You call that skateboarding? volume 1

Welcome to the first installment of "You call that Skateboarding". Ever get the feeling that people just don't understand? For example... kids these days... anytime I skate in public I get a grab-bag of looks and stares from the under twenty population. I know the same theme is playing through each of their adolescent, A.D.D. minds... "wtf is that?" Four wheels, two trucks and a deck... it must be skateboarding. Yesterday we went to the lake to cool off after a weekend of skating in the heat. The lake was great and my kids had a blast. B fell off the monkey bars and landed flat on his side but he seems to be doing fine now. On the way home from the lake we decided to stop off at a tiny "skate park". The eight foot tall ramp has nine foot transitions so it stops just short of vert. Anyway, we show up and there are several kids lounging around on the ramp chatting. The kids took one look at us and asked if we were there to go swimming. "No, we are here to skate" I said in a friendly tone. We put on our pads and made our way through the gate and across the concrete slab to the ramp. They stared and stared. All geared up with helmets and pads, I guess we looked like that scene in the "right stuff" where the astronauts are [in super slow-mo] walking toward the space rocket. The kids cleared the small ramp with jaws dropped. I felt awkward, Not necessarily cool, maybe more like a circus act. We started skating and having fun. I pulled a little hand plant below the lip, one of the kids said "what was that?" to which the other kid replied "That was with out a doubt the cool-ist thing I have ever seen!". lol! Then one of the other kids (sans board) piped up and said "Would you like me to give you a pointer on your 50/50's?" "Sure!" I said very genuinely. Help is always welcome. "Do your Ollie into it sooner" said the kid very matter of fact. I smiled, I had in no way been ollieing into my 50/50's, at this point that is beyond my skill level. Oh well the kid thought that is what I needed to do so I thanked him for the advice. While we were there we inspired another kid to actually try skating the ramp. He had a blast. Maybe next time we show up the kids will be skating... and wearing pads! lol! Either way I am sure they will look at me and think, "YOU CALL THAT SKATEBOARDING?"