Sometimes tricks come first shot. Sometimes they become a grind (pun intended). When we’re pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones, trying something that scares the shit out of us, it can feel like we’re losing control. Maybe you just took a slam. Maybe you’ve stomped the last three shots but wheel-bite won’t let you roll away. Or maybe that bloody crack in the footpath is doing your head in.
Andrew Reynolds called it “The Madness”, and we’ve all experienced it in one form or another – the world of skateboarding superstitions. From the deck you ride and how you set it up, to the OCD-like quirks when you’re getting ready to roll up again, there are hundreds of little rituals we do in an attempt to bring some balance back to the world. For me, I always skate with a lighter in my right back pocket (specifically a large BIC), have a stretch routine I must complete before every session, and am super particular with my set up and how I put it together. And that’s all before even setting foot on a board. So, here are a few of the more common rituals and superstitions we run through to keep focused – rather than focussing our boards in a fit of rage.
Words by Harvey Ferle. Reynolds portrait by Atiba Jefferson. Illustrations by Indi Russell.
The Dizzee Rascal
There’s an old phrase: ‘pull your socks up’. It basically means you need to pull yourself together and get the job done. When you start getting close to sticking a trick you’ve been battling with, you might subconsciously reach down and pull up your socks before jumping onto your board again. Even Rowan Davis, this year’s SOTY, admitted in his last interview that he runs through this ritual. Maybe there’s a sense of security that comes with having your socks all the way up, or maybe it’s just a way to stall for time and catch your breath before trying again. Either way, as the famous philosopher Dizzee Rascal once said: “Don’t give it half-hearted, give it all. Pull up your socks and stand up tall.”
Hot Wheels
You’re standing there, getting ready to jump on your board, but all of a sudden you stop. You reach down to your wheels and feel an overwhelming compulsion to give them a good spin. You might spin all four or you might only do one. You might even stop them mid-spin in a particular pattern. Personally, when I’m in this zone, I spin the front-right wheel with my right hand three times and then stop it while it’s spinning. I can’t explain exactly what it is I’m looking for, but I instinctively know when it’s a ‘good’ spin or a ‘bad’ one. God forbid it’s a ‘bad’ one or else I have to do it again ... and again ... and again.
Board Games
There are a thousand and one ways to fuck around with your board. When shit starts to get real and you’re trying something terrifying, there’s a high chance you’ll start doing weird things with your deck before every shot. There’s tapping it a certain amount of times in a particular rhythm. There’s the ‘pirouette’ where you hold your board vertically on the ground and give it a twirl. There’s even the ‘phantom flip’ in which you hold your deck by the nose and tail, then flip it in the air and catch it. In each scenario, there’s a little voice inside your head telling you the pattern needs to be executed smoothly before you jump back on your board.
Head Where?
There’s some old footage of P-Rod taking off his cap and praying into it before his Street League run. This is a fairly severe form of headwear ritual, but hey – if it helps him skate like he does, then go for it. Think about how many times you’ve readjusted your hat or your beanie before an attempt. Was it really sitting uncomfortably and demanding immediate attention? Probably not. But that doesn’t matter. It’s a little routine to calm the nerves and sometimes it feels like it makes all the difference.
The Mime
This one’s a little strange and I’m personally guilty of doing it way too often. Particularly with flip tricks, and after a few stomps, it can help to visualise whatever it is you’re trying. With The Mime, you essentially ‘act out’ what your feet need to do, but you do it with your hands. To the casual observer, it probably looks like a strange combination of tai chi, terrible dance moves and psychosis.
The Set-Up
From coloured deck bolts in specific positions, to grip tape cut in a certain way, even to the size and shape of the board you ride, most skaters are pretty particular about their set-up. On the surface, there’s almost no difference between an 8.375 and an 8.5. In fact, a ‘bee’s dick’ is the technical term for the .125 of an inch that separates the two. But they’re worlds apart when you’re standing on them.
Some people will refuse to ride boards with a certain colour of top ply. It’s similar to the myth that white lighters are cursed. This one originated with the urban legend brewed up by stoners that Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison – all of whom died at 27 and made up the infamous ‘27 Club’ – are said to have died with white lighters in their pockets. Just like white lighters, boards with red top ply are commonly thought to have bad juju.
Remember that lighter that I said I always keep in my back pocket? It’s never, ever white.
