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Planet Interview: Taking it to the Streets, the Hills and the Pit Bulls Urban Adventurer Talks About his 25-Year Skate Through the Urban Wilderness of Oakland (Page 3 of 6)
TM: In my mind, there is no such thing as too much protection. I always skate with knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, a helmet, shin guards, and plastic forearm protectors. I have two pairs of Crash Pads, one for flatter terrain and a bulkier, more protective pair that I wear when I’m doing hills. And when I’m doing hills, I will also usually go with shoulder pads and a mouth guard. And a protective cup. Gotta have that. IP: That’s a lot of gear. TM: Indeed. If you add it all up, it’s something like 30 pounds of stuff. (That’s like going jogging with 4 bricks strapped to your back.) But I really would not go skating without it. Here’s what I call the Prime Rule of Skating: You will fall down. I know that’s not very exciting, but it’s true. And you had better prepare for the falls if you want to avoid getting seriously hurt. I draw two conclusions from the Prime Rule of Skating. First, learn how to fall. Sometimes you will even want to hit the ground on purpose. Second, wear protective equipment. I see people out skating in shorts, with virtually no protection. I wonder about those people. They must be really really good and never fall down. IP: You said you sometimes fall down on purpose? TM: Absolutely, especially when skating hills. Sometimes you just get going too fast and need to slow down quickly. In that case, hitting the deck by falling onto your knee pads and wrist guards is the best solution. IP: Has your equipment evolved over time? TM: Yes. At first I was one of those people with the bare minimum of equipment. Even shorts. It took just one good fall and one awesome case of road rash to cure me of that idiocy. Now I always wear long pants, with the Crash Pads. Also, I forgot to mention that I wear Kevlar gloves and a Kevlar sleeve that covers me from my wrist to my elbow. So essentially my entire forearms and hands have multiple layers of protection. IP: What benefit does the Kevlar offer? Are you dodging bullets? TM: No, not yet (laughs). The Kevlar offers good abrasion resistance. So, for instance, if I’m bailing out and hitting the deck, I don’t need to worry if I slip off the plastic part of the wrist guard. The hands can take some punishment and not get totally destroyed if I’ve got the Kevlar gloves. Mostly, however, I wear the Kevlar to protect against dogs. IP: Dogs? TM: Dogs. Dogs are without doubt the main hazard I run into when I’m out skating. My preliminary forays into dog psychology have revealed the one key principle that motivates dogs: if they see something they do not understand, they try to chase it down and kill it. It’s that simple. Now add to the mix the fact that they don’t see too many skaters and you can see a problem brewing. I wish I had a dollar for every dog who has chased me while I’m out skating.
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