3. The Deal #3
Gus stepped onto his board and glanced at his feet, then stepped off to switch directions. A beat passed before he switched back. “This feels good.”
“You’re regular. Okay, now use your right foot to pump.”
Gus placed his foot down and started pushing, gradually building speed. He was getting the hang of it.
“There you—”
Gus lost control and crashed hard, tumbling off the board. He landed flat on his back in the grassy ditch next to the side road.
“Oh, shit,” Bridger muttered, skating over to him.
Soon they moved from balancing and pickups to actual movement.
Gus was grateful they were on the side of the park and not in the mix with all the other riders.
With Bridger watching, Gus set his foot down to push off and pulled it back onto the board as he wobbled down the pavement.
Every bit of his body seemed to shake as the board vibrated across the asphalt.
“How do you stop?!” Gus shouted back.
“Lean on the tail!” Bridger called out.
“The what?”
“The back! Just put your foot down!”
Gus bailed instead, jumping off to the side of the board as it rolled toward the fence. Bridger chuckled as he ran to catch it for him. Once again, Bridger went into demonstration mode, showing Gus how to turn and stop by leaning on the tail of his own board or dragging his shoe.
“You just gotta be less tight. Chill a bit.” Bridger smiled.
How he was supposed to chill, Gus didn’t know.
For the rest of the day, Gus went back and forth on the same side road as Bridger encouraged him toward steadier balance and smoother stops. He showed Gus some fun ollies and kickflips for inspiration. Eventually, the sun began to set. Gus was getting tired and Bridger was getting hungry.
“I’m starving, dude. I gotta get dinner back at home.” Bridger dapped Gus goodbye. “Let’s do more tomorrow.”
Gus and Bridger both arrived at the park around the same time the next afternoon.
Gus was amped to practice but still wanted to use the worn-out side road away from the main concrete.
When Bridger’s other skater friends arrived an hour later, they all clocked him and Gus from a distance with curious looks.
Max squinted with extra suspicion to see Bridger hanging out with the weird kid from his skate shop.
Gus tried to avoid their glances, to not think about their judgment.
Luckily, Bridger didn’t notice their nosy glares. He focused only on Gus.
After practicing more of his basic skills like rolling, stopping, and pickups, Gus began to feel comfortable skating on level surfaces.
Bridger knew it was time to show Gus some simple flatground maneuvers like tic-tacs, shuvits, and hippie jumps.
Gus was amazed that even the smallest of moves took so much focus and precision.
Just lifting his feet off the board for a simple board spin or hop felt impossible.
With Bridger’s direction and hours of practice, Gus finally landed his first small hippie jump without bailing.
“Good! That took me a week to learn,” Bridger congratulated.
“Yeah?” Gus responded with a smile. “I guess I am a quick learner.”
Most of the other skaters left for the day, and Bridger and Gus remained.
With Bridger’s crew gone, Gus finally felt comfortable entering the main concrete of the skatepark.
After getting Gus used to the smoother terrain, Bridger tasked him with the exercise of rolling around a bowl.
Gus pushed off from the flat center toward the curved bottom and slowly rode up the base of the incline.
But, of course, he stepped off before he could roll back down.
“Close!” Bridger encouraged. He skated around the same bowl, adding a tail stall on the rim before rolling back to Gus.
“Do what feels natural. Trust yourself,” Bridger explained. “Feel the board beneath your feet.”
Next, the boys stood together, both looking ahead at McNair’s simple but long pump track. Bridger wanted Gus to skate all the way from the north end of the park to the very south end over all the small bumps and dips. Gus tapped his board nervously against his knee.
“I don’t know about this…” Gus warned.
“Don’t think, just do it,” Bridger pushed.
Gus dropped his board and kicked off, and Bridger watched him go.
Gus called up his balance practice, kept his body loose, and just let the wind and shifting forces move his body to the curve of the concrete beneath him.
He could feel every slope of the ground underfoot as if his board was now the concrete itself.
He was a little wobbly, but before he knew it, Gus had reached the end of the park’s smooth mounds and slopes without falling, tail scraping to an awkward stop.
He stepped off, kicked up his board, and caught it in his hands.
Beaming, he exhaled out all his pent-up anxiety.
Gus turned around with a smile to find Bridger proudly clapping back at the opposite side of the skatepark. Both boys were elated.
“Let’s go!” Bridger cheered, pumping his fists.