures when I get something to shoot.