Just Because You Are a Girl

My first tangle of thoughts upon entering the skate park are always in this order:

I wonder if any of my friends are here.

I wonder if any rude guys are here. Ugh.

I wonder if there are any new people. (I hate meeting new people, it scares me to death!)

I wonder if todays the day I break something!
Such was the case tonight. While my arm's still adorned with the glorious blue and white checkered armband from the skate park, I lie here in my room thinking of skating. It's 3:00 AM and I'm still not sleepy, though I have to get up to skate at 8:30 AM tomorrow morning.

Today was a pretty ordinary Wednesday. I talked on the phone, worked on my skates, and finally went skating. During one of the phone calls, a guy that has his eyes set on me asks me to quit skating for him to prove something (I won't guess what) to him. I immediately hang up after he says that it's stupid for girls to skate, "just like girls in football." Well... Later in the evening, I arrived at the skate park and go through my previously mentioned check list. One question: Do all Skater Girls get this hastle??!! I saw some friends, offering their smiles and waves. I saw a few of the people that I dread talking to (because of their attitudes towards girls), and smiled at them anyway. I saw a ton of new faces. I thought to myself, "Oh NO! Not only will I need to talk to them, I can tell that some have never seen a girl skater! That means I might have to skate to impress tonight! Ugh!".

Well, it turns out I calmed down after a while of chatting with them and then I focused on skating for me. Sometimes I wonder if the reason why girls choose not to skate is because of the jerks- the guys who insult them and laugh at them when they fall or even attempt a new trick.

I know a lot of guys are like that, but for all they guys like those who choose to take the fun out of skating and in turn make it torture for those skating with them, there are just as man nice guys who'll be there to help you up with you fall or support and encourage you when you try. And not just because you are a girl!

By Laura Anderson