…ain’t what he used to be. But he does have some practices he uses to keep skating:
Stretch before skating. From head to toe. My older brother swears by yoga, but I don’t know, because he can only skate half as long as me. Stretching seems good enough.
Pay attention to your gear. One less variable to control. With a real job there’s not much of an excuse to keep worn-out components.
Treat your feet and knees right. Don’t know about you, but I strain my ankles and knees most of all. My doc suggested that real insoles go a long way to reducing wrong ankle stress, and I believe him. I wear Dr Scholls Sports. I also go with a pair of knee braces–primarily because I’ve got some arthritis going on there. Somedays I’ll wear a simple glove-like gasket. Tough days call for the full-blown mechanical-man brace.
Learn to fall better. Still don’t have this one down, but I keep thinking about how to get out of tough spots at the last minute.
More pads. I’ve learned to always pad my front elbow and wrist, and always wear knee pads and helmet on any ramp or bowl. Part of that’s because I don’t heal as fast, part of that’s because my balance is less predictable, but mostly because I want to skate again tomorrow.
The only other thing I’m trying is glucosomine/chondrotin–even though there’s little or no scientific evidence, it’s worth a shot. I’m taking it in powder form with the Emergen-C packs.
Natas was always one of my favorite skaters back in the 80s. I was reminded of how innovative and influential he actually was when I watched the old Wheels of Fire and Streets on Fire vids from Santa Cruz. Here’s a clip from Streets:
Aron and I caught the Vert Finals yesterday on the Dew Tour. And though I was rooting for PLG, I’ve got to admit Shaun White conquered all. Here are some video clips:
I’ve always dug Mike Vallely’s combination of strength, humility, and quiet intensity. Vallely’s one of the few skaters who, through the years, has never disappointed and consistently invoked awe (even when roughing up ruffians). Here are a couple videos of the great Iron Mike:
I abandoned my last orthopedist because (1) each time I came in he acted like I was a new patient (2) he rarely had more than 5 minutes to talk, and (3) he had given me highly contradictory diagnoses, including “worn-out ACL has to be replaced” vs “everything looks healthy”. He also liked to chide me for skateboarding and suggested I take up bicycling instead.
I got a 2nd opinion today, and was glad of it. My new orthopedist is laid back, friendly, and interested in solving my problems. He’s also supportive of a long-term commitment to skating, and believes with proper training I can keep at it for another decade at least.
So the short of his diagnosis is: arthritis, some calcification, some looseness, but for what it’s been through, it looks good. He sent me home with a new knee brace and 8 appointments with a physical therapist. No surgery in the immediate future. The bad news is that the one skiing accident (now 20 years past) has caused significant long-term damage that is essentially irreversible.
“Your knee’s going to wear out sooner or later no matter what you do,” he said, “But I don’t see any reason to stop skateboarding…”
Today I discovered Tony Hawk’s interview of Rodney Mullen from 2009. Both of these guys were heroes of mine as a kid. You can tell these guys not only go way back together, but that they’re good friends, too.
In part one Rodney reveals how he lost his tooth, and explains the home-grown technique he uses to tear his hip away from the socket to which it’s continually trying to fuse itself (hint: it involves an automobile):
At least that explains why Mullen was so anxious to erase his stance.
I’m really digging Zander Ritchie’s “Scottish 5 Tricks” video series that he’s pumping out over on mpora.com–and not just because I’m 1/4 Scot! As the title suggests, this series spotlights Scottish locals showing off 5 tricks.
