Born To Fly

I stumbled across an old favourite on YouTube today, it was the video of skateboarder Danny Way making use of incredibly large (and no doubt similarly expensive) Mega Ramp built for him by DC shoes.

It's hard to believe this was only 6 years ago but I remember seeing this footage for the first time and the sense of awe it invoked within me. It seemed as if he took flight and soared majestically and a part of me longed to do the same.

I always wanted to be a skateboarder. Some of my earliest memories are of repeatedly asking for a skateboard and I remember my excitement when I finally received one at the age of 6 or 7. The excitement however was short lived as my skating days were fewer in number than I could have expected.

Eager for every opportunity to practice my new skill, I arose one morning before school and sensibly attired in pyjamas, dressing gown and slippers, began skating. The location in hindsight was far from ideal, a steep concrete slope leading down to our garage, it's surface pitted with stones. Inevitably I fell and these stones did their worst.

Along with the expected cuts and grazes to my face and hands a particularly vicious stone somehow defeated the protective qualities of my slipper and opened a large gash in my ankle. The sight of such a sudden outpouring of blood is likely the exact moment my skating dreams disappeared. The shock on the faces of my parents at the sight of my injury and the frantic drive to seek medical aid convinced me this was a little more serious than my usual childish accidents. Stitches complete the Doctor pointed out the folly of my actions and showed that a centimetres difference would have seen me open a vein, a far more frightening scenario.

So when I returned, the skateboard had gone and my mind turned away from those dreams, until a few years ago when I saw Danny Ways effortless flight.