Believe it or not - these wheels are from the very first skateboard I ever owned as a kid. I got my first board for Christmas when I was about 11 and got the deck autographed by Tony Hawk when he visited my city. I found my old deck in my Mum's garage when I dropped by at Christmas time and even though the deck was all hacked up and trashed, the wheels where still in pretty good shape. So I pulled them off, fitted some fresh bearings and slapped them on a spare deck I had at home and viola... instant retro cruiser. And by retro I actually mean retro. These wheels are old :) I never was the best skater in the world and certainly wasn't one of those kids who had a natural talent when it came to skateboarding but I did have one thing about me... I never gave up. I would take some absolutely massive stacks and end up as a crumpled bleeding mess on the road so many times - only to get back up and go all over again. Funny part is that part of me hasn't really changed at all.
Some kids asked me the other day what my favorite trick in skateboarding was and the answer was easy. I told them it was the first trick I ever learned and the trick that had me hooked right from day one. One thing I'll never get sick of and I'm still chasing it every time I step on a board. I asked them to guess and they shot off a stack of good tries but none of them were right. I told them my favorite trick is... SPEED. I still remember that first time bombing down a huge hill at full speed, barefoot and desperately trying to keep the death wobbles under control while at the same time soaking in that irreplaceable feeling that nothing in life comes close to. The only thing that maybe matches it is those dreams you have where you can fly and you can see the texture of the road streaming by under your face as you soar through the air. That's about as close as it gets. I remember being about 15 and being in the back of my Mums car at the top of a huge hill near where we lived. The cops had closed off the road all the way down the hill because of a massive petrol station fire and I just knew this was my moment...
I asked Mum to let me out, I grabbed my board and bombed that hill all the way from the top to where it flattened out and my wheels were just about melting from the friction and speed they'd just endured. No exaggeration, it was at least 3km of downhill bliss taking up both lanes on every corner and tucked in like a fighter pilot on a mission to break the sound barrier. So yeah, these wheels have seen some action. Some fairly serious action. These days they have a bit easier life and pretty much only get used when I take the dogs for a run but I know they've still got it in them. Can I just say this... Don't think just because something is old that it can't do great things and hasn't seen action. That old guy you know has a story and probably a few things He might be able to teach you. That old lady I'm sure has some very wise lessons about life and love to teach you too. I never knew any of my grandparents so I never got the chance to learn from them but if you're blessed to have them in your life take the time to sit and listen once in a while and I'm sure they'll surprise you with a depth of wisdom that only comes from walking the path of life.
There's wisdom all around us and truth be told it often isn't in the obvious or loudly publicized places. It's often in the quiet places, the 'nothing to prove' places, the humble places. Like these wheels, anyone else just sees some super old Variflex 60/90 retro wheels from a broken up skateboard... but not me. I see a story. Everyone has a story. Everyone has worth. God loves you.
Some kids asked me the other day what my favorite trick in skateboarding was and the answer was easy. I told them it was the first trick I ever learned and the trick that had me hooked right from day one. One thing I'll never get sick of and I'm still chasing it every time I step on a board. I asked them to guess and they shot off a stack of good tries but none of them were right. I told them my favorite trick is... SPEED. I still remember that first time bombing down a huge hill at full speed, barefoot and desperately trying to keep the death wobbles under control while at the same time soaking in that irreplaceable feeling that nothing in life comes close to. The only thing that maybe matches it is those dreams you have where you can fly and you can see the texture of the road streaming by under your face as you soar through the air. That's about as close as it gets. I remember being about 15 and being in the back of my Mums car at the top of a huge hill near where we lived. The cops had closed off the road all the way down the hill because of a massive petrol station fire and I just knew this was my moment...
I asked Mum to let me out, I grabbed my board and bombed that hill all the way from the top to where it flattened out and my wheels were just about melting from the friction and speed they'd just endured. No exaggeration, it was at least 3km of downhill bliss taking up both lanes on every corner and tucked in like a fighter pilot on a mission to break the sound barrier. So yeah, these wheels have seen some action. Some fairly serious action. These days they have a bit easier life and pretty much only get used when I take the dogs for a run but I know they've still got it in them. Can I just say this... Don't think just because something is old that it can't do great things and hasn't seen action. That old guy you know has a story and probably a few things He might be able to teach you. That old lady I'm sure has some very wise lessons about life and love to teach you too. I never knew any of my grandparents so I never got the chance to learn from them but if you're blessed to have them in your life take the time to sit and listen once in a while and I'm sure they'll surprise you with a depth of wisdom that only comes from walking the path of life.
There's wisdom all around us and truth be told it often isn't in the obvious or loudly publicized places. It's often in the quiet places, the 'nothing to prove' places, the humble places. Like these wheels, anyone else just sees some super old Variflex 60/90 retro wheels from a broken up skateboard... but not me. I see a story. Everyone has a story. Everyone has worth. God loves you.
