Much like an artist, skater spends years perfecting their craft until they are able to flawlessly perform a simple kick or heel flip.   

“It takes blood, sweat, and a lot of pairs of shoes,”  said local skater Sam Ford.

   Everyone starts from somewhere and it may look intimidating. All one has to do is pick up a board and go.Old school, popsicle, penny, cruiser, longboard, these are all different types of skateboard deck shapes and with a lot more, there is always a shape of a board that each skater gravitates, too that matches the type of style that they skate.

   Old school decks tend to have a wider nose with a skinnier tail that has a lot bigger of a curve of a tail. This shape with a wider front base and dragged out tail makes control at higher speeds a lot easier, and when you are riding the walls of a bowl, known as carving.

   Popsicle is the type of deck that you see most skaters on. This deck is for more technical tricks like kick flips and heel flips. The reason for this is the symmetry of the board, making landing from any direction relatively easy.  

   But, once you pick up a board how do you decide on what you do with it. There are 3 main styles of skating, Vert, Street, and Cruising. When you put the three in order of risk and or extremes you have to cruise last. This is the type of person that is there for the ride the decks are typically longer, the wheels bigger and softer and the ride smoother.

   “The reason I like cruising so much is it’s easy to get into you don’t have to know how to ollie. you don’t have to know how to know how to pull off amazing tricks. you just have to push off and let the board take you to another place”  local skater Shane Bauer said.

   The next is street. Street is pretty self-explanatory. It’s just you and what you have around you-you can pull off some pretty crazy stunts but nothing compared to vert.

   Vert is the most dangerous type to skate. This is where you see the skater perform big stunts in the air. It is normally fast pace and to do it you have to have immense skill  to pull of some of the tricks that are performed.  It takes practice and skill but sooner or later it will be all worth it.   

While everyone on the outside looking in it is hard to tell what a skater life looks like. It may look intimidating to do, but really it’s simple. All you need to do is pick up your board and go.