At lunch on Friday one of the boys was talking about his dad’s skateboards, and I had a flashback to my skateboard. Let’s gather around for storytime, shall we?
When I was a kid (6 or 7?) my brothers each had a skateboard. Now this was waaaaayyy back before there was all this ‘lots of room for your feet’ nonsense. These skateboards were skinny – the only way the entire soles of both your feet would fit is if you were treating it like a tight rope. Here’s an example.
The boys were pretty good on them. The wheels were like rubber roller-skate wheels. Not in-line skates, but wide, wide cylinders of clear rubber. The ‘shocks’, or whatever they were called, were nice and loose, so turning was possible. I would occasionally take timid little tries on their boards, but I was clumsy and they seemed too wobbly.
I decided I wanted my own.
I asked my parents if I could buy one. They said ‘yes’, but that I’d have to pay for it myself. Oh, the agony! Apparently I had a savings account, but I have no idea how money got in there. (I don’t remember getting an allowance, but there’s no telling. I do remember that I was tight with the cash that I had because I liked feeling rich. I would trade coins in for pennies so I could fill up my purple Crown Royal bag with maximum bulk.)
Anyway, we went to Clubb’s Ben Franklin and I plunked down sixteen dollars of my somehow-earned money and bought – not a yellow one like by brothers’ – a pink skateboard. My own! My own! My very own!
I never learned to ride it.
Nope. I was still pretty clumsy on it. I’m pretty sure this was back before elbow pads and helmets had been invented, so I was a goner for sure. It even had rock-hard shocks so there was no wobbling (also no turning), but I decided that I was better off perching my bony butt on it and using the sprinkler key as a paddle, rowing around the neighborhood like a dork.
Good times. Still can’t ride a skateboard.
Brad says
I don’t know what a sprinkler key is, but that skateboard looks very familiar. I don’t think I had one, but somebody I know did. Maybe a cousin?
Peggy says
I like the sit down version of skateboarding! Genius!
And I don’t know what a sprinkler key is either. Are you sure it went to the skateboard?
Lauren's dad says
You can see one here:
http://www.doitbest.com/Sprinkler+Tools-Orbit-model-53033-doitbest-sku-735256.dib
Peggy says
OOOHHHHH! And thank you!
Peggy says
One of my favorite such items as a child was the pogo stick. We would bounce for hours. So of course when my kids were little, I got them each one. Of course I had to try it to see if I could still master it. With excitment I went for the first jump and … thump. It just bottomed out. No jumping. Then I read the weight limit on the box. 70 lbs. Oops. I least I didn’t break it.
michelle says
I’ve experienced that sinking feeling! Made me laugh.
michelle says
Think of the upper body workout that you got rowing around the block! Probably was good for the back and abs too. You were a fitness guru in the making.