A Year Journey Learn Skateboard
Starting play skateboard on the late '20s
It’s my first-year experience learning skateboard, and I started skateboarding when I was 28 years old. Actually I know about skateboard when I was in Junior High School when 15 years old and stop to play when 18 years old when I broke my deck. But when that age, I can’t improve my skill. Kinda hard because I am a girl and very rare to get the access to learn and get support system to teach me how to skateboarding. Then in my late 20’s I got a lesson to learn.
It’s never too late to start
Welcome back again me to skateboard life. When the first time I fall in love with a skateboard because of Tony Hawk games on Playstation that I played almost every day in my adolescence stage. Then now, since last year, I decided to buy a penny board and got impulsive by my best friend. He trigged me. Then when I back from nomad life and living in Jakarta, in December I started my first time skating in the skate park. My goal to back skating for that time is seeking something fun and enjoying. Because I am so busy with job. So I need something to entertain me. And skateboard is my choice.
After not so regularly playing skateboard, month by month, I found my regular schedule to play skateboard, and sometimes I bring my penny board to the office as my daily transportation, and on mid-year of 2019, I changed my deck, from a penny to skateboard but sometimes I borrow longboard from my friends.
Meet the community
Month by month since I started playing skateboard, I finally found the Longboard Girl Crew community in Jakarta, and I joined them. When I know them after joined, I really amazed with this community, they empowering women, and breaking the stereotype in the skate world. Yeah, I can feel it, when I was in junior high school, kinda hard to find a friend to play skateboard together. And now, I really happy can playing skateboard again in the latest of 20s.
Being a women doesn’t mean a fragile thing, women also can be strong, women can do anything that she loves, and I can discover my self through skateboarding. I think this is the mindful activity that I can do when I played skateboard, I can use my concentration more and connected with my own self. Skateboard changing me a lot. I learn how to be braver than before. I can feel when something wrong in my self, I can’t play skateboard well. And I also found “home”. I meet a new family. To me, Jakarta has a lot of skateboarders nowadays. And I really happy, every single journey has a story.
In skateboard, I can express my self, I can trying something challenge in my life. Every time I fall from the skateboard, teach me to be more courage to face the obstacles and be more aware.
A lot of decision
Skateboard change me a lot. And tempting me a lot too, there’s a lot of kind type of board, from the skateboard, longboard, carver, etc. I’ve tried every single kind of that board I mention it before. I try longboard and carver. When I try longboard, the downhill one, I can feel the freedoms. I can feel something that makes me smile when I do downhill. Really fun when I finished getting down from the highest road. I only have an opportunity on Sunday morning when Car Free Day in Jakarta.
Then I also have a skateboard, the classic one, I really happy when I learn how to ollie, and other tricks that some guys teach to me. Somehow, people think the women have a long progress to learn skateboard, yeah somehow. But I keep trying and make it fun with my board, and just for my pleasure. I was also proud of some women who have a brave to learn a lot of tricks. I know, it takes time to learn more and focusing. One thing that stealing my attention. Carver board. Ah, that’s board very tempting me a lot. Because beside skateboard, I really want to learn to surf for the next wishlist. And this board made for experiencing the surf.
One is not enough, but I need to make a decision which one fits on me and focus on that. Each board have a different experience but have the same philosophy. I only want to keep continue what I start, because skateboard helps me to understand and get back to know myself. I reconnect once again with my self and just let me be me.
