Time Warp Skating

It was a crowded house the other night at Rise Skateboard Shop. It was a fun one, too. And yes, I was hanging out on the weekend at a skateboard shop. Let me explain.

Last weekend, I received an invitation to attend a skate film premier by a former student of mine, Mike Kane. He said he would be featured in this film, and it would be cool if I could be there. I've known Mike a long time--he was in my class from 2002-2003, he's been around the dojo as I've done karate for twelve years, and his family and I have been involved in a lot of stuff on and off through the years. I knew him and his family before that through Camp Tecumseh and my year of student teaching way back in 2000.

Well, Mike was not only featured, he was the grand finale of an hour long film. I had gone to this event to support Mike, but I also had the unexpected pleasure of getting to see many old faces that I hardly recognized from those days--Petey Krivi and Zach Patterson were also featured in the movie (along with Griffin Pickard, who I didn't get to see personally), Sam Bumbalough, and Kyle Scott were also in attendance. And while I was one of probably a dozen elderly people at this event, Mike's brother Colin was kind enough to stand with me (that's his grey hat in the picture).

Other than seeing the incredible stunts these boys can do now, my favorite moment of the evening had to be when those boys told me that they still have the pictures I drew them back when I was student teaching. That's why I do them, and yes, I promise to get them done for your kiddos...eventually. There is still artwork posted in my classroom from Mike and Zach, actually.

Who knew that all those years ago--when I would be leaving here after working on Sunday afternoon and I'd roll down my window and yell out that they'd better get off the dock with those skateboards because Mr. Akin was on his way out--that they would still be thrashing (as you kids would say) all these years later.

So yes, I was at a skateboard shop over the weekend--and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.