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outlaw
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| Date: |
28.10.2007 11:42 PM
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  How Young Is Too Young?
10.19.07
When your parents asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what did you say? A dentist? A fireman? A school teacher? A professional skateboarder? Uh, a professional skateboarder?! Nine times out of ten, chances are they probably laughed at you when you said those words, but recently, parents are starting to take their kids a little more seriously. When they see Rob Dyrdek on MTV with one of the most watched reality TV shows, read about Tony Hawk being an international icon, or hear the possibilities of skateboarding being in the Olympics, this idea doesn't seem too bad them. When I was younger, my parents would've just brushed it off and said, "That's nice, dear." But today's parents are taking what their kids say in stride and are bringing them to skate parks in car loads. Yes, the soccer mom has now been replaced by the skate mom. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's good that parents accept skateboarding and want their kids to do it, but once you start bringing your kids to the park to "practice," things get a little weird. And with the recent surge of younger kids getting sponsored and entering contests, you have to ask, are the parents wanting this, or the kids? There's nothing worse than being at a skate park and seeing a kid being "coached" by his parents when they obviously know nothing about skating anyway. The thought of parents trying to live vicariously through their kids' skateboarding isn't something that seems too realistic, but it happens. Parents sometimes get a skewed reality of what skateboarding is because of what is in the mainstream, and they want their kid to be that. But what they need to realize is that it's not that easy to become the top pro with all the money and the fame, and even more importantly, that's not what skateboarding is about. Or at least, it's not the most important thing about being an accomplished skateboarder. Once you start worrying about money, contests, and getting your lines dialed at the park, you lose sight of the fun side of things. And how are you supposed to be skating your best if you're not having fun? The best skateboarders around who are still ripping (like Brian Anderson, above) got where they are today because they skated whenever and wherever they wanted, challenged themselves to try new tricks, and most of all, were having a really good time doing it. So if your kid's got talent, let them use it. But most of all, let them use it so they can have fun for themselves first -- sponsors and all that other good stuff can come later.
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