I do not own a skateboard. The only time I ever even tried to skateboard was in fourth or fifth grade, and I failed miserably, never getting my speed above a moderately paced walk. I remember being disappointed, because skateboarding looked like so much fun, but I was too lazy, I guess, to practice and improve.
Actually, when it comes to sports, that's the story of my life. Always trying for a while and getting too discouraged to continue. My first memory of organized athletics is from kindergarten, when my parents signed me up for an soccer team. We used to practice every week, basically trying simply to learn the rules, and we also played a few games. I remember liking our yellow shirts with the "AYSO" (American Youth Soccer Organization) patch, and I enjoyed eating oranges between quarters. But I never really got the hang of the game. How, I wondered, could Louis Quaglino actually kick the ball with his head? It always seemed so dangerous. Then, one Saturday, during a game, the soccer ball came flying at me. Too responsible to just run away, but too ignorant and scared to use the proper procedure, I just stood there, like a deer staring into headlights. Don't ask me how, but the ball actually flew straight at my stomach and knocked the wind right out of me. I remember that it was painful, and Coach took me out of the game. After that season, I never went back to soccer.
The next year, in first grade, I won the class "marathon" on Field Day. Pleasure and pride ran strong, and I was determined to win again the next year. However, in second grade, I only came in second, and by third grade, I was way behind the front-runners. Disappointed, I opted out of Field Day after a few years. When I finally tried an organized sport again it was four years later, in seventh grade, when I joined the school basketball team. The tiny, parochial grade school that I attended definitely could not compete with the area public schools that we played, but we had fun, for two years at least. Granted, our record was something like 1-6 each year, but our single victory was incredibly sweet.
Unfortunately, basketball, one of my most rewarding athletic experiences, stopped with grammar school for me, and I moved on to cross country running in ninth grade. I was actually in good shape for four months, running at least six miles a day, but when winter track came, it was too cold for me, and I quit the team. I never went back. Of course, losing me was not a huge detriment to the team; I was always at the back of the pack. Still, though, I have the feeling that I should have stuck out the cold weather and continued in the sport.
But I did not stick it out, and I have not played an organized sport since then. I guess I am just one of those none-too-athletic types who does not even really like playing sports all that much. Perhaps I prefer non-competitive athletics, because I rarely feel even the slightest hope of winning in competition. However, the answer does not seem so simple, considering my skateboarding experience.
Given all of that, I realize that being healthy and in shape is wonderful and definitely worthwhile. So, recently, I got a pair of rollerblades, and I hope to be inspired by them -- or at least the money spent on them -- to go out and get a little more exercise.
At the same time, I have come to appreciate people who are consistent in their athletic activities, including the Hanover kids who skateboard in town. Of course, they seem a little out of control at times, but I think that is just the viewers' ignorance; skateboarders who are regularly trying new things and attempting to increase their level of skill sometimes seem to us to be risky, and even dangerous, but they are in much better control than we think.
However, the Hanover populace has decided to outright ban skateboarding in our little "business district," because of such unreasonable fears. Although it is unlikely, the town board should reconsider its ruling. Skateboarders give some energy to Hanover; they make the town more lively and interesting. Furthermore, they are getting some exercise and having some fun, which should be encouraged, not feared and prohibited. For as long as no one gets hurt, Hanover should welcome skateboarders, rather than selfishly insisting upon more sedate surroundings.
My basketball career ended because of something simpler than this -- grammar school was over. Let's not cause the same thing to happen to the Hanover skaters. Let them enjoy themselves, for Pete's sake.
