{"id":8528,"date":"2020-01-14T19:06:29","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T01:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/?p=8528"},"modified":"2020-01-15T12:13:35","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T18:13:35","slug":"shredding-the-gnar-with-luke-gatlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/?p=8528","title":{"rendered":"Shredding the Gnar With Luke Gatlin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Seconds before dropping-in at the skatepark, the body and mind of someone who skates are nervous. Someone who skates takes risks because although he or she may be scared of trying something new, the result of excitement filling his or her body after succeeding is always worth the practice and hard work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Senior Luke Gatlin\u00a0 has been skateboarding for one year now. \u201cThe lifestyle interested me a lot,\u201d said Gatlin. \u201cThe people are great and I really like the clothes they wear. Obviously my favorite part is skateboarding though.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 The skateboarding lifestyle can be tricky to jump into.\u201cI\u2019ve bought a few boards, but my main board right now is the Creature X Thrasher Collaboration,\u201d said Gatlin. \u201cTwo different brands decided to come together and make the board. It was around $105. If you\u2019re interested in skateboarding and you want to buy your first skateboard, then you\u2019re going to want something better than a cheap Walmart skateboard.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u201cYou should probably buy a pre-made complete skateboard that costs somewhere from fifty to eighty dollars. The size of the skateboard is really important too. If you have bigger feet or if you\u2019re taller, then you get a board with a width of eight plus inches. If you have smaller feet or if you\u2019re shorter, then you should probably get a board with a width of 7.75 inches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Skateboarding is much more than just buying a board. After Gatlin bought himself a skateboard, he was ready to enter into the world of skateboarding. \u201cI work at Journey\u2019s in park plaza,\u201d said Gatlin. \u201cIt\u2019s a store most people who skate go to for clothes. That way I have the chance to meet a lot of people who like skateboarding too. The best way for me to meet other people who skate is to just go to skateparks. When I go to a skatepark, I usually go to Kanis Park. Other times I just skate around. Most places are good places to skate, which is another reason why I like it so much. I can bring my skateboard anywhere and I\u2019ll find somewhere to skate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Some people might not be as interested in the lifestyle of someone who skates as they are interested in skateboarding in general. Although Gatlin started skateboarding just one year ago, he\u2019s been dedicated to improving his skills. \u201cA great way to start,\u201d he said, \u201cis to start on the grass. Get on the board and move around a little bit. That way you can get more comfortable with the movement. One thing people don\u2019t realize is that skateboards are a lot harder to balance on than they would think. If you hop on a skateboard without being comfortable, then you\u2019re going to fall off easily. After you\u2019re more comfortable, go to concrete, but not just on the board. Try putting some tennis balls on the wheels if you don\u2019t feel comfortable enough. Move around some more and become more comfortable. Once you think you\u2019re ready, take off the tennis balls and try skateboarding around your neighborhood. Continue to work on your balance. When you feel like you\u2019re comfortable and ready, try going to a skatepark.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 The skatepark is an entirely new environment compared to a neighborhood or a street. Skateparks give the opportunity for learning specific tricks and moves. Before learning anything too advanced, a new skater must know the simple things to work on while a skatepark.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u201cDropping-in is essential after understanding what you need to know from the basics,\u201d said Gatlin. Dropping-in is when someone drops in on an incline very quickly. It\u2019s important to be comfortable with the board before trying to drop. The most important thing, however, is to understand falling is inevitable. Being comfortable isn\u2019t always an option when trying new tricks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 The first trick anyone should learn is an ollie. An ollie is popping the skateboard in the air. The steps to completing an allie are as follows: 1) Push the back of the board down with the back foot so the front of the board is in the air. 2) Slide the front foot to the front of the board. 3) Stomp the front foot down on the front of the board. 4) After rehearsing those steps, try jumping at the same time so the board will be in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 When Gatlin isn\u2019t skateboarding with new friends, he tends to skate with his brother, Charlie Gatlin, and his brother\u2019s friend, Jack Henry Johnson, both from the class of \u201816. \u201c I started skateboarding while I was a freshman in high school,\u201d said Charlie Gatlin. \u201cBam Magera, from Jackass, is the skateboarder who inspired me to start. I don\u2019t get into the style of skateboarders as much as Luke does, but I do know a few more tricks. The main trick I can do is grinding. Grinding is when you jump on a pole and slide across it with the middle of the board.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 Johnson also started his freshman year of high school. \u201cAfter high school,\u201d he said, \u201cI went to New York and continued to skate frequently. I still skate a lot but probably not as much as Luke.\u201d Now, Johnson has the idea of starting his own brand of skateboards. He plans on calling it \u201cButter Board,\u201d because it will feel fluid and smooth. He has started designing shirts so word of his new brand will spread.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 There are many different ways to skateboard. It can be relaxing, but it can also be hard work. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way to get your mind off of things,\u201d said Gatlin, \u201cand it\u2019s very accomplishing when you land a trick. Remember falling is a big part of it though. It\u2019s probably 90% falling, but it\u2019s always worth it to get up and keep trying.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Seconds before dropping-in at the skatepark, the body and mind of someone who skates are nervous. Someone who skates takes risks because although he or she may be scared of trying something new, the result of excitement filling his or her body after succeeding is always worth the practice and hard work.\u00a0 \u00a0 Senior…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":8557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[97,196],"tags":[145],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/liftoffnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Luke-gatlin-2.jpeg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3xfZw-2dy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8528"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8533,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8528\/revisions\/8533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liftoffnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}