Sticking to the roots

By Mario P

Everyone has some sort of hobby or activities that they like to do. Hobbies can be a pastime for some, and maybe a coping mechanism for others. However, as time passes on, the joy from these hobbies might not feel the same anymore.

This was the case for me. I got burned out of my hobbies and it’s been a while since I’ve had something that brought me comfort and joy. Video games became boring to me, and I lost my motivation for playing sports. Skating has been the first since.

I first started skating near the end of sophomore year. I had a friend who skated and asked if I wanted to try. At first, I couldn’t balance but after a bit of help, I was able to balance decently. At the time, I’d only scratched the surface, and didn’t really think much of it.

Going into junior year, I started hanging out with a new friend group more after some altercations with my old friend group.

About half of the people in the group skated, including my friend who had introduced me to skating the year before, and my interest in skating came back. My friend would let me borrow his board and eventually, I decided to buy my own.

I would bring my board every day to school and practice during lunch. After a few weeks, I decided to learn some tricks, so I decided with the easiest one: the ollie. I had no idea how difficult and frustrating it would be. Hours, hours, and hours of practicing and so many failed attempts and falls and scratches.

One day, I finally landed the trick. For some reason though, it didn’t feel as satisfying or accomplishing as I thought it would. My feet being exhausted, I sat down for a bit and thought about it.

I thought about my routine recently, and then I realized something: for the last few weeks of skating, I’d only been practicing tricks. I hadn’t cruised around in a while, which was what I enjoyed the most when I first started.

I got back up and got on my board. I didn’t have much time left as the sun was starting to set. I went on a very long ride until the moon shined bright.

When I was skating, most of the roads were empty, with the occasional person or two, but even then, it felt good being alone and just rolling down the streets.

The gentle breeze of the wind and the sense of calmness felt soothing. No overwhelming feelings or thoughts about problems at home or at school or anything. Just me and my board cruising down the street.

Oftentimes, it’s easy for us to lose sight of what we love the most. I felt scared that I would get burned out from skating like all my other hobbies. After going back deep into the roots, I was able to remember why I loved skating and why I picked it up. I feel very confident that this will be a hobby that I’ll stick with for a long time, because it fulfills needs that I’ll always have.

I wanna give a special thanks to my friend Kevin Ley, for teaching me how to skate and bringing me into his group when I was at one of my lowest points, and helped me fulfill my sense of belonging, community, and empowerment. I don’t know where I’d be now if you hadn't been there for me.

For the Warrior Times, this is Mario Perez.