Naomi in the Skatepark

Part 2 - The Wonder Years contd.

Years passed, and I eventually went to the Playstation skatepark near Ladbroke Grove. I can’t remember if it was my first visit, but I felt like a fool none the less. The conversation I had with the guy at the desk was something along these lines:

‘Hi, I’m kind of a beginner, and I’m 23 years old – is this a bad idea? I’m pretty nervous’
‘Do I know you?’
‘No, I’m a beginner’
‘I’m sure I recognise you from somewhere’
‘I don’t think so, I’m a beginner’
‘Hey! You’re that girl! Yeah! You’re that girl that does all that amazing stuff on her skates on the streetskates!’
‘Um… I’m sure you must be thinking of someone else – like I say, I’m um… a beginner’
And so I met Lloyd. He proceeded to big me up to all the guys in the vicinity, and took me over to the midi ramp and introduce me to Mariko and Jenny Logue (I was star struck – I recognised her name from the skate magazines from years ago) and asked them to take me under their wings – but not before bigging me up to them too. By the time he was done with me I was ready to die… usually I would love that kind of attention, but here I was, about to stumble like a toddler taking their first steps all over again.

At chuck out time, Lloyd told me to stay on and have the vert to myself, watched me do my first ever clumsy 360 on a ramp, along with accompanying yelps, and took me across to the street section. The street section. A big bag of sweeties. I cant remember quite what we did in the street section, but I think he was trying to make me grind. After my experience in Manchester that wouldn’t be happening again for another few years yet. In fact I had a bad case of coping fear, to the point of freaking out and falling every time I went near it.

During the next couple of years I discovered some other uses for ramps, outside of the skatepark - at the Eastbourne festival I had the pleasure of knocking out a young kid who I collided with on a funbox, both of us helmetless, and him coming off the worse – but I also got to try out highjump for the first time.

Highjump is… I think a pic is the only thing that will work here:

I also went to Lausanne for the Urban Contest with Scooby and Chris (Club Blue Room skate shop) to do the Bladercross there, and magically avoided maiming myself when doing the wall-rides or flying off the double decker bus, but still managed to spend months in physio with a rotator cuff injury to my right shoulder from a really pathetic fall. As usual I got up and carried on, which probably doubled my medical bill. A Bladercross is pretty much just an insanely dangerous assault course, often on a downhill, and four of you race over the course together at a time. Very cosy, especially on the wall-rides where only one person would survive if you all attacked it at once. I preferred to be at the back of the pack and enjoy the almost impossible challenge of actually getting to the end still in one piece!

During this time I visited the skatepark off and on, weekly for a couple of months at a time but I find that for every month I spend on the ramps, I have to take another month off with injury. 2 years ago I dropped into the vert from standing for the first time and spent the next 3 weeks off skates (mainly because I ignored my messed knee and tried again, giving myself severe whiplash and a headache) and a year before returning to the ramps. On my return I dropped from standing into the vert successfully for the first time, but then didn’t return until now because when you’re at home in the evening, the idea of watching a DVD, reading a book, making supper, going out with friends – ALL seem so much more appealing than going somewhere that is going to make you nervous and hurting. You can only stretch your comfort zone so far, you know? I could remember the overwhelming feeling of achievement and success that came from almost every session, but it never helped me overcome the easier alternatives.

And here we are a year later, all set to go at it again…

Naomi's website: http://www.skatefreestyle.com/

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