Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Pop Quiz

As the first school day at Fakie U grinds to a close (with nary a comment in sight), I thought a little quiz might be in order. Allan "Ollie" Gelfand did the first "no handed air" on the transitions of the old concrete parks in the seventies, but the trick has become the foundation of modern street and flatland skating. Lay-folk often wonder how skaters manage to keep the board stuck to their feet while practicing their feats of daring-do.

How is it done?

a) Tiny suction cups on the bottom of their specially designed shoes.

b) A potent spray adhesive applied to the top of the deck.

c) Voodoo.

d) A sharp application of force to the tail of the deck, rapidly followed by a dragging of the front foot up towards the board's nose.

Write down your answers on a piece of foolscap, and mail them to: Fakiegrind, care of The Internet. Our Fakie scholars will collect your answers and tabulate a grade at the end of the semester.

6 comments:

flatlander said...

If you answered, c) voodoo, you were correct!

Skateboarders keep their boards attached to their feet through complicated voodoo rituals involving the sacrifice of designer sneakers in secluded forest glens by the light of the full moon.

mgc said...

i figured it had something to do with chickens and funky needles!

Anonymous said...

ooo! ooo! I have a question!

do the height of my wheels affect the ollieing process?

it seems that bigger wheels would change the angle that the board would have to reach to be able to do a proper kick. no?

O Fakiegrind oracle, I beseech thee...

flatlander said...

Kids these days seem to like small wheels. Like the freestylers of yor, they ride small, hard wheels in order to better do the flip tricks that are so popular.

Bigger wheels are heavier, but they might allow for more pop in your ollie, seeing as they would change the angle at which your kicktail hits the ground. I would imagine they would make for a slower ollie requiring more force than on lighter, lower boards, but once in the air, perhaps you would be able to go a little higher.

But don't forget the voodoo rituals--they're the key!

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flatlander said...

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Why don't you go invent something useful, like a better fridge magnet or something?

Wait as second...that's Em! The spam plot has thickened, yet again.