Determined To Learn Every Detail

I also wanted to find out what the information on the skateboard graphics meant. Whenever I visited a skate shop it was an almost intimidating mission where I saw intense visuals with names I had never heard of like... Billy Ruff, Tom Groholski and Spidey. The names of skaters became a way for me to study non-stop, every piece of information I could find from American magazines.

An Afternoon When Everything Changed

I distinctly remember one afternoon, when everything changed for me in the world of skateboarding.

While a very young teenager, my high school used to have a sports elective on Friday every week which was called 'Skateboarding'. I was one of the worst kids at school in pretty much every sport except gymnastics - which I had so much fun doing because I could do rolls, jumps and flips by myself without having to be in a team.

A New Subject at School

The Skateboarding subject was almost like a free for all subject where one teacher would just supervise while kids skated in the school. Skateboarding was huge at the time and so many kids had requested a skate subject, that the teaching staff gave in to what the kids wanted to do.

My First Real Skateboard Setup

Anyway, I couldn't wait for Friday afternoons to take my newly bought first USA pro skateboard set up - which was a bright purple, orange, pink and green Jeff Kendall board, on the bus to school. We could skate flatground or a jump ramp only within the group subject. Almost nobody paid attention to skating on flatground and everyone wanted to make a name for themself flying off the jump ramp. The only thing was, it was a really big jump ramp. Big for a little kid anyway.

The Desire To Fly

I remember standing next to the jump ramp and measuring it somewhere between my chest and shoulders. I saw other kids doing airs or at least attempting airs off it and was so excited, I really wanted to learn to do airs too.

The Kid That Wasn't Good at Any Sports

After a lot of deliberation, I rode up to the jump ramp pushing as hard as I could and then felt a shocking jolt as I hit the wood transition and jumped off my board. I knew that even if I bailed (to bail means to jump off the skateboard) that I would be at least my own head height in the air above rough, gravelly bitumen. I was really scared and couldn't really participate in the 'Skate' subject even though it was all I thought about at home and hoped it would be the one sport subject I could participate in. I was one of the worst kids at sport and wanted to do something by myself, where other kids wouldn't put me down for mucking up cricket or football games.

Feeling Beyond Hope

Feeling dejected and really depressed, I returned to a dimly lit school hall to put my skateboard away in my locker. When I got there, standing next to my locker was another kid with a bowl style haircut, who wasn't a friend but who I had talked to before, if only a little. Suddenly, as I closed my locker he stared at me and spoke - which gave me a fright as not many kids spoke to me at school. As I had just closed my locker, he looked me straight in the eyes and said...

"Sean, you are the worst skateboarder I have ever seen in my life!"

The boy said it with bitter contempt and the expression on his face really meant to put me down. I was not able to speak as a big ball of upset blocked my throat and voice from being able to speak and let words out.

And that was it...

Everything in my internal world changed in that moment.

The Sudden Moment When My Whole World Changed

As I looked back at him in the eyes... without blinking… without deliberation… I stared deep into him and thought...

"You are going to pay for what you just said."

And...

ジャンプランプの隣に立って、その高さに驚いたのを覚えています。ジャンプランプの高さは私の胸と肩の間でした。 他の子供たちがエアをしているのを見て、自分もエアをできるように習いたいと思いました。

ずっとためらった後、全力でジャンプランプまで早く乗りましたが、木のトランジションにぶつかってボードから飛び降りた瞬間、衝撃を感じました。

落ち込んで、とてもがっかりしている気分になった私は、スケートボードをロッカーにしまうために学校のホールに戻りました。 そこに着くと、私のロッカーの隣にはボウルカットの子供が立っていた。彼は友達ではなかったが、 以前話したことがありました。突然、ロッカーを閉めると、彼は私をじっと見つめて話しかけてきました。 学校では私に話しかけてくる子はあまりいなかったので、びっくりしました。それで...

「ショーン、君は僕が今まで見た中で最悪のスケーターだ！」
とボウルカットの子供は言いました。

その子供は私を本当に見下すような口調で言いました。私は彼の言葉にショックを受け、喉が詰まったように感じて話すことができませんでした。 まるでその子が私の目を覗き込んでスケートボードの夢を壊そうとしているようでした。

それで突然...

その瞬間、私の心と精神には...　私の内面のすべてが変わりました。

私は彼の目を見つめ返しました…　瞬きもせず…　ためらうことなく…　彼を深く見つめて、私は思いました。

「今言ったことは後悔することになるよ。」
と思いました。

その時点から...

Skate Focus Fury

Instead of going into negative emotions, everything in me… Everything thinking second... I started to apply myself to skateboarding in a way no other kid at school could. Practicing every day after school for hours and hours until dark. Visualizing tricks late at night to the point where I couldn't sleep. Reading every US magazine I could find...

Learning Tricks From a Commodore 64

Also, at night playing a very early, heavily pixelated skate video game on my Commodore 64 computer to help me imagine tricks. After a very short period of time, I was spending more time than even possible for young skaters at school to practice - because they were popular and had friends. I was definitely not popular and barely had any friends.

It was the perfect advantage.

Within 3 to 4 months, I was doing tricks on my skateboard that no other kid at school could even understand.

A Solitary Skate Paradise

I preferred to be out on the street and practiced non-stop at the carpark of Safeway supermarket in Kew - which became well known in Melbourne for the Famous Kew Street Skating Competitions. The area had smooth concrete, curbs and was undercover, so even if it rained, I would be there practicing by myself for many hours. It was like a paradise for me - it was a smooth, undercover flatground area with curbs. Nobody was interested in what I was doing, nor did anyone watch me.

Dim Fluorescent Lights, Long Grinds & The Sound of Rain

I practiced tricks over and over, perhaps thousands of times with only my mind and thoughts to keep me company - in self-observation amidst the very dim, almost non-existent fluorescent light. Even if it was pouring with rain, I would be there - practicing in solitude. I remember the echo of the tail of my board and the sound of my trucks as I hit curbs reverberating through the whole carpark, in what was otherwise almost complete silence.

Tiny Face, Skinny Arms & Small Hands

Like I mentioned in other stories, at the time I had a very weak physical body, but one area of musculature was growing disproportionally to the rest of my physique. Under my very baggy jeans, nobody else could see that my calf muscles were growing huge - like the size of grapefruits. I had a tiny face, small torso, skinny arms, thin neck, small hands and calves that could kick down with force as if I were starting a super-charged racing motorbike engine.

Seahorse Tails & Flip Tricks

My ankles were also getting stronger and I found that my feet were becoming much more prehensile. Like for example seahorses have prehensile tails that can grab onto objects while they are having a rest from swimming. In the same way, even when I was relaxing in my room, I would be able to grab my board with my feet and flip it around in all sorts of ways based on tricks I was imagining.

Those That Had Put Me Down Were Shocked Beyond Words

I had a feeling of fury inside to practice like crazy and hit the streets as much as I could. After a short period of time, the kid that called me the worst skater he had ever seen - didn't even matter to me anymore, as I was starting to explore new street skating areas and kids in nearby suburbs started to hear about me. Those that had put me down, didn't even know what to say as they were in complete shock at how fast I was changing. It was around this time that I developed the courage to start going on bus and train rides by myself to the city and other skate spots I had never seen before.

The Early Evolution of Streetwear Fashion

I also loved everything about Street Culture. Around about that time Streetwear Fashion that has become well known and mainstream today - was in a very early stage of evolution. Stussy, Vision Street Wear, futuristic looking 80s sneakers, import baseball caps and t-shirts with graphics by skate brands I was interested in.

Coordinating My Own Outfits

I thought about streetwear a lot, as I had never seen anything like it before. The clothes were becoming baggier and allowed me a lot of freedom of movement. While I was still only a small child, I would do my best to coordinate outfits combining my favorite graphics, colors and styles. I also loved watching Vert Skating (Vert meaning big ramps) and wanted to skate street in a way like my favorite professional Vert Skaters. I wanted to be able to fly through the air like they could using obstacles I saw in the city.　

The Streets Became A Place of Artistic Expression

It was the beginning of many adventures into the urban jungle with my board – meeting many creative minds, skateboarding pioneers and making new friends. The streets became a place of freedom - filled with endless fascination for me - somewhere where I could draw lines through movement, self-expression and imagination.