I've got this brand new, LUSSSSSHHHHH BMX from Mongoose.
I ride bikes, but I'm not super into them really, as in, as items. I've had an old BMX for ages, but I rarely get it out and for something so small I found it heavy and cumbersome. So when the new one arrived I wasn't sure what it would be like, I couldn't see how something with no gears, no suspension and minimal other variables could feel much different. But it so badly did!!! It felt amazing, it was like, responsive and happy and free.
I was itching to go and went to the skatepark with some guys a couple of times. Even though the bike felt right, something was wrong. Normally when I'm on a bike I'm super playful, confident and don't stop moving, but at the skateparks I was not my normal self, I was shy and needed constant reassurance from my mates. If you have never been to a skatepark, let me explain. They are the most intimidating places In.The.World. Only one person can ride at a time and so everyone who isn't riding is stood around watching and waiting for you to finish so that they can go. Combine an automatic stage with being a beginner and then with being the only girl in the place, it's a recipe for self-conscious overload. I was riding stiffly and way below what I knew I should be capable of.
So, when a friend Juliet invited me to Corby for a session I jumped at the chance. She's a relative beginner too, but competent and keen. Arriving with her and watching her just plough on in and get stuck in gave me sooo much confidence. When a few more girls arrived later I couldn't have been more stoked, I felt I deserved to be there, I wanted to learn, I was inspired and the Old-Anna came back. I rode solidly for 4 hours, I took loads of tumbles, but I could feel myself learning and came up smiling every time.
What did I want to learn? I had a long list that I'd discussed on the train, I wanted to do the rhythm section, the spine, and ultimately....air out of a quarter.
The Rhythm Section
I rode it several times, yeah, I cased every single jump, but fuck it, I rode it and was in control, just need to get a bit better.
The Spine
I had a massive crash on a spine about a year ago, it resulted in me landing on my coccyx, losing my vision for 2 minutes and being terrified, and going to hospital in an ambulance to have my back checked out. I have a big fear of spines, and to be fair, lots of people do, they're very scarey. But I looked at this one and had a stern word inside my head, it's something I know how to do, I went through the motions and told myself to go for it. I crashed a few times, mostly half on purpose as I was too scared to commit and then...I did it!!! and then I did it again and a couple of times more. And it felt so cool. I don't feel like I "own it" yet, but, I will do.
Airing
If you can't air out of stuff in a skatepark you're screwed as you're trapped below the build of it, you can't get speed to link stuff together, you can't do tricks, it's fundamental. I've talked about it a lot, and had a good long chat with Juliet about it too. It was good being with someone who is capable of the thing, but new enough to remember what it felt like to not be able to so it. She could really break it down for me, she watched me, I watched her and then in the end there was nothing else to do but practice. I slowed myself down, took control of my speed and my timing, I could feel the technique coming. So, a few times I looked right at that coping and heard Juliet in my head saying "just go with it" I let my front wheel feel the tiny bump of the metal bar and turned my bike in the air back into the transition. I can't have ever been more than an inch over, and I never felt like "wow, that was a lovely, smooth feeling" I felt awkward, but the barrier is broken and I can't wait to keep going back and trying to get a bit bigger and then a bit bigger again.
So, I had the best day ever, I was broken and battered on the train home but happy as Larry. I feel like it's OK to be in the skatepark now, I wanna spend all the grotty winter days riding my BMX. I think this will give me such good base skills that when it's Summer again it will put me in good stead for bike handling on my MTB. I'm actually really excited about the coming Winter months.....
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