A number of years ago a friend of mine (not a skater) turned to me and asked incredulously, “How can you derive any deep meaning in what is just a piece of wood, with two metal trucks and some urethane?” I replied with a smile and said simply, “If all you see is the physical components, you’ll never get it.” Skateboarding is something that just runs deep in my bones. I try to explain that stoke via this magazine, but sometimes I run into people who just don’t get it.

But isn’t this the case with anything people get passionate about? One person’s meat is another’s poison; what we can’t understand, we tend to dismiss. A number of skaters look at their fellow longboarders and can’t figure it out what all the fuss is about. They just can’t understand how anyone could get passionate about merely carving or cruising, let alone putting on leathers and bombing down a hill. But the facts speak for themselves. Millions of people worldwide are deriving a huge amount of satisfaction from longboarding, and the trend doesn’t seem to be falling off any time soon.

If you’ve tapped into the energy that longboarding can provide, then go with it. Enjoy the ride, go with the flow and spread the stoke. In fact, what I’ve found is that sometimes the best part of longboarding is sharing it with others. However you’ve tapped into the world of longboarding, I hope it begins to seep into not only your head and heart, but your bones as well. All people go through life faced with a number of difficult issues: the pressure to conform; the pressure not to conform. It can get overwhelming. But riding a longboard and feeling the joy pulsing through your veins and into your bones … well, that’s probably the best way to keep skeletons out of your closet.

Here’s to the future!
Michael Brooke,
Publisher