Daily Ramblings

Jan 13-Skateboarder 525 words

The crowd gasped in the late afternoon sunshine, but Chris Jennings didn’t hear them. He didn’t hear anything except his own breathing, and the boom of Nickleback roaring through his ears. That was how he performed best. With his iPod strapped to his arm to prevent fall-out, his chosen tunes rushed past his ears as quick as the air he traveled through.

Of course, this wasn’t really a performance for him. This was fun, plain and simple. Concentrating on simply going, he soared and dipped and flew and crashed back to earth. Chris was heedless of the danger he may have been in. Regardless of what other people thought, Chris was one of the safest ‘boarders he knew. He never climbed on his board or on a ramp without first checking both out, and he never rode without his helmet and pads. First of all, that would have been just stupid. Second, his mom and dad would skin him alive, and he could kiss good-bye his board for a while.

As Chris finished his routine, as his wheels hit the ramp for the last time, he allowed himself to think of the competition. He had really only signed up because his girlfriend suggested it. Oh sure, the prize was great. Seriously, five hundred bucks was like a gift from above for any high school junior, and Chris was no exception. If he won, that would go a long way towards the purchase of the car he had his eye on. Even though his first love was four wheels and a board, Chris was pretty sure that he could go farther-and faster-with a car. Besides, Missy would be much happier riding in a car instead of bumming rides from their friends. Not that she ever said anything, but still. Even though his friends called it a “junker”, Chris knew that between he and his dad, they could get it running pretty well with very little monetary outlay. After all, his dad was a mechanic by trade and by hobby, and knew all there was to know about cars. And he was taking shop that semester, so that would help too. So yeah, the five hundred bucks would help. But it really wasn’t a big deal.

Chris skated to a stop as Chad Kroeger finished the final notes of “Rockstar”. He had planned it that way, the routine would last as long as the song. That way, he wouldn’t have to watch a clock, or think about how much time he had left. He could just skate. Chris preferred it that way. As he pulled the buds out of his ears, he could hear his mom and dad cheering for him. He also picked out the voices of his younger sister and Missy, but he couldn’t hear the words.

Chris grinned at Missy as she jumped up and pointed to the scoreboard. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the score. With the final contestant a no-show, his skating had won the award for best overall routine. With a dazed look, Chris went to the podium to accept the check for first prize.