When I was young, I dreamt of skateboarding.
My dad, not knowing the future implications, inadvertently showed me Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory on MTV when I was 12. He knew it'd make me laugh, but what he didn't anticipate was his daughter becoming enthralled with skateboarding. From that day on, I couldn't get enough. At first, I begged my dad for a DC sweatshirt. A black hoodie lined with thick fur, a large red and black checkered DC logo on the front. I wore that thing like Rob himself would walk through the doors of my rural middle school and need a new recruit for the Fantasy Factory. I began a deep dive into skateboarding culture, watching countless hours of footage and competitions. I loved old XGames highlights, and they helped me get familiar with more pros. For my 13th birthday, all I wanted was an Alien Workshop Dyrdek Pro Deck. Opening up the gift bag from my grandmother to reveal the geometric green and purple colored board is a feeling I'll remember for the rest of my life. Pure joy. I thought that this was my chance to actually live out what I'd watched religiously every day.
Well, here I am. 12 years later and nervously waiting for my name to be called. For the XGames, right? Or maybe the Olympic park finals? Nope, not even close. I'm standing at one side of the stage hoping that I don't trip in my heels when I have to walk over to the Dean and accept my diploma. A Master's Degree in place of a gold medal. Not surprisingly, I never got the chance to grind kinked rails or travel the country finding abandoned pools to drop into. I never even learned how to do an ollie. Living where I do, skate parks aren't a thing. Driveways are dirt and gravel, parking lots and roads are full of cracks and potholes. It also didn't help that none of my friends shared my interest in skateboarding. So, I kept it to myself. I continued feeding my interest with copies of Thrasher, watching King of the Road, and following all of my favorite skaters online to see their new tricks. I wished I had someone to talk to about it all, but it turned into my own private hobby.
At least it was up until now.
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Thrasher's King of the Road
Short Story25 year old Winnie has finally taken the trip to California that she's waited for since she was a kid. Ready to watch the local skateboarders on her day of relaxation in the park, she's surprised to find herself in the middle of a King of the Road c...
