Skateboarding: old passions and new appreciation

I just came across info about a gallery reception (tonight) for a virtual live blog by [skateboarding] photographer Patrick O'Dell. From the blogTO article, I found the embedded video about boarder Andrew Reynolds pretty interesting stuff. Not only is he a great freestyle boarder, but his OCD is a great sub-plot. I used to skateboard a lot when I was a kid, from the early days of polyurethane to pool riding on wider decks. I think I gave it up during the dry spell of the 80's and 90's and since passing the 30 and 40 year old marks, I'm a little hesitant to strap the pads back on, find my old board and hunt out the newer parks (of which there seem to be a lot around these dayz). Although I did a lot of slalom when I was younger, I always had a preference for the snake runs, ramps and pools you'd find in specially designed skateboard parks. (For a little skate down the nostalgia run, check out these vintage Skateboarder magazine covers - I think I had about half of those !). So I haven't been that fond of all the street freestyle boarding that is the modern practice in the sport. This isn't just because I've never mastered a simple kick flip, but because I never found it that attractive (as in elegant, smooth or beautiful). However, I must say the moves from Andrew Reynolds have given me a new appreciation for the art of the street boarder, he simply is a beautiful, natural skater. But you've got to keep in mind that just like other spectacular sports videos, it takes painfully many falls and scraps to perfect the great trick - just hope your buddy catches it on film !