This is the beginning of the journey, and I welcome you all to it. Over the next five or so weeks, I will be traveling, along with my companion Mira Horwitz, to over twenty states and as many cities across the country. In between long drives from place to place we will spend one or two days in cities small and large, primarily going to skateparks.
I have been skateboarding for five years, and while I have not dedicated myself to the craft in the way that those who become skilled in the wizardry of footwork and balance that make an extraordinary skateboarder have, I have found love for the skills and values that skating has taught me. From the personal, incremental achievement of landing a new trick to the communal support and tutelage found at every single skatepark, skating has given me a community to love, goals to commit to, and courage to overcome challenges that seem as if they will forever be just beyond the grip of my grasping fingertips. It is for these reasons that I decided to pursue a writing project about skateboarding this summer. I aim to share the stories of skateboarders throughout the country and their reasons that skating keeps them coming back. These reasons will undoubtedly be similar yet so different to mine, as the world of skating spans every background and life experience. I invite you to follow along as I learn from my fellow skaters, sisters and brothers united in pushing the limits of what can be done with a seven-ply piece of wood.
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