Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

Ok, Skate and Feel Free

Shamefully, I will admit that then when I saw a New York Times article earlier this week on skateboarding in Afghanistan I was a little skeptical. My expectation was that the piece would be overly sentimental and would examine false parallels between the U.S. and Afghani cultures in an attempt to create a kind of free-floating, improvised nostalgia. I was wrong. This simply written and insightful piece is embedded with honest and brutal observations about class and gender issues in Afghanistan. The Times hosts a short, related video for those who would like to see a bit of what skateboarding in Kabul looks like.

At the risk of playing into the same feeling of false nostalgia that I mentioned above, let me say that reading about Skatistan reminded me of local author Blake Nelson's Paranoid Park (a film based on this title and directed by Gus Van Sant was released in 2007). While I wouldn't directly compare the protagonist's psychological turmoil to the daily experience of skaters in Afghanistan, there is something familiar and dark in Nelson's depiction of a young skateboarder's attempt to make sense of their role in an act of extreme violence. Set in Portland (the park referenced is based on the world-renowned Burnside Skatepark) Paranoid Park is a powerful coming of age story that will ring true for both those who grew up in the Pacific Northwest and those who are growing up here now.

And if those PacNW readers happen to be young women who enjoy skateboarding, let me recommend Patty Segovia and Rebecca Heller's Skater Girl - A Girl's Guide to Skateboarding. Segovia and Heller's book is no academic treatise on gender studies, instead it is a straight forward introduction to the history and culture of skateboarding which just happens to be written by, and exclusively illustrated with photos of, women. Really, any youngster interested in skating could get a lot out of this book but its matter-of-fact presentation will appeal most to young women. Another useful resource in this regard is Skate Like A Girl which started in Seattle but is creeping down I-5 to Portland (imagine them as a Rock 'n' Roll Camp For Girls but with decks and trucks instead of strats and snares).

Published by Thrasher Magazine, Insane Terrain goes light on the text and heavy on the photo illustrations in documenting skateboarding's boundless search for new spots in the urban (and sometimes rural) topography. The ingenuity and dedication presented in these images is inspiring and speaks to a core essence of creativity and courage that sets skateboarding apart from more traditional past-times like organized sports. An updated edition of Insane Terrain might well include photos of the Uganda Skateboard Union. For those unfamiliar with this project here's a link to a short video introduction, as hosted by the park's resident superhero Board Master. His ability to turn workaday tools into skateboards is something that would come in handy here or in Skatistan and his proclamation, "Ok, Skate and Feel Free" makes for a motto any skater could agree with.