Skate to Oblivion

Chapter Six: Team

Absolute trust, and zero fear. To drop in, you need to trust yourself and your board. And never hesitate, go full out every time. No matter if your dropping into a mini ramp or a mega ramp. To go from standing, to slamming down the board and practically falling straight down at high speeds.

I slammed the front trucks down, dropping into the near 90 degree surface of the pools hip. I rocketed down the wall, hit the curve at the bottom and braced my knees and leaned forward, but not to much as to not eat the flat bottom of the pool with my face.

I shot past Scooter who was standing on the pools drain hatch in the center of the pools deep end. I braced for the fast upcoming wall, by pumping my knees and leaning back a little bit, not to much so I wouldn't end up doing a back flip with a loop out.

Half way up the large pool wall, I get ready for the coping. If I don't do anything, my front wheels hit it, and I go flying into the air without my board. I slightly lifted my front trucks just in time to catch a little bit of coping, and that gave enough to pop.

I popped out of the coping, and flew into the air. Bending down, I grabbed the middle of the board, and tucked in my knee to touch the deck as I flew higher into the air. While turning my eyes down to the landing to judge how fast and how long I had until I needed to brace for a landing. The crowd cheered, as I pulled my board in tighter to my knee.

My air started to die, and I began to hurdle back to earth. I let go of my board in time to land back onto the pools wall. Again, I braced for the transition to flat, and pumped my knees, flying past Scooter again.

I came back up the wall and I dropped in one, Sadie was standing near the coping with an excited smile. My ankle was starting to tighten up, it hadn't received this much G's since getting the plate and screws. I had to end my run quickly.

I popped off the coping again, leaning into it this time to air over the hip and transition into the shallower end, also airing eye height to Sadie. The shallow flat came up faster then the deep end, faster than I was expecting.

My knees almost buckled, but I managed to keep on the board. I came up on the opposite shallow end wall, and carved around the corner gaining speed. I carved around another corner lining up for the hip where Sadie was standing again. I went up, but I didn't pop.

I lifted my front trucks and 5-0'd across the coping with a satisfying, Skrrrrunnnttt! As I grinded my back trucks along the cement coping of the pool. To the end of the coping in the same spot I dropped in at, allowing me to drop in again. I shot passed Scooter who was cheering wildly. Went up the largest wall of the pool aiming for the backside of the couch. I popped with the coping, and kicked my board away, flying through the air without it. I landed onto the old couches cushions painlessly as my board smacked against the cement coping, and fell to flat.

The crowd was cheering wildly as I sat on the old red leather couch, panting, and feeling my heart beating harder than it ever has in the past four years. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, my ankles tingling from the G's and the vibrations of the skateboard. My knees fuzzy and tired from the pumping, and the largest grin on my face I had since I was 13.

"Holy shit!" Sadie said running up to me. She pulled me to my feet and hugged me. "That was amazing, and terrifying!"

Scooter ran up the pools wall and someone helped him out. He ran right over to me and hugged me tighter than Sadie. "That was fucking beautiful! That was what your first time in how long?!"