(The following article was published in Trans-World Skateboarding magazine in April, 1986)

(This section is dedicated to you skaters, and the ideas, dreams, fantasies and artistic input that swims unceasingly, and unsatisfied in your heads.  Whether bizarre reality, or unusual fiction, we welcome your stories for this new column.

WHAT'S COMPETITION?

  It's practicing years for a contest, and finishing dead last.

 

  It's winning on outdated equipment, and receiving worse equipment for your efforts.

 

  It's six competitors scrambling after five trophies, and you finish sixth.

 

  It's skating first and flawlessly, and watching everyone else choke.

 

  It's putting in your best routine in the preliminaries.

 

  It's missing the trick you never miss.

 

  It's having an idol, twelve years your junior.

 

  It's sleeping with your skateboard.

 

  It's rollerskating instead of skateboarding, so you can save your board for the big contest next weekend, only to fall and break your wrist.

 

  It's going in with a set routine, and doing 10% of what you planned.

 

  It's skating with no set routine, and it looks like it.

 

  It's landing a trick by accident, and everyone thinks you planned it that way.

 

  It's missing the finals cut, but having a cute blond come up to you and tell you how terrific you were.

 

  It's winning your first prize money on your own board design.

 

  It's being all psyched for your run, waiting for your music to begin, only to have forgotten to recue your tape.

 

  It's feeling obligated to thrash rental cars.

 

  It's judging all afternoon, and then trying to remember what it was that you were going to do out there.

 

  It's stickering your hotel room.

 

  It's traveling twelve hours to a contest, and finding that the trip was more exciting.

  It's being in the bathroom when it's your turn to skate.

 

  It's having your minute and a half routine down pat, and finding out that routines are going to be two minutes.

 

  It's meeting your sponsor after two years of mail correspondence.

 

  It's having the magazine photographer ask you to skate for some shots.

  It's hearing the guy who beat you complain how badly he skated.

  It's losing to a girl.

It's hanging up on the only flaw in the skating area.

  It's having a new routine with new tricks, and being blown away so badly that your new tricks look passe.

  It's burning up the engine in your car on the way to the contest.

  It's walking into McDonalds with full safety attire, and having everyone stop eating to give you that, "Martians have landed" look.

  It's staying loyal to your long-time sponsor, even though an inferior product company has a better offer.

  It's having your winning board stolen.

  It's hearing your girlfriend say for the umpteenth time, "You spend more time with that skateboard than you do with me!"

  It's realizing that, through it all, you keep hanging in there because you love the sport.

--Mike Foster