I have the day off on my birthday, I am fifteen today. I have skated seriously for so long, and I actually just want to take a break. I don’t take Scarlet out, I don’t actually go outside and I just plan to spend it with my mother without any worries. That plan doesn’t work out. Adrian, Casper and Ryan visit. We talk about skating a bit but we also just talk about life, weird I know that we have a life outside skating. Casper can’t stay too late since he has a contest coming up, it is street only so I am not going and I wish him the best. The others stay quite late considering, they are my best friends and I hope we get to skate together until we can skate no more. With how everything is, my mother struggles with gifts for me, I don’t need clothes or skateboard stuff. Honestly, I’m just happy to share the day with her. She gets me some assorted gifts and it means a lot that she tries so hard but a hug would have been enough for me.

The next day I go skating at my old park. I don’t try for special treatment, I just skate like it is the old days. I wait my turn but now I am able to advise people, I can help push people to improve and offer so much advice from my experiences. I am fairly well known but I enjoy that some don’t know me except as an experienced local skater, here to have fun and pass some advice to people. There are a few younger than me who are just starting out and I show them a few basic tricks and what to aim for. They are just happy to ollie and be able to ride. It makes me remember how I started just seeing big kids having fun and now it is my turn to be that big kid.

I visit Stanley again, honestly I just am there to thank him for everything, he is almost like a father to me with all the support he has showered me with over the years.

“Think nothing of it Cel, you got here by your own merits, I just gave you the push,” he goes trying to dismiss the thanks, he struggles with these things.

“I am serious Stanley, without you I wouldn’t have tried pushing, if you need anything just ask okay?” We catch up a little, I have been so busy and there is actually a slight lull before my next contest in a few weeks. It is great to be home without all the pressure, but I am still skating. I still get some recordings for my tapes and while I try to push some street stuff here and there it just isn’t my style. I think vert is picking up again but street gives a lot more variation meaning the tapes are doing much better.

It is early spring, while I try and prepare for my next contest in about a week I am still trying out a new trick. It is insanely hard. I have been doing it as much as possible as a way to give back to the community, Randall Mull created a lot of the tricks people use and we take them and adapt them, I want to be able to give a trick back. It has been my dream for a while. I want to reveal it at the next contest but I am still falling too many times to have it contest ready.

“Cel? I haven’t seen you wipe out so much in years, what are you up to?” Ryan asks, honestly if I had to describe him now he is just another adult, sure he skates a little but it is a hobby not a life, not quite Vinny levels who outright quit but who knows in another few years.

“Just a new trick but it is really hard, honestly I want to use it as a surprise for the next contest,” I reply.

“Well I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise,” he turns to go to another part of the park.

“You can see it if you want just don’t be surprised if I have to bail again,” With that I give it a go and he give me a look, as I slide down the halfpipe on my knees.

“Shit, that is something I would expect to see from Mull, that is really going to be your trick? Honestly that seems like the thing that might win you gold if you can pull it off,”

“Maybe but even if I came last place if I can share the trick that is enough for me,”

“I highly doubt you are coming in last place, you never give up and even now, when you are at heights so many could only dream of, it is all you seem to do,”

“I just like skating,”

“Understatement but I get it, just it didn’t work out for me,”

“I wish I could give you the secret, maybe I can give you some help?”

“It is me, I put in a lot of effort but I have never saw someone as bruised as you when you were younger, every single day you pushed yourself to the limits. I don’t have that drive, it is why you stand at the top and I am employed in some admin job,”

“At least we both get to skate,”

“There is that, you wanna go around the park for old time sakes?”

“With you? Always,” It is more street but going around the park, not caring about big tricks just revisiting old lines, it is a good time. Relaxing with a friend with no worries. I can work on the trick more later, this is what it means to have friends. To be able to just say fuck it let’s skate without a care in the world.