man, what a funny thread. A long time ago someone said the virtuous man is not virtuous. Irony and humor, all at the same time. If you’re thinking that much about style, you’re probably not too stylish. If you’re expressing, fully engaged, it’s probably pretty stylish. This isn’t just about skating.
Having said all that, I should probably get rid of my stink bug fs air! haha Reality sets in.
Back in the day of using my skateboard as a form of transportation, pushing with either foot was a bonus. Traveling great distances would get tiring when you could only push with one foot and if you could do both, then you could go longer distances and get to where you were going quicker. Never understood the mongo debate, but I’m just an old dude and I don’t push when I’m skating vert except to drop in.
Did anyone see that pre-teen girl “ripping” at the Pier Trifecta skating with one foot on the tail and one foot on the nose like an ’90’s snowboard “duck stance”? U-G-L-Y. She had no style.
I hear ya mo, our comments are filled with contradictions, skating is always fun for me. Human language has its limitations…especially when things have a duel nature as most things do.
How the hell does one attain ‘matstery’ of skateboarding? If I had to answer I’d say it is when one can skate all terrain and hold their own in a variety of situations/approaches to skateboarding. If you’ve never grinded a pool, slid a handrail, pulled a complicated flatground flip, bombed a hill, aired out of vert, mastered pushing with both feet, and so on and on, you are probably not a master.
But, I’d never answer such a question and agree, skateboarding should be about fun. When it becomes more than that, it usually becomes ugly.
Ah, the common ground. I do have fun improving, or trying to. I also have more fun skating when I feel smooth, or stylish. Sometimes I have fun just haulin’ ass around the bowl, or just carving down a hill.
MC – So it’s Mastery or nothing? Sounds more like elitism. I’m way more on the fun side of the scale than the mastery, so how can you enjoy skating with me? (Oh oh, maybe you don’t!) (BTW – the way I jerk off requires commitment) What about Tony Hawk? People used to put him in the all mastery, no style category. While we’re at it, I can’t believe you like that one footed invert. That was the one move in the video that stuck out like a sore stinkbug thumb to me.
JG – In the ‘old days’ my ramp would have been better than yours anyway. Not here for sympathy just putting in my 2cents. I ain’t crying.
MC – I skate for fun but I’ve been told my style is good. If you skate for style and mastery more than fun i feel sorry for you. I bet you started skating to have fun. When did it all change?
Btw, down the street I usually push regular, but sometimes I push mongo to switch it up. Now I’ll do it more just to grate some nerves.
Style isn’t about pleasing others. Its philosophical, its simultaneously about pleasing yourself and seperating yourself from the pack with self-expression. A “practical” person would never care about style, but they might care about “fun” as a commodity. I’ll always aim to rise above that, and look good doing it.
Look bad riding fakie? Then “no”, don’t do it, at least around me. Remember this is Skate and Annoy, this is not a “nice” place for the kids. You will find more sympathy for your views on fun somewhere else, in the old days we would’ve just laughed at your letter and not let you skate our ramp.
Conahan… How can you be so, dare I say… shallow? Fun is more important, unless you are just watching. This runs contrary to your spectator vs. participant argument. Style is always a nice extra, but I didn’t start skating to please others.
Yeah, what mo said. Besides I’ve seen plenty of people with uglier style skating front foot forward then some that push mongo. In, fact I’ve seen some pull it off quite nicely but in the end every mongo quits it because the status quo thinks it’s lame and those style lemmings think it lame ’cause it’s the status quo.
You can’t even tell whether or not some one pushes mongo when they’re doing a trick or riding in a bowl. Answer these questions style nazis: If I don’t have a stylin posture and flow riding fakie or switch then is it a useless endeavor? Is a “no-comply” lame because it’s mongo like?
Seriously folks, what’s so bad about mongo? People talk about it like the entire US and it’s skateparks are going to sink into the ocean because it ruins there view so badly.
Sort of a generic old guy really. I thought about whether people would think it was Thor but it was really the menacing fat guy type that you see everywhere now.
31 comments
Gene
man, what a funny thread. A long time ago someone said the virtuous man is not virtuous. Irony and humor, all at the same time. If you’re thinking that much about style, you’re probably not too stylish. If you’re expressing, fully engaged, it’s probably pretty stylish. This isn’t just about skating.
Having said all that, I should probably get rid of my stink bug fs air! haha Reality sets in.
JAKEFERRANTI
JG: Whoa,whoa,whoa. Hold on now,just a sec, back up the truck; Jennifer? Thats a girls name. Your gay,dude.
Conahan
Sam Beebe runs SkateOregon.com. I don’t know this Benny Beebe you speak of.
Livmo
Sorry to hijack… Mark, is Sam Beebe any relation to Ben Beebe?
Style before tile. Carry on.
Mark W
Back in the day of using my skateboard as a form of transportation, pushing with either foot was a bonus. Traveling great distances would get tiring when you could only push with one foot and if you could do both, then you could go longer distances and get to where you were going quicker. Never understood the mongo debate, but I’m just an old dude and I don’t push when I’m skating vert except to drop in.
Conahan
Thanks for the great discussion everyone. Much better than being badgered by that other Neil.
Conahan
Mastery is nothing.
StyleKingOfTheWeek
Did anyone see that pre-teen girl “ripping” at the Pier Trifecta skating with one foot on the tail and one foot on the nose like an ’90’s snowboard “duck stance”? U-G-L-Y. She had no style.
JenniferGentle
I hear ya mo, our comments are filled with contradictions, skating is always fun for me. Human language has its limitations…especially when things have a duel nature as most things do.
Welsh Pete
How the hell does one attain ‘matstery’ of skateboarding? If I had to answer I’d say it is when one can skate all terrain and hold their own in a variety of situations/approaches to skateboarding. If you’ve never grinded a pool, slid a handrail, pulled a complicated flatground flip, bombed a hill, aired out of vert, mastered pushing with both feet, and so on and on, you are probably not a master.
But, I’d never answer such a question and agree, skateboarding should be about fun. When it becomes more than that, it usually becomes ugly.
mo
Ah, the common ground. I do have fun improving, or trying to. I also have more fun skating when I feel smooth, or stylish. Sometimes I have fun just haulin’ ass around the bowl, or just carving down a hill.
Kilwag
MC – So it’s Mastery or nothing? Sounds more like elitism. I’m way more on the fun side of the scale than the mastery, so how can you enjoy skating with me? (Oh oh, maybe you don’t!) (BTW – the way I jerk off requires commitment) What about Tony Hawk? People used to put him in the all mastery, no style category. While we’re at it, I can’t believe you like that one footed invert. That was the one move in the video that stuck out like a sore stinkbug thumb to me.
Conahan
Mastery is fun or pursuing it is anyway, I think if you get there you have to turn into Sam Beebe or Wally Inouye.
mo
JG – In the ‘old days’ my ramp would have been better than yours anyway. Not here for sympathy just putting in my 2cents. I ain’t crying.
MC – I skate for fun but I’ve been told my style is good. If you skate for style and mastery more than fun i feel sorry for you. I bet you started skating to have fun. When did it all change?
Btw, down the street I usually push regular, but sometimes I push mongo to switch it up. Now I’ll do it more just to grate some nerves.
Conahan
You think mastery is shallow? Mastery is deeper than anything dude. Mastery is fucking Zen. Mastery requires commitment. Jerking off is fun.
JenniferGentle
Style isn’t about pleasing others. Its philosophical, its simultaneously about pleasing yourself and seperating yourself from the pack with self-expression. A “practical” person would never care about style, but they might care about “fun” as a commodity. I’ll always aim to rise above that, and look good doing it.
JenniferGentle
Look bad riding fakie? Then “no”, don’t do it, at least around me. Remember this is Skate and Annoy, this is not a “nice” place for the kids. You will find more sympathy for your views on fun somewhere else, in the old days we would’ve just laughed at your letter and not let you skate our ramp.
Kilwag
Conahan… How can you be so, dare I say… shallow? Fun is more important, unless you are just watching. This runs contrary to your spectator vs. participant argument. Style is always a nice extra, but I didn’t start skating to please others.
Conahan
The mongo debate is almost as good as vert vs. street for getting people riled up.
As for style vs fun? Only someone who has no style would think fun was more important. Good style is another aspect of mastery.
Who pushes anyway? Which foot you push with is more important to street skaters.
abegnegal
Yeah, what mo said. Besides I’ve seen plenty of people with uglier style skating front foot forward then some that push mongo. In, fact I’ve seen some pull it off quite nicely but in the end every mongo quits it because the status quo thinks it’s lame and those style lemmings think it lame ’cause it’s the status quo.
You can’t even tell whether or not some one pushes mongo when they’re doing a trick or riding in a bowl. Answer these questions style nazis: If I don’t have a stylin posture and flow riding fakie or switch then is it a useless endeavor? Is a “no-comply” lame because it’s mongo like?
mo
Skating all about style? Too many dogtown movies. Style is but one aspect of skating. Good style is cool, but fun is number one.
mo
Yeah Thor, ride the wave!
brad
Sink with California!
JenniferGentle
Hello? Skateboarding is all about style…that’s why. It really is that bad.
Abegnegal
Seriously folks, what’s so bad about mongo? People talk about it like the entire US and it’s skateparks are going to sink into the ocean because it ruins there view so badly.
Thor
the manacing fat guy look is so hot right now!
Conahan
Sort of a generic old guy really. I thought about whether people would think it was Thor but it was really the menacing fat guy type that you see everywhere now.
cskate
Is that supposed to be Thor?
Dan Hughes
I’m working on my hand jesters….
corncobcock
…mmmnn..too easy.
Kilwag
I expected “I’ve got a distinctive hand gesture for you.”