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Pottery Barn sells a wall mount shelf that is a skateboard! After wracking my brain trying to think of what to buy a 16 year old stateboard fanatic (other than a board and shoes), I stumbled upon this! Less than $40 with shipping! Thought I'd pass it on.
If your kid is serious, buy him the following:
- GOOD knee / elbow pads and helmet: TSG or Boneless. Vert Ramp quality stuff (if your kid skates transitions).
- Bones Swiss bearings... the BEST!!!!
- A few sets of wheels in his favorite sizes. Wheels get overcooked really fast (I swap mine out every month at least). Street skaters like 50-53mm, Ramp and Pool skaters use 58mm and up.
- A gift cert to SocalSkateshop.com!
Cool! I'll go check it out. My 13 year old, who is a competitive ballroom dancer, like me, has decided he is no longer going to dance or let anybody know he dances because he is a "skater" now. Yep. He's out there doing ollies and all these things I never even heard of. He's into all things skateboard now.
Cool! I'll go check it out. My 13 year old, who is a competitive ballroom dancer, like me, has decided he is no longer going to dance or let anybody know he dances because he is a "skater" now. Yep. He's out there doing ollies and all these things I never even heard of. He's into all things skateboard now.
Sounds like my son. One week he is going to be "preppy" and wear all Hollister or AF, next week he is going to be an actor, and the latest is a skateboarder complete with hat worn backwards, all skateboard insignia shirts,narrow pants,shoes and attitude. I think this will stick except for now when it's snowing or icy. Oh god, do I have to invest in snowboarding stuff now? I need a loan. Anybody?
Skateboarding attracts a lot of kids initially but once they realize how difficult it is many will drop out. The real skateboarders will shun them if they are not serious about their skating and they will not be welcomed at the skatepark. A lot of kids have the "skater" look but really have no connection to skateboarding - and many end up peripherally around the scene as posers which opens them to a lot of negative influences like pot and alcohol. Avoid buying the clothes until the child has proven they are serious about the actual skating - the other kids will just see them as a rich kid who hasn't paid his dues. A skater does not necessarily have to be great to get respect, but he has to try - and that means always pushing his limits a little bit every day, taking the slams like a big boy, getting back up, putting in the time on the board. I have seen 7 and 8 year olds who have learned these lessons, getting respect from grown men like me.
If your kids are just getting into it, buy them some good equipment (from a skate shop, NOT the toy store) and proper safety gear along with a month's pass to the skatepark. Encourage them to skate AT THE SKATEPARK and not in parking lots or on the streets. The skatepark will teach him how to ride ramps and the flats, and he will see more experienced skaters ride, at speed, rather than the endless slow-speed fumbling on the pavement that many kids seem to get stuck in.
Skateboarding is incredibly difficult and takes years to gain the consistency and confidence necessary to have fun and not get hurt. Unless your kid has something better to do, he should be skating every single day with fairly serious intent to get to any level of skills within a year or so. Skateboarding requires the same level of dedication and practice as any ballgame sport, and it is comparable to Gymnastics or Figure Skating in the danger level as concrete is very hard and you *will* fall and *will* get injured.
My nephew is really into skateboarding. It's been going on about 4 years now. Unfortunately, he lives in Chicago, not the best place to live for skateboarding. Flat and unable to skate at the skateboard parks 5 months of the year. We have some indoor parks, but not many. And without a drivers license, they're not easy for him to get to either. I sometimes feel badly for him because I wish he could do it more often.
A good stocking stuffer for the younger skateboarder are Tail Devils, they have double back tape and two small screws to secure them to the tail end of their skateboard, they look extra cool at night sending a shower of sparks behind them. The link is of them in action on the back of some Heelies instead of a skateboard.
A good stocking stuffer for the younger skateboarder are Tail Devils, they have double back tape and two small screws to secure them to the tail end of their skateboard, they look extra cool at night sending a shower of sparks behind them. The link is of them in action on the back of some Heelies instead of a skateboard.
just go to the skate shop, and get somthing bru. support the local skate scene.
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