My adrenaline spikes as my board and I race around the walls of the bowl. I squat up and down, trying to go as fast as possible. My legs are exhausted as I come up to the thick metal coping. I lift my board and lean in again, hoping to have the speed to lift my board and air out of the bowl. Excitement overwhelms me as I feel the skateboard lift out of the bowl as if I had wings, flying through the air and suddenly, feeling the board slam back down against the concrete. It is always my favorite feeling in the world. 

When I started skating in 2020, I wasn’t very happy with myself. I doubted my capabilities, I hated the way I looked and I often felt unmotivated.Then, I got a skateboard for Christmas, and while I didn’t notice it then, I now realize this was the first hobby that has truly made me happy.

One of the many benefits I’ve gained from skating is confidence. When starting, I knew if I continued to doubt my abilities, I would never be able to commit to a trick and would keep failing. Thus, I began to prefer falling and taking the hit while overthinking to never trying at all. Since, I have implemented this thought process into my daily life. I used to have social anxiety and tended to avoid conversations with strangers, and as a result, I didn’t have many friends. After a couple months of skating, my mindset changed from avoiding my social fears to meeting new friends with confidence. My mindset now is that if it doesn’t go well, I will get back up and keep going.

The more I skated, the more I saw my motivation and consistency increase. I began to see the world less as a scary place and more as a skatepark with different jumps and challenges to take on. All I had to do was keep trying and eventually, I would find myself mastering those skating challenges; the reward always kept me motivated to press on.

Life can present numerous challenges that you struggle to get past. Like a crack in the sidewalk, you can find yourself struggling to cross and search for a solution – skateboarding is mine. Skateboarding taught me patience, not only with myself, but with certain situations and people in general. When things grew difficult within my life, skateboarding taught me to never give up, because the day you get past the challenge, the reward is always worth the wait.

The community surrounding this sport has improved my social skills. When I feel stuck on a trick, I ask the people around me who may have done it before if they can help me do it. I don’t feel as afraid to ask for help when I’m struggling. 

Skateboarding has shaped me into the person I am today. The sport has made me happier and continues to teach me valuable lessons that will carry me through my life. While my skateboard started out as just a simple Christmas present, it has turned into so much more.