May is widely recognized as the most beautiful time of year in Glasgow—in Scotland really. Later in the summer is subject to hotter weather, muggier weather and colder rainier weather as well, all intermixed. But May is almost inevitably characterized by warm sunny days with cool breezes, with myriad types of flowers in bloom.
This is precisely the sort of weather we’ve been having when I was lured out into the park and onto a longboard. A longboard, for those of you not in the know, is a skateboard but—you guessed it—longer. It’s actually wider as well, all around a bigger board, though typically fairly low to the ground. This makes it much more stable for simply coasting around as opposed to the smaller more traditional boards whose shape and firmness is necessary for all those cool flips and grinds and other tricks. So, on Sunday I spent very little time on the longboard. There were three boards and four of us and I was in slightly-too-big sandals which are not the best footwear for such a sport. I clocked only about ten minutes total, but managed not to fall off the thing—leap off, stumble off, sometimes with a yelp of surprise, but not fall off.
Yesterday I came prepared in tennis shoes. I coasted around for a while with much the same results, though further impeded by the larger crowds of people, dogs, children, bikes, balls, and radio-controled-trucks.
Then the other skateboarders decided it would be fun to all go up this very mild hill. Beginners could go just a little ways up, and the more advanced people would go further up. It is a very very mild hill, mind you. The bottom of the slope I’d hardly dignify by the name if I was walking. Unfortunately, right at the base there is a huge metal cover (two yards across or more) that you have to dodge to one side of or the other. Oh, and turning right (lean on the balls of your feet) is easier than turning left (lean back on your heels). So I decided to go for the narrow strip between the metal cover of doom and the fencing of peril, and waited for a gap in pedestrian traffic. Now understand, I was only about four yards up this mild incline, by far the person furthest down this “slope” and this did not seem the least bit foolhardy…until it was time for me to pick up my breaking foot and get going. Well, what I hadn’t really paid attention to—concentrating as I was on missing the metal cover and not hitting pedestrians—is that in addition to sloping down the path, the edge of the path slopes off into the gutter to the right…which is edged by that metal fence I mentioned…and remember how it’s easier to turn right than left? Well I got past the metal cover fine going at my fastest speed yet (it can’t have been impressive to an outside observer though, alas) but I was in a tight right turn and the slope into the gutter wouldn’t let me out of it. As best I can recall I made some sort of attempt to leap off the board hoping to land on my feet and catch myself on the fence. It didn’t work out that way. In leaping I seem to have pushed off the board such that my feet came out from under me all the faster. There was a brief terrifying moment of being airborn……and then I hit asphalt. Well, they did say if you don’t fall off, you’re not trying hard enough.
Hip, arm, shoulder, hand and head all hit together; at least it distributed the force. I think the injury I resent the most is the one to my right thumb and hand. I had borrowed quite good hand protection, you see, but the protective bits were over the palm and the fronts of the fingers—what you’d land on if you fell forward and tried to catch yourself. I, on the other hand, managed to land on the side of my thumb, and the whole ball of my thumb got rather swollen and tender which has certainly made typing more hazardous. And picking things up, leaning on things, etc. I’m hoping my neck settles out soon though. It’s odd how these things work. I hit the ground on my right side…so now the left side of my neck hurts. Hmph. The rest of me was a bit bruised and rattled, but seems to be none the worse for wear today. Nonetheless, despite fellow boarders attempts to use quotes about getting back on the horse to goad me back into action, I think I’ll take a break from the wonders of longboarding.
Now if we could go windsurfing on the other hand…
