STREET LEAGUE

Spent the afternoon and early evening at a skateboarding competition at The Prudential Center in Newark with my youngest son, oldest son, grandson, and two friends of my youngest. Wonderful mix in the cheering crowd and among the competitors. Witnessed some feats of balance and footwork and aerodynamics and creating works of art out of body and board manufacturing illusions of suspended animation and impossible physics and grace as well as noble failures and mishaps.

Entertaining and delightful. I'm grateful to my boys for sharing their love of this unique individual sport and art and helping me to appreciate it as well. Only wish it had been around when I was a kid.  Can't wait for the Olympics to catch up to it. Though my boys think it would spoil the purity of its street cred. If you ever get a chance to watch some great skateboarders, take it.

Here's a link to a video of one trick in slo mo so you can see how difficult it is (after the commercial, then the first try and major mishap that would have put me in the hospital—that's concrete he's landing on—second try beautiful).