I missed skating today, as spent most of this  ‘sunny would have been perfect weather to skate’ Saturday indoors teaching kids Finnish language and culture. Happy now to have a blog – a perfect place to do something skateboard related even couldn’t hop on board today. The theme of the day was educational, so will post a list what is my goal in 2017 to achieve with skateboarding.

First something about what I already can do. I mostly skate in skateparks and have developed an obsession on pool / bowl skating. Actually, I am dreaming to become a female Pedro Barros; or at least it helps me sometimes when skating that I imagine I am Pedro Barros, as cool, fast and fearless. All is allowed in love and skateboarding 🙂 I am pretty good with backside carves (that’s when one rides a ‘corner’ of bowl back facing the wall side), but it depends on the bowl, and the new place is always a struggle. Me saying I am pretty good means I feel good, but it looks slow and not very cool.  I can not drop, so it has to be a pool / bowl where I am able to have a speed some other way. I love backside carving, so mostly I am just repeating doing that. I am in the process of learning the frontside carving – that I call pedro or pedroing (it’s just my habit to give own names to things), and can do it somehow if the bowl is easy.

My tick-tacking is poor, but I manage it somehow. Should practice more.

I am okay with fakie turn (on flat). I am ashamed that after this time I still suck with kick-turns. That is something I am determined to practise now everytime when on wheels. After a long-ish pause, I am doing it on miniramp. Yes on miniramp I can ‘swing’ back and forth, but still afraid going to the highest.

I ride things down and up. Pyramids, banks, pumps – it depends on a day how high or fast. Sometimes I am scared of the smallest ones, sometimes I can go SCARY ones with no problem. I know I can do it, my balance is okay. It is just fear that makes me jump off. Annoying.

Another shame is my pushing, the basic skill I am not that great. Well, I’ve been focusing more on taking speed in the bowl, but now with different wheels pushing, as well pumping speed on corners, will be on my list.

Here’s the list dude and me made after new year’s eve. The pink scribble say what I will try to master by the end of 2017.

After making this list, I discovered old school 1970’s skateboard surfing tricks, and I am so adding those to this list. Not too techincal, not too high or fast – so it is something I should be able to learn. I am dreaming that one day it will be my skateboard style to show off 🙂 Surely will at least write more about that soon.

Speaking about education and showing off, allow me to share this pic from last summer. My PhD graduation took place in Queen Elizabeth Hall (London) just above the famous Southbank skatepark, and I just couldn’t resist sneaking out and asking some skateboarder to borrow his board and to take this snapshot (thank you so much anonymous London skater).

One day I will add videos here, so you’ll see not only read or see still pics of what’s going on. I just need to learn more about blogging and all settings here. Hmm, seems like learning really is a lifelong process.

Also, if you’ll wish me to explain more what the skateboarding terms means, I am happy to. I promise will use the proper names of them.