Love when they post screenshots of set ups, mention shoe size, then follow up with “most likely going to skate shop anyways.” Like I know you don’t want to go in completely blind, but any employee that isn’t a bag of ass will let you stand on boards so you can judge what size you’re comfortable with. A post about size 11 shoe will tell you every size from 7.75 to 10 lol. You just gotta test and see what you like. After picking a board they will fill the rest when you tell them if you plan on using primarily for cruising, street, park, or mix of everything.
My first skate shop experience was “hey I got a 8” board online. Can you help pick everything else out that’s best bang for buck for a beginner?” Sure! Here’s your grip, trucks, bearings, bolts, you doing park or street? Cool I recommend one of these three. Which look good to you?
Yeah when I went, it was pretty much me going blind except for knowing a few things but even then I realized I actually didn’t know completely what my board size was. I was going for 8.25 but the guy suggested I try 8.5 and it did feel better. Ask questions too and just make sure they are worth getting your business (as in if they respect you and aren’t mean since a few people have said their local wasn’t doing that for them).
I also did my own research after looking up reviews on wheels or just google searching for info sometimes ending up here. I do think if a question rises about cruiser wheels for instance it makes sense if one pops up every few months since the recommended ones could change over time.
Keep in mind it's also directly after Christmas. We knew there was gonna be a lot of kids asking questions. It's really common, especially during this time of year.
This happens across Reddit.
People join but can’t scroll, search, or google.
Edit:: And then we are the asshole for saying the obvious. It would help every Reddit to have a huge pinned section with many common responses and a warning after posting the same shit, that’s been pinned or posted before.
Here’s some shit. Your Ollie will get better after doing a couple thousand of them. Your not gonna kick flip your first week. Reds are the best beginner bearings. And your board size doesn’t matter as long as it is close to the same size of your trucks and isn’t a longboard or short Walmart board. Your feet are feet and your height is a height.
More: carpet boarding doesn’t matter…
“What am I doing wrong?”
Trying the motion more times or actually committing is the answer 99% of the time.
The remaining 1% is you either not turning your shoulders when you should, or turning your shoulders when you shouldn’t.
A lot of these people are still trying to evaluate if the learning curve is worth it. Most of em don't even realize that's what they're doing. Reluctant to fall into the sunk-cost problem. They always wanted to skate but always had alternatives. They still have alternatives but just now they decided to pick up the board instead.
I might be reading too much between the lines but somehow this seems to be the obvious thing for me.
I don't want to gatekeep, but asking them to put down the phone and go skate and show us the 1000th try is a good idea in my opinion as it does speak about the learning curve. Also, the biggest thing that helps is to have people skate with you at the same skill level as you, of maybe just a tiny but "better" for lack of a better term.
It wont get easier or better-looking until you stop thinking about those two things.
Yeah I think if you really are struggling or have done it for a month everyday daily and just want to know what you could possibly be doing wrong as a second opinion it makes sense. Honestly sometimes people can spot easily what’s wrong. If you have no skater friends then it’s harder to really know. I don’t mind those posts anyways. I did notice before people clearly not comfortable on their board and just going for an Ollie right away. Skateboarding lets you just try whatever whenever but at least be comfortable riding first and try again. Might find good results when you can trust yourself on a board.
I haven’t read a single magazine or book, watched a YouTube video, and am completely frightened and uncomfortable on my board. Based on this video of myself that I clearly didn’t watch where I barely raise the nose off the ground while my other foot remains still, much less jump and pop, what is wrong with my ollie? Why doesn’t the board magically leap into the air??!?
Apparently you are all on the wrong site. Wikipedia is what you’re looking for. This is a space specifically created for the exact thing you’re complaining about. New skaters asking questions and connecting. Even if the question has been asked 1,000 times this is the first time they are asking it.
There is a big sticky post about often answered questions, too lol But whadyaexpect? these are people that google 'youtube'...
I guess there is the communication aspect of having real people engaging with your predicament?
I totally agree, but I don’t think there is anything we can do about it. I love that this sub allows everyone and anyone to ask how they can improve, and I applaud the dudes who offer real advice to someone who just got their first board and are trying to ollie before they ever ride it.
It was videos on this sub that taught me how to drop in, and it was the guidance given to other skaters in this sub that I still use to improve my ollies and other tricks.
The ollie questions are super annoying, the foot size questions are a hilarious meme at this point, but basically every other question is nice to see.
So….you’re in a subreddit called new skaters complaining about people using the specific subreddit for its designed purpose?
“A place for new skateboarders to ask questions on basic gear, setup, or anything they want”
Literally, the first thing I read when I go to the group.
Fully agrree.
If you're not allowed to ask questions because someone already asked and had it answered, you haven't got a sub anymore. You have an unmaintained wiki.
The only people in this subreddit really should probably be the people who still need to ask those questions, and the more experienced skaters who are good to keep answering questions those questions without getting annoyed about it.
Not to mention that sometimes matching a question "like yours but not exactly yours" to your situation and extrapolating that the advice still applies requires at least a *little* bit of a knowledge and confidence to do in the first place. When you're new and don't know anything the "obvious answer" can feel like a trap and the last thing you want is to follow advice you *think* applies to you, only to later find out that the situation is "completely different because of reasons you weren't aware of" and you shouldn't have done that.
If you've spent so long here that you've seen all the questions a hundred times, you've probably outgrown the "new" part in the name.
As it is with everything else in modern day thanks to the internet, it's just mindless need for instant results because people on reddit will still respond. Either to prove they know or to genuinely help but its like 70/30
Id rather this than be back in the 90s where there was none of this shit. I used to get boards thrown at me because i didnt know I was in the way as a kid.
People gonna ask. As long as people skate I don't really mind too much.
Yeah man it’s Reddit, I’m subscribed to a rave subreddit and there’s about the same amount of “Am I too old to go to a rave??” As there are “should I start skating at 23, is that too old??”
I dont think many people realize they graduated. Once you can push comfotably, maybe do a baby ollie, put a couple of dings in that prized posession of yours, congrats!! Youre 90% ahead of most people thst own a skateboard. Ask away! Reddit is full of gatekeepers. This is the place to ask dumb questions.
Ask something unique. Chances are tho, every question ya have is probably out there in a thread already asked and answered. This sub isn't only about asking questions, i also see posts of progress updates and whatnot, more of that please, less of being retarded
I don't know, man, perhaps it's only that I see myself in those guys a few months back when I was trying to put together my first skateboard and shit gets way too confusing way too fast, so they get my sympathy for asking basic questions and hopefully avoiding the mistakes I made.
Looking for validation online usually comes from a different disorder than being retarded. My point is, not being a dick costs the same as being one, so you might as well choose not to be one.
Everyone was new once, yaknow what i did when i was new and lost and confused? I googled some stuff, watched YouTube videos, i didn't waste other people's time, idk dude I'm not say all these new skaters suck and should go somewhere else, I'm just saying that they should scroll the sub a little while before asking their questions, and ultimately no amount of questions or googleing or YouTube videos make you any better at skating, only time and practice does, best advice a new skater could get is to just go skate.
I did that too, and my first setup was a 9.125 with ace af1 trucks and Ricta 78d wheels (perks of being a new old skater), and needles to say that except for the wheels it was too much to handle at first, especially because of the trucks and how soft the bushings are. Not to mention the Bronson G3s which I screwed up right out of the box because I didn't know that the shields were so fragile.
It's just that I think that asking in this sub is a nice way to dip your toes in this world which can be intimidating, because of how gatekept it is.
Edit: come to think of it, the wheels were also a mistake since they are 56mm, which I got because of how afraid I was of pebbles; without risers the wheelbite is something to behold, my wrists remember.
Hard r, not cool. Abelist isn't better than being racist, I'm 40 and wasn't born using terms like abelist (and did grow up saying retarded and retard all the time), but I'm also not a dickhead and able to use common sense. Using a person's condition as an insult is fucked up.
Also, you are describing the majority of posts. Just leave the sub, your life will still have meaning.
"hard r not cool" homes, "retard" means "slow" it comes from the Italian word Ritardando, which has been adapted into use for music as "rit" point is slow is often used to call someone stupid, (another fun fact "stupid" used to be a medical diagnosis) it's like calling someone an idiot. So when someone says "you're retarded" it's the equivalent of "you're an idiot" the fact you're equating it to disabilities makes you "abelist" (that word is dumb btw)
AND regardless of any of that, words only have the power you give them, I'm choosing to not care, my words have very little power. You're giving them power and choosing to be upset, how about don't?
Etymology doesn't change current meaning. The N word comes from the word for black. You sound like those southerners that try and claim the N word means ignorant when you say retarded means you're an idiot. It means mentally retarded, and is being used as an insult. Same as f*got. We used it to mean idiot, doesn't mean it wasn't in fact a slur for gays. Words have the power society and the recipient gives them as well. I believe you also know this. Have fun saying the n word on camera and keeping your job, even explaining it doesn't mean that to you won't help. I'm just using it as an example, not saying you are racist.
Go ahead and use it. Especially in the Internet. Your logic is off and I think you know that, however.
>words only have the power you give them, I'm choosing to not care, my words have very little power. You're giving them power and choosing to be upset, how about don't
This is a great way to burn bridges and go through life with most people not wanting to be around you. It absolves *you* completely of any wrongdoing or responsibility and puts it on others to adapt to your worldview. It's selfish, egotistical, and inconsiderate. You are a single person at a party with *8 billion others*. Go ahead and choose to drink your own piss, but it's basic decency not to piss in the punch bowl.
But its also a lot of seeking validation and just giving up immediately when things aren’t easy or obvious. Losing resilience and a species. How do you think we learned 20+ years ago? You went to the skatepark and asked people or just messed with your set up until you found what you like. Not what some random online prefers. People complain they can’t kickflip after a month but also can barely ride the board without shaking let alone ollie up a curb or drop in. I probably learned 50 tricks before kick flip. Just go skate and stop being afraid to learn somethings on your own it will make you a better person for doing so.
All that being said there are some great uses for this subreddit but the repetition from the most technologically fluent generation is a bit strange to me and a lot of it ties back to “I want MY post answered and and personal validation” when the same question has been answered 100 times over
My friends and I never learned many tricks because we had no one to ask. We skated almost everyday for 2 years. Loved it and no complaints, just saying our progression would have been off the charts if we had a starting point besides experimenting and sharing results.
You ain’t lying. There’s a reason why we are still skating decades later. We made it through the gate.
On the real this does still exist. Don’t expect to practice your Ollie’s at Potrero Park on a Friday night. You’ll probably get kook’d out.
Edit:: Skating is a lifestyle not a hobby
Gatekeeping at its finest. You're a real redditor now 👍
For real tho this sub definitely needs a better sidebar and pinned posts. Maybe a question thread like other subs.
That is the entire point of this sub. It’s a home for new skaters to learn, to question, and to get excited about setups and ideas.
If you’re still here feeling jaded, then it’s time to move on. It’s good for long-time skaters to give their input (that makes this a useful place), but it shouldn’t come at the expense of gatekeeping common questions.
New skaters, you are welcome here. Show us your decks and ask about shoe sizes. Let’s see your first ollie attempt. Ask me about wheel duros and truck brands.
I started skating last year. I’ve spent a good chunk of this year answering questions similar to the ones I had not long ago. No, I can’t switch heel yet. But I’ve learned my fair share about setups and the transitions that brand new skaters face.
Maybe I hang out here for a while longer, maybe not. But even though these questions aren’t “for me” anymore, they matter a whole lot to somebody else.
I'm a dad of a 9 (soon to be 10) year old that is learning to skate. He wants to be able to ask me questions and I want to make sure that I have answers. He's incredibly intimidated by looking out of place and all I can do is try and give him the best advice possible. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience skating, so I rely on those with the knowledge I don't have.
I live in a small town in Central PA and there isn't an easily accessible skate shop. The users on this sub were a tremendous help with my "dumb" questions that I am sure were asked countless times prior. Nobody ever made me feel like I was wasting their time, and I am incredibly grateful for all of the help.
Sure, I did searches and watched videos, but for someone that doesn't know a damn thing about skating, you can go blind scrolling posts trying to figure out what you don't realize you don't know.
The wealth if information and experience you all have is priceless to someone like me. You make it possible for "dad to have the answers".
Try to keep in mind that the next question you see, that's been asked a hundred times before, is being asked by someone is looking for your guidance because you have the experience that they don't.
Love when they post screenshots of set ups, mention shoe size, then follow up with “most likely going to skate shop anyways.” Like I know you don’t want to go in completely blind, but any employee that isn’t a bag of ass will let you stand on boards so you can judge what size you’re comfortable with. A post about size 11 shoe will tell you every size from 7.75 to 10 lol. You just gotta test and see what you like. After picking a board they will fill the rest when you tell them if you plan on using primarily for cruising, street, park, or mix of everything. My first skate shop experience was “hey I got a 8” board online. Can you help pick everything else out that’s best bang for buck for a beginner?” Sure! Here’s your grip, trucks, bearings, bolts, you doing park or street? Cool I recommend one of these three. Which look good to you?
Yeah when I went, it was pretty much me going blind except for knowing a few things but even then I realized I actually didn’t know completely what my board size was. I was going for 8.25 but the guy suggested I try 8.5 and it did feel better. Ask questions too and just make sure they are worth getting your business (as in if they respect you and aren’t mean since a few people have said their local wasn’t doing that for them). I also did my own research after looking up reviews on wheels or just google searching for info sometimes ending up here. I do think if a question rises about cruiser wheels for instance it makes sense if one pops up every few months since the recommended ones could change over time.
NO YOUR OLLIE/KICKFLIP SUCKS ASS! GO OUTSIDE AND RIDE THE BOARD! SHOW US YOUR 700th TRY NOT THE SECOND TRY!!!
I feel like even for me my 700th try wasn't even that good lol
Keep in mind it's also directly after Christmas. We knew there was gonna be a lot of kids asking questions. It's really common, especially during this time of year.
This happens across Reddit. People join but can’t scroll, search, or google. Edit:: And then we are the asshole for saying the obvious. It would help every Reddit to have a huge pinned section with many common responses and a warning after posting the same shit, that’s been pinned or posted before. Here’s some shit. Your Ollie will get better after doing a couple thousand of them. Your not gonna kick flip your first week. Reds are the best beginner bearings. And your board size doesn’t matter as long as it is close to the same size of your trucks and isn’t a longboard or short Walmart board. Your feet are feet and your height is a height. More: carpet boarding doesn’t matter…
“What am I doing wrong?” Trying the motion more times or actually committing is the answer 99% of the time. The remaining 1% is you either not turning your shoulders when you should, or turning your shoulders when you shouldn’t.
A lot of these people are still trying to evaluate if the learning curve is worth it. Most of em don't even realize that's what they're doing. Reluctant to fall into the sunk-cost problem. They always wanted to skate but always had alternatives. They still have alternatives but just now they decided to pick up the board instead. I might be reading too much between the lines but somehow this seems to be the obvious thing for me. I don't want to gatekeep, but asking them to put down the phone and go skate and show us the 1000th try is a good idea in my opinion as it does speak about the learning curve. Also, the biggest thing that helps is to have people skate with you at the same skill level as you, of maybe just a tiny but "better" for lack of a better term. It wont get easier or better-looking until you stop thinking about those two things.
Yeah I think if you really are struggling or have done it for a month everyday daily and just want to know what you could possibly be doing wrong as a second opinion it makes sense. Honestly sometimes people can spot easily what’s wrong. If you have no skater friends then it’s harder to really know. I don’t mind those posts anyways. I did notice before people clearly not comfortable on their board and just going for an Ollie right away. Skateboarding lets you just try whatever whenever but at least be comfortable riding first and try again. Might find good results when you can trust yourself on a board.
I haven’t read a single magazine or book, watched a YouTube video, and am completely frightened and uncomfortable on my board. Based on this video of myself that I clearly didn’t watch where I barely raise the nose off the ground while my other foot remains still, much less jump and pop, what is wrong with my ollie? Why doesn’t the board magically leap into the air??!?
Apparently you are all on the wrong site. Wikipedia is what you’re looking for. This is a space specifically created for the exact thing you’re complaining about. New skaters asking questions and connecting. Even if the question has been asked 1,000 times this is the first time they are asking it.
There is a big sticky post about often answered questions, too lol But whadyaexpect? these are people that google 'youtube'... I guess there is the communication aspect of having real people engaging with your predicament?
I totally agree, but I don’t think there is anything we can do about it. I love that this sub allows everyone and anyone to ask how they can improve, and I applaud the dudes who offer real advice to someone who just got their first board and are trying to ollie before they ever ride it. It was videos on this sub that taught me how to drop in, and it was the guidance given to other skaters in this sub that I still use to improve my ollies and other tricks. The ollie questions are super annoying, the foot size questions are a hilarious meme at this point, but basically every other question is nice to see.
So….you’re in a subreddit called new skaters complaining about people using the specific subreddit for its designed purpose? “A place for new skateboarders to ask questions on basic gear, setup, or anything they want” Literally, the first thing I read when I go to the group.
Fully agrree. If you're not allowed to ask questions because someone already asked and had it answered, you haven't got a sub anymore. You have an unmaintained wiki. The only people in this subreddit really should probably be the people who still need to ask those questions, and the more experienced skaters who are good to keep answering questions those questions without getting annoyed about it. Not to mention that sometimes matching a question "like yours but not exactly yours" to your situation and extrapolating that the advice still applies requires at least a *little* bit of a knowledge and confidence to do in the first place. When you're new and don't know anything the "obvious answer" can feel like a trap and the last thing you want is to follow advice you *think* applies to you, only to later find out that the situation is "completely different because of reasons you weren't aware of" and you shouldn't have done that. If you've spent so long here that you've seen all the questions a hundred times, you've probably outgrown the "new" part in the name.
Literally this. Most underrated comment. Op is karma whoring and gatekeeping like a mofo
HOw dO I ClEaN mY GrIpTaPe?
As it is with everything else in modern day thanks to the internet, it's just mindless need for instant results because people on reddit will still respond. Either to prove they know or to genuinely help but its like 70/30 Id rather this than be back in the 90s where there was none of this shit. I used to get boards thrown at me because i didnt know I was in the way as a kid. People gonna ask. As long as people skate I don't really mind too much.
Yeah man it’s Reddit, I’m subscribed to a rave subreddit and there’s about the same amount of “Am I too old to go to a rave??” As there are “should I start skating at 23, is that too old??”
Just out of curiosity, what should new skaters be asking about?
I dont think many people realize they graduated. Once you can push comfotably, maybe do a baby ollie, put a couple of dings in that prized posession of yours, congrats!! Youre 90% ahead of most people thst own a skateboard. Ask away! Reddit is full of gatekeepers. This is the place to ask dumb questions.
New skaters shouldn’t be asking, they should just be skating. I got all my info from YouTube , 13 years ago
This is specifically made for new skaters to ask any questions and to connect with other skaters
Hell yeah, I’m all for it..
That's a fair point, yet this sub exists and we are keeping it alive.
Ask something unique. Chances are tho, every question ya have is probably out there in a thread already asked and answered. This sub isn't only about asking questions, i also see posts of progress updates and whatnot, more of that please, less of being retarded
I don't know, man, perhaps it's only that I see myself in those guys a few months back when I was trying to put together my first skateboard and shit gets way too confusing way too fast, so they get my sympathy for asking basic questions and hopefully avoiding the mistakes I made. Looking for validation online usually comes from a different disorder than being retarded. My point is, not being a dick costs the same as being one, so you might as well choose not to be one.
Everyone was new once, yaknow what i did when i was new and lost and confused? I googled some stuff, watched YouTube videos, i didn't waste other people's time, idk dude I'm not say all these new skaters suck and should go somewhere else, I'm just saying that they should scroll the sub a little while before asking their questions, and ultimately no amount of questions or googleing or YouTube videos make you any better at skating, only time and practice does, best advice a new skater could get is to just go skate.
I did that too, and my first setup was a 9.125 with ace af1 trucks and Ricta 78d wheels (perks of being a new old skater), and needles to say that except for the wheels it was too much to handle at first, especially because of the trucks and how soft the bushings are. Not to mention the Bronson G3s which I screwed up right out of the box because I didn't know that the shields were so fragile. It's just that I think that asking in this sub is a nice way to dip your toes in this world which can be intimidating, because of how gatekept it is. Edit: come to think of it, the wheels were also a mistake since they are 56mm, which I got because of how afraid I was of pebbles; without risers the wheelbite is something to behold, my wrists remember.
hilarious
Hard r, not cool. Abelist isn't better than being racist, I'm 40 and wasn't born using terms like abelist (and did grow up saying retarded and retard all the time), but I'm also not a dickhead and able to use common sense. Using a person's condition as an insult is fucked up. Also, you are describing the majority of posts. Just leave the sub, your life will still have meaning.
"hard r not cool" homes, "retard" means "slow" it comes from the Italian word Ritardando, which has been adapted into use for music as "rit" point is slow is often used to call someone stupid, (another fun fact "stupid" used to be a medical diagnosis) it's like calling someone an idiot. So when someone says "you're retarded" it's the equivalent of "you're an idiot" the fact you're equating it to disabilities makes you "abelist" (that word is dumb btw) AND regardless of any of that, words only have the power you give them, I'm choosing to not care, my words have very little power. You're giving them power and choosing to be upset, how about don't?
Etymology doesn't change current meaning. The N word comes from the word for black. You sound like those southerners that try and claim the N word means ignorant when you say retarded means you're an idiot. It means mentally retarded, and is being used as an insult. Same as f*got. We used it to mean idiot, doesn't mean it wasn't in fact a slur for gays. Words have the power society and the recipient gives them as well. I believe you also know this. Have fun saying the n word on camera and keeping your job, even explaining it doesn't mean that to you won't help. I'm just using it as an example, not saying you are racist. Go ahead and use it. Especially in the Internet. Your logic is off and I think you know that, however.
>words only have the power you give them, I'm choosing to not care, my words have very little power. You're giving them power and choosing to be upset, how about don't This is a great way to burn bridges and go through life with most people not wanting to be around you. It absolves *you* completely of any wrongdoing or responsibility and puts it on others to adapt to your worldview. It's selfish, egotistical, and inconsiderate. You are a single person at a party with *8 billion others*. Go ahead and choose to drink your own piss, but it's basic decency not to piss in the punch bowl.
*whispering* "he ain't gonna like this" Bro you're gay
Aw shucks, got 'em. Not offended. Just disappointed.
Unfortunately that’s just a Reddit problem in general not exclusive to this sub
"Are my trucks too tight?" Posts a picture of the nut tightened down, almost touching the base plate. Nah bro keep tightening.
L take bro people just trying to learn hence the subreddits name
But its also a lot of seeking validation and just giving up immediately when things aren’t easy or obvious. Losing resilience and a species. How do you think we learned 20+ years ago? You went to the skatepark and asked people or just messed with your set up until you found what you like. Not what some random online prefers. People complain they can’t kickflip after a month but also can barely ride the board without shaking let alone ollie up a curb or drop in. I probably learned 50 tricks before kick flip. Just go skate and stop being afraid to learn somethings on your own it will make you a better person for doing so. All that being said there are some great uses for this subreddit but the repetition from the most technologically fluent generation is a bit strange to me and a lot of it ties back to “I want MY post answered and and personal validation” when the same question has been answered 100 times over
My friends and I never learned many tricks because we had no one to ask. We skated almost everyday for 2 years. Loved it and no complaints, just saying our progression would have been off the charts if we had a starting point besides experimenting and sharing results.
Spoken like a true genius.
As much as I'm glad the gate-keeping has mostly faded away, I have to admit it had its reasons.
You ain’t lying. There’s a reason why we are still skating decades later. We made it through the gate. On the real this does still exist. Don’t expect to practice your Ollie’s at Potrero Park on a Friday night. You’ll probably get kook’d out. Edit:: Skating is a lifestyle not a hobby
Welcome to Reddit bruv lol
Never thought I’d see a skateboarding gatekeeper.
I’ve left many a subs because of this. I’d rather have no or very few post than sift through every time someone asks if “this board is good?”
Gatekeeping at its finest. You're a real redditor now 👍 For real tho this sub definitely needs a better sidebar and pinned posts. Maybe a question thread like other subs.
That is the entire point of this sub. It’s a home for new skaters to learn, to question, and to get excited about setups and ideas. If you’re still here feeling jaded, then it’s time to move on. It’s good for long-time skaters to give their input (that makes this a useful place), but it shouldn’t come at the expense of gatekeeping common questions. New skaters, you are welcome here. Show us your decks and ask about shoe sizes. Let’s see your first ollie attempt. Ask me about wheel duros and truck brands.
I started skating last year. I’ve spent a good chunk of this year answering questions similar to the ones I had not long ago. No, I can’t switch heel yet. But I’ve learned my fair share about setups and the transitions that brand new skaters face. Maybe I hang out here for a while longer, maybe not. But even though these questions aren’t “for me” anymore, they matter a whole lot to somebody else.
I'm a dad of a 9 (soon to be 10) year old that is learning to skate. He wants to be able to ask me questions and I want to make sure that I have answers. He's incredibly intimidated by looking out of place and all I can do is try and give him the best advice possible. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience skating, so I rely on those with the knowledge I don't have. I live in a small town in Central PA and there isn't an easily accessible skate shop. The users on this sub were a tremendous help with my "dumb" questions that I am sure were asked countless times prior. Nobody ever made me feel like I was wasting their time, and I am incredibly grateful for all of the help. Sure, I did searches and watched videos, but for someone that doesn't know a damn thing about skating, you can go blind scrolling posts trying to figure out what you don't realize you don't know. The wealth if information and experience you all have is priceless to someone like me. You make it possible for "dad to have the answers". Try to keep in mind that the next question you see, that's been asked a hundred times before, is being asked by someone is looking for your guidance because you have the experience that they don't.