Rip It
Page 1
RIP IT
A. D. Herrick
Contents
Terms to know
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Copyright © 2017 A. D. Herrick
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, events, or locales are coincidental and not intended by the author.
When I was a kid, everywhere I went people said I should be a model, but I was more into skateboarding.
-Daria Werbowy
Terms to know:
Anatomy of a Skateboard
Deck: The wooden part of the skateboard assembly, made usually of hard maple
Grip tape: Sandpaper affixed to the top of the deck with adhesive, used to increase the friction between the deck and the skater’s feet.
Nose: The front of the skateboard, from the front truck bolts to the end.
Rail: The edge of the skateboard, also, plastic strips attached to the board’s underside.
Tail: The rear of the skateboard, from the back truck bolts to the end
Trucks: The front and rear axle assemblies that connect the wheels to the deck and provide the turning capabilities for the board.
Top sheet: The top ply of the deck
Skateboarding Tricks
Air: Riding with all four wheels off the ground; short for aerial.
Acid drop: Skating off the end of an object without touching the board with your hands.
Air walk: This trick can be done with or without grabbing the nose; once in the air the front foot is kicked out and the back foot is kicked back so they are in a walking type position.
Alley-oop: A spinning trick on transition that entails spinning to the right while airing to the left, or vice versa.
Anchor grind: A grind on the front truck, with the tail pointing back, down, and away from the obstacle.
Back side: when a trick or turn is executed with the skater’s back facing the ramp or obstacle.
Back slide: When a skater or his board is spinning, they are spinning backslide if the rotation leads the skater’s back or the heel edge of the board to turn immediately forward. OR When approaching an obstacle, the potential trick will be called backslide if the obstacle is on the heel side of the board upon approach.
Back slide Grab/Melon grab/Melancholy/Mosquito: Grabbing heel edge with your front hand while airing forward or backslide.
Bail: To fall or while in the air, deciding you’re not going to land your trick and kicking your board away for a hopefully painless landing.
Beni-Hana: A grab in which, after the Ollie is initiated, the front foot pulls the board as far forward as possible, the back foot is left to hang in the air, and the back hand grabs the tail of the board before pulling it back under the skater's two feet
Big spin: A trick in which the skater and his board both rotate along a vertical axis, but the skater rotates 180 as the board rotates 360.
Bitch Slap: Grabbing right near the front wheel on the heel edge with your front hand, then pushing the tail over to the left (right if goofy foot) by crossing your back leg underneath your front leg.
Body Varial: The spinning of one’s body along its vertical axis while the board does not spin.
Caballerial: a 360-degree turn performed on a ramp while riding fakie (backwards), named after skater Steve Caballero
Casper flip: A trick in which the board is flipped for half a kick flip, then caught upside down and flipped back over and spun backside 180 degrees on its vertical axis, all while in the air
Crooked Grind: A grind on the front truck, with the tail pointing up, back, and away from the obstacle
Dark slide: A slide in which the board is flipped for half a kick flip, then caught with the back foot on the dark side of the tail and the front foot on the dark side of the nose and brought down by the skater into a slide on the middle of the grip taped side of the deck
Dark side: Your board is dark side if it is upside down; the dark side of a deck is the side that the baseplate is mounted to
Drop In: The act of going from a flat platform into a steep transition. Or any obstacle where a skater can place his tail on the edge of said obstacle and lean forward to drop in to a transition of some kind
Fakie: skating backwards—the skater is standing in his or her normal stance, but the board is moving backward (not to be confused with "switch stance")
Feeble Grind: A grind on the back truck, with the nose pointing forward, down, and toward the obstacle
Flip trick: A flip trick is a move that involves the board spinning on any or a variety of its axes
Front side grab:An Indy grab while airing front side
Front side: when a trick or turn is executed with the front of the skater’s body facing the ramp or obstacle
Front side: When a skater or his board are spinning, they are spinning front side if the rotation leads the skater or the toe edge of the board to turn immediately forward OR When approaching an obstacle, the potential trick will be called front side if the obstacle is on the toe side of the board upon approach
Front side Flip: The name given to a front side Ollie 180 with a kick flip
Good Buddy: A fakie invert not “fully extended”.
Half Cab: The name given to a fakie Ollie 180
Hang up: While trying to drop back in off of the coping after completing a trick, the truck that was above the coping does not clear it on the way back into the transition; this often results in a slam, but can be pulled off by some
Heel flip: The rotation of the board around its lengthwise axis as a result of kicking your front foot off the toe edge of your board
Ho Ho: This is where both hands are on the coping at the same time at one point during the trick, enabling the person to walk on their hands if so desired. Both hands must be on the coping because the trick is actually an invert to eggplant.
Impossible: This trick can be performed using either your front or back foot, and it entails wrapping the nose or tail around its respectful foot 360 degrees
Invert:A trick that entails getting upside down and supporting yourself on one hand, usually on the coping of a ramp, as the other hand performs a grab
Judo: Grab heel edge near the front wheel with your front hand and kick your front foot off in front of you
Kick flip: a variation on the Ollie in which the skater kicks the board into a spin before landing back on it. The rotation of the board around its lengthwise axis as a result of kicking your front foot off the heel edge of your board
Kick flip under flip: A trick consisting of a fully rotated kick flip that is then kicked with the front foot on the dark side of the deck to send it flipping back in the same direction that it came from
Madonna: Grab heel edge near the front wheel with your front hand and kick your front foot off behind you; this trick is of
ten done to tail smack on the way back into the tranny.
Manuel: A trick in which the skater balances his weight over the back truck, keeping the front wheels off of the ground
Method: Grabbing your heel edge with your front hand and pulling that edge up towards your back
Miller Flip: An invert in which you flip all the way around into the fakie position. Basically a vertical cartwheel.
Mute: Grab your toe edge with your front hand while airing backside.
Nollie: an Ollie performed by tapping the nose of the board instead of the tail.
Nose Grind: A grind on the front truck, with the tail pointing up and back
Ollie: The basis of most other tricks, it entails using your back foot to smack the tail of your board against the ground while your front foot pulls the board up into the air.
Play Skate: This game is also called horse; someone starts off the game by doing a trick; if they miss, it's the next person's turn to try their own trick; if they land it, everyone else has to try it and whoever misses gets an S; the winner is the last one not to spell out the full word
Pop Shuvit: A trick in which the board is popped in the air where it rotates along its vertical axis
Revert: A trick that is added on to the end of any other trick, and it means to spin one's self and the board 180 after completing the initial trick
Rock N' Roll: Ramp trick were one goes up to the lip and push the front truck over it, stall, then turn 180 back down the ramp
Salad Grind: A grind on either truck, with the opposite end of the board pointing forward, up, and towards the obstacle
Slob: A mute grab while airing front side
Stale fish: Grab your heel edge with your back hand, behind your back leg
Stall: The act of getting your board into a sliding or grinding position on an obstacle, without sliding or grinding
Shove-it: a trick performed by spinning the board 180 degrees beneath the feet while traveling forward
Varial / Shuvit: The spinning of the board along its vertical axis, without popping the board in the air
Wallie: Getting all four wheels on a vertical wall before ollieing
180: Pronounced "one-eighty", a measurement of a rotation, used to describe a trick eg: 180 front side Ollie
360: Pronounced "three-sixty" a measurement of rotation, used to describe a trick eg: 360 shove-it kick flip
Other Terms
Bowl: A vert or miniramp with concave transition wrapping around 360 degrees, forming a bowl shape.
Carve: to skate in a long, curving arc.
Coping: Any grindable and slidable material attached to an obstacle for easier grinds and slides
Flat bottom: Any flat surface at the bottom of a transition
Goofy foot: riding with the right foot forward, the opposite of "regular foot". You are goofy footed if you normally skate with your left foot on the tail.
Grind: scraping one or both axles on a curb, railing, or other surface, such as:
Crooked grind: grinding on only the front truck while sliding
Nose grind: grinding on only the front truck
Hip: The junction of two banks, transitions, or other riding surfaces which meet at an angle, usually anywhere from slight (300 degrees) to right (90 degrees); these angles are ridden, grinded, and flown over
Hipper: A large, painful strawberry bruise on the hip which often becomes a hematoma, or a swelling of blood; avoid at all cost
Line: A number of tricks performed consecutively OR A path or planned course through a park or spot
Rasta: A certain genre of skaters known for their laid back style, high Ollies, dreadlocks
Chapter One
Haven
I was so relieved to hear the shrill ringing of the last bell as it blared through the halls and classrooms. The sound echoed off the walls of the nearly empty building, signaling the end of the last day of school.
The only thing left to do was to walk for graduation. Walking was something I had opted out of. I could wait for my diploma to be sent to me. I was in no rush and I didn’t plan on attending college anyways.
This was my final summer before moving away, which meant I only had three months left before I could finally get out of this shithole town.
Seal Dena was a small surfside town in Southern California that hosted killer waves but little else. The town was remote and run down.
The recession hit and everyone either went belly up or split. My dad was one of many that split, leaving me and my mom here in our tiny bungalow.
It was a common occurrence around here. Most of us kids were raised by single parents if being raised is what you would call it.
My mom, like many, spent most of her time laid up drunk in one of the local bars or beneath whatever man would have her. The one saving grace I had was that she never brought them home.
I had heard enough horror stories whispered in the quiet halls at school about girls that didn’t have it so lucky. Their mothers brought home men that had little to no regard for age or consent and their mothers didn’t seem to care either way.
I had three more months of this hell hole left and I couldn’t wait. It’s unfortunate that one out of ten of the teens here would go on to do something with their lives and get out of this shit town.
I had absolutely no desire to stick around. College may not have been calling my name but anything was better than staying here.
The only jobs that were left here were low paying jobs at the local fast-food chains. That was if you were lucky enough to be hired, positions were scares.
Most of the shops in town had to close up their doors because they were losing more money than they were making.
The recession and loss of job left most of the town deserted. People walked away from their homes by the drones and the banks had no interest in keeping them up or reselling them. This left the vacant houses open to squatters and some of the lowest dredges of life.
To keep our house running and food in the refrigerator I had a small side job selling handmade decals online. I started selling them after I got rave reviews on the ones I made for my own boards.
I had been saving every dollar I made with the goal of using it toward getting out of here, with the exception of paying the bills. Business has been steady since I started.
I had to hide the business and the money I made from my mom. I knew that once she found out she would take it and spend it down at the bar.
I was surprised at first when she didn’t ask about the overdue bills and the refrigerator full of food. It didn’t take me long to realized it was because she was always too drunk to notice when she came home if she came home at all. It seemed like she came home less and less over the years.
Sometimes, I wondered if the fact that I looked so much like my father was the reason she stayed away. I knew him leaving was the reason she drank.
Before my father left I remembered my mother as being a sunny, happy stay at home mom that packed my school lunches and always had dinner ready when my dad came home from work.
Now she was just a shell of her former self. Her long blonde hair no longer held its youthful shine; it hung limply down her shoulders. Her cheeks were hollowed in, her skin taking on a dull pasty hue giving her a sickly look and her bright blue eyes were now dull, lifeless and tinged with yellow.
“You coming out tonight?” Sam, my best friend asked, nudging my shoulder with his, pulling me out of my reverie.
Sam was a tall lanky guy with long shaggy hair that fell over his eyes in soft waves. His wide-set large brown eyes sparkled with humor. Sam had been my best friend since kindergarten.
I had never looked at him in a romantic sort of way like many assumed I did. Sam and I have been inseparable since the first day of kindergarten and many thought we were an item. When in fact, he was more like a brother to me.
It didn’t help that I wasn’t close friends with any of the girls I went to school with. We never seemed to have anything in common. When th
e girls were out playing with dolls, I was playing with cars and trucks with Sam. Once we got older and the girls started chasing boys, I started skateboarding with Sam. It’s just how it was.
“Yeah, I have to do a few things and then I will meet you out,” I told him giving him a quick smile.
“Jessie is going to meet us there after a while. That cool?” He asked.
His shoulder brushed against mine as he walked with me down the hall toward my locker. My smile faltered.
Jessie was Sam’s longtime boyfriend. They just celebrated four years together. When Sam first came out and told me he was gay, I was shocked. He just didn’t emit that stereotypical ‘gay vibe’. Sam was a somewhat attractive manly man. He loved to catch waves on his surfboard, skateboard and work on cars. I had no clue that he was gay before he told me. I had assumed he was like me and just not interested in dating.
Jessie, on the other hand, was the poster boy for the stereotypical gay male. He was loud, flamboyant, and more girly than any girl I had ever met. I knew what it would mean for Jessie to tag along. Tonight was going to be a short night out with Sam.
I walked to my locker, Sam by my side, and emptied its contents into my bag. It felt good to be leaving this place. The only thing that sucked about the school year ending was that Sam was leaving for the entire summer with Jessie.
Sam had made plans with Jessie to go visit Jessie’s family out in New York City. I was anything but jealous of their trip to New York. I was more upset that this would be my first summer away from Sam. That meant I would be spending the entire summer alone.
“You still set on not walking?” I asked him curiously.
“Nah, my dad is still out of town. There’s no point in it. Jessie isn’t walking either.” He said sadly.
I knew it bothered him that his dad wasn’t around much. His dad wasn’t a bad guy; he just worked a lot and always seemed to be indisposed.
“So, is it cool if Jessie comes tonight? He asked again.
“Yeah, that’s cool,” I reassured him, even though it wasn’t.
Jessie was going to have Sam for the entire summer. I didn’t understand why he needed him his last night here as well. I inhaled deeply through my nose. The reasons for not liking Jessie were piling up as if I need any more reason.