Just stand up, dummy!

So I've been skating since about May of 2006. I feel like I have done an admirable job for starting my skating career later than everyone I skate with. I am not quite as bouncy and injury-resistant as I was back in my youth. I've taken some falls but I wear full pads and a helmet so I ain't skeered :)

So I have some tricks under my sleeve or up my hat... er, whatever. I like the park and my specialty is speed. I like to rip through the 'crete as fast as my little butt can crank it through the runs.

One trick that has eluded me is a good 50/50 grind. This is when the trucks of the skateboard (the metal that connects your wheels to each other and the board) "lock" into the coping. You slide on the coping, metal against metal, and then drop back into the bowl. It's a balancing act since your wheels aren't really coming into contact with anything... it's your axle against the metal coping of the bowl.

I've attempted this trick as long as I've skated. And I finally got it today. I just decided to stand up. And voila! I nailed it. And I kept nailing it. I was leaning into the bowl a little too much every time and it was sketchy - even when I did manage to kinda hit it.

So yay me :D I can't wait to try it at the Barnacle and next weekend at the park.