Surf-skating
The beginning of spring this year (2022), re-awakened a thrill for me that I had barely experienced for decades in the form of skateboarding; or more accurately longboarding. I had actually previously bought (around 8 years ago) a drop-through design Landyachtz Switchblade 38 through a local bricks and mortar store but had used it a handful of times. I had quickly assessed that the risk of continuing to ride it and falling would make for too big a disruption to my grand plans at that time.
And I had no idea that it would re-enter my life until I witnessed earlier this year a small group of 'onewheel' users tearing up a local Brisbane river walk/ride path; and being intrigued at whether it would be something suitable for me given that I had considered getting a Segway (that was the original gyroscopically commanded transport device) around a decade ago (I didn't end up getting one mainly because of strict restrictions on where they could be used).
The potential for a new boarding life continued to remain on hold until I became aware of it again in the phenomenon of surfskating. After seeing this I could resist no longer and I purchased a Carver Greenroom complete (with CX trucks). It did not take long before I was wanting to experience more and the search for the perfect instrument of pleasure had started. In the meantime I made myself busy learning the ways of carving and pumping in order to 'surf' the vast tracts of concrete present in urban settings.
Surfskating is distinct from traditional 'skateboarding' in that it allows one to ride for long stretches without pushing in the usual manner, and this was the greatest appeal of the discipline to me at first, as was the fact that the most technical riding techniques had applicability to other board sports like surfing which I had always intended to do 'some day'.
It took me only a few days to really begin to get the pumping techniques down through small but important epiphanies. But the learning does not stop and even now some months later, I still discover ever so subtle effects from placing feet a different way or modifying a body position or lean etc.
The thing that helped me most early on was watching videos of adept riders who made the relationship between body movement to board motion effects evident (my 'mirror neurons' must be important here), and watching an 'infinite loop' of turns on a surfskate is quite mesmerising to see. The rider's body flows in space in a magical way. Those who can do it show a complete understanding of the trust between the rider and the board in relation to the mechanics of gravity.
I should say that at this point (several months in), I am able to do a 'lazy' eight shape ie. infinite loop but without the explosive power that the endless technique in tight formation requires. My longer term aim is to be able to do this readily, and each surfskating session I am able to do brings me closer to that goal. The side effect while I'm building up to it, is that I've done no other leg type exercise in my life before this that I enjoy more; and the benefits in strength and power are quite noticeable in all other activities also.
I hope to share more of my experiences in surfskating (and also longboarding) as I get the opportunity to do so; together with reviews of some of my boards and equipment. This is also re-igniting a very old film-making ambition that has been dormant in me for a long time and this prospect is also quite exciting.