Clip: Through the Eyes of a skateboarding Rabbi.29.10.2013

Dovid Tsap, "The Skateboarding Rabbi" weaves together footage of his experiences at skateparks as part of his spiritual journey of self-discovery and transformation through skateboarding. Many more episodes are available. 

'Face to Face' skateboarding II

  ...In essence, to come 'face to face' with a skatepark - or anything/anyone for that matter - is to identify the 'truth' of the thing and to adapt to it. Otherwise one may end up 'back to back': injured, unable to land tricks, or failing to optimise skatepark obstacles. But what is 'truth'? Or, at any rate, how is it usually defined?

            
One definition of 'truth' is articulated by Correspondence Theory where a  statement is deemed true when it matches reality: I.e. If one points to a green patch of grass and says ‘the grass is green’ the statement is considered true; but if one says ‘the grass is blue’ or ‘the wheat is green’, it is false.[1]

Coherence Theory considers a statement true when it gels with the network of current knowledge about existence.[2] Thus, the statement 'Alexander the Great existed' is deemed true not because he actually existed – as in correspondence theory – but because it coheres with the claims of the vast majority of historians. 

Pragmatic Theory deems something true if it's of benefit to do so. A clock (or the belief that clocks exist) is true because it helps people catch trains on time. Truth is created when value is demonstrated.[4] 

              A tweaked pragmatic theory, Instrumentalism, sees 'a truth' as anything that helps one deal with an ever-changing world. A new condition such as puberty, adolescence,  job, marriage, children, relocation, illness, death, etc - bring challenges. Through effort and the required skills and resources, however, one commonly finds ways to manage - or even thrive - in the new condition. This is the instrumentalist's 'truth'. Truth isn't a static thing hiding in the cosmos until found, like a fact before it's proven; it's dynamic; a private or public dance with the vicissitudes of life.

Of course, an instrumentalist may use other definitions of truth as instruments to deal with life. One might make a statement (I.e. a hypothesis) about a park or one of its obstacles and then validate or falsify the statement through experimentation. Alternatively/additionally, one may research up to date books or watch trick tips to find an approach which is supported by current knowledge or widespread belief among the skateboarding community or other relevant pools of knowledge. Either strategy - and better both in conjunction - can help one find the 'instrument'  -  the truth - that allows one to skate 'face to face'...       

[1] Richards, T.J., The Language of Reason, Pergamon Press, 1978, pp.142-143; see also Nyberg, David, The Varnished Truth, University of Chicagi Press, USA, 1992, pp.35- 37

[2] Ibid pp.139-142; The Varnished Truth, 33-35

[4] Stumf, Samuel Enoch, Socrates to Sartre, McGraw-Hill, 1999, pp.360 - 362

[5] Ibid. pp.366-368

'Face to Face' skateboarding I

Recently, I returned to skate Prahran after almost 6 months and found myself failing to land many of the tricks that I casually land at my home park, St Kilda. It was as if I enthusiastically faced the park, interested to connect with it, but had it turn its back toward me. Soon into the session, however, I realised that the reverse was true: I had my back toward the park.

              

 Generally, we make sense of new events or objects in two ways:

 a) we draw on memories of similar past experiences or relevant information;
 b) we distinguish between our memories and the present experience.

 For example, when I arrived at Prahran, I immediately started to see the similarities between it and St Kilda. As a result, I skated its mini ramp, quarter pipe, and hip in pretty much the same way that I skate the St Kilda counterparts. After a while, however, I began to identify more and more differences between the two parks: size, surface texture, coping width, transition gradient, etc. This allowed me to fine tune my skating to the parameters of Prahran.   

          These two methods are akin to the face and back respectively. When one draws exclusively on similarities one only gains a relatively superficial view of  a park, seeing it primarily as a shadow of other parks one has skated. It's as though one faces the other, more frequented, parks while having his back toward the current one. In contrast, when one focuses on differences, one gains a more accurate perception of the current park, and really enters into it, viewing it face to face.

The irony is that one seems to feel more motivated and confident to skate a park when focusing on its similarities to other parks one's accustomed. In contrast, when one begins focusing on differences, confidence and excitement levels tend to wane. Hence it appears that the former relates to the face and the latter, the back. In truth however, this difference is on account of two facts:

• 1. The perception of similarities between things comes quite spontaneously and effortlessly. Differences, however, usually need to be teased out through conscious effort. People are naturally inclined to lose some motivation when they discover that effort and work is needed to succeed.

• 2. Similarities offer an often illusory sense of confidence. Differences, however, sap confidence levels as they reveal that one may still lack the skills to effectively skate the present park.

This explains why I initially felt as though I was facing the park while it had its back toward me. I mistook the excitement and false confidence based primarily on similarities to be a sign that I'm doing my best to be in sync with the park. Ultimately, however, its only when one puts in the extra effort to differentiate that one can adapt one's skating to the new park and ultimately come into a real close range - face to face- relationship with it - something every skater, I believe, wants... 


            

---

Through the Eyes of a Skateboarding Rabbi - Krakow July 2013

                                           

Video: Through the eyes of a Skateboarding Rabbi.25.05.13

Street Dreams

Regardless of the available number and quality of skate parks, skateboarders seem compelled to skate 'Street': to jump stairs and fire hydrants, slide down handrails, assail monuments, grind ledges, and ride walls. This has sparked ongoing confrontations between skaters and authorities, be they security guards, home owners, building managers, police officers or council members. What underlies this obsession with the ‘street’? Here are some possible motivations:

Availability: It may be suggested that travelling to a skate park takes time and one may not even be available in some places or at certain times. The street, however,  is readily available.

Along the way: Many skaters, especially non-drivers, use their skateboard for transport and typically have their boards with them much of the time. If they're already skating, surely they'll use the obstacles they encounter on their way.

Although these reasons may explain why people street-skate, they don't explain why skaters will leave a skate park in order to skate a street spot. The following explanations try to address this.

‘Stolen waters taste sweeter’: The Talmud explains that people have increased excitement when  benefiting from things prohibited to them. Skating a set of stairs in a high school complex may therefore be more exciting than skating a similar set at a skate park.  

Novelty: Skate parks are limited in the challenges and obstacles they offer. The 'Street' however, has relatively limitless opportunities for novelty, experimentation, and adventure.

Conquest: Many skaters are also graffiti artists or associate with people so inclined. 'Writers', as they're called, spread their signature -‘tag’ - in order to make a reputation for themselves in the underground culture and in order to feel that they've 'conquered' a place by signing it. Many skaters enjoy a similar attitude: knowing that skate spots tend to trigger skaters to recall the tricks landed in those spots, he leaves invisible traces of his artwork in many different places. He may also feel that he's conquered much territory.     

Living 'out of the box': There's something special about viewing and using objects in unconventional ways, especially in ways unintended by the designers. It’s as if one becomes a co-creator of the object. Thus, when Marcel Duchamp entered a urinal in an art exhibition (which he called ‘Fountain’) rather than creating anything new, he merely reinterpreted a ready-made item. Still, this opened people’s eyes to the beauty and art in even the basest objects. Along these lines, skaters may have fun revealing the artistic potential of otherwise ordinary street objects.  

Being real:  Whether aware of it or not, most people desire to live and thrive in the ‘real world’. To confront reality as it is without escaping into the comforts of fiction and fantasy. In this way, one validates himself as being real.

When skating in a skate park, a skater feels that he is escaping from the real world, entering into a space which is designed for skateboarding, where the ramps, ledges, handrails, stairs, etc., are not real but artificial – in a sense, fictional. The stairs don’t really lead anywhere, one walks up them in order to jump down them. The hand rail is not for holding onto when using stairs, it was made for grinding and boardsliding.
As long as a skater feels he is not skating in the real world, he feels he is escaping from it and thus not being real. This is why many skaters see the skate park as a preparation for street skating: for them, it amounts to flying lessons on a simulator in preparation for actual flight.         

Check out this clip of some New York Street Skating:

  

Clip: Through the Eyes of a Skateboarding Rabbi 07.05.13

Joel Mcilroy and Cris Coleman skate demo at a Barmitzvah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPT5pQn3_Kk&feature=player_detailpage

St Kilda Skatepark pre-opening Session

Who could wait for the St Kilda Park to open? Not these skaters:

 

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Pascal: Feeling Groovy

I once read a book which explained some of the Hippy slang terms of the 60's and 70's. 'Groovy' was the word that struck me most. Groovy, the book states, implies that as a needle in a record groove enables one to hear music, when one's awareness is completely in the moment - the groove - one experiences reality in the richest ways.

There is one skateboarder who, to me, personifies the notion of 'groovy': Pascal Leniston. When Pascal skates, he seems completely absorbed in the experience. He doesn't grapple with his board, attempt to impress others; nor is he striving to become a pro. Rather, when he skates he reminds me of a young child playing with a toy, relating to the world in a pure and simple way.

When Pascal fails to land a trick, he usually smiles as if to suggest, 'Hey, that was fun too!' And, when he relates some of the amazing tricks he has performed, he stresses how much fun he had performing them rather than drawing attention to his skills or even the 'gnarliness' of the trick.



Pascal's playful way of skating is also visible in his tendency to bring old school tricks which, as relics, are seldom seen, and seasoning them with a contemporary flavor. (In the clip below, he performs an 'Underflip' off a ledge and onto a ramp.) He also appears to enjoy stretching skate park 'boundaries' for the sheer joy of it. For instance, he may use obstacles in unexpected ways, or literally, skate beyond the officially designated skate park limits. (In the clip, he grinds not only the formal skate park ledge but continues on to the narrow wooden barrier.)



I once overheard him talking to a few kids at Prahran Skate Park. He was telling them that he remembers being like them, skating all day and dreaming about skating at night. Though he was describing their purity of being and their innocence, he was doing so with such vitality and feeling that it was obvious that a spark of that innocence still glows strongly within him. To me, this was clear testimony, from Pascal's own mouth, that his amazing skateboarding style is largely inspired by sheer fun and play. 
           
                                                                                                         
                               Pascal Shredding Prahran (Pascal appears at: 1:21)

  












  

clip: Through the Eyes of a Skateboarding Rabbi I

Street Dreams

   

     Regardless of the number and quality of skate parks available, skateboarders have a compelling need to skate the street: to jump stairs and fire hydrants, slide down handrails, assail monuments, grind ledges, and ride walls. This has sparked ongoing confrontations between skaters and authorities: security guards, home owners, police officers, and council members. What underlies this obsession with the ‘street’? Here are several possible clues:

 1. Availability: It may be suggested that travelling to a skate park takes time and one may not even be available in some places or at certain times, such as at nights. The streets, however, are readily available. 

     2. Incidentally: Many skaters, especially those that don’t yet drive, use their skateboard for transport and typically have their boards with them much of the time. If they are already skating, surely they will use the obstacles that come their way to perform tricks on and have some fun.

 

 However, though these first two explanations may be real reasons why people sometimes street skate, they fail to explain why skateboarders will leave a skate park in order to skate a street spot. The following explanations attempt to address this.

  

3. ‘Stolen water tastes sweeter’: The Talmud explains that people tend to have exciting pleasure when they benefit from things normally prohibited to them. Skateboarding a set of stairs in a shopping complex may therefore be more exciting than skateboarding the same sort of stairs at a skate park.  

     4. Novelty:Skate parks are limited in the challenges and obstacles they offer. The street however, has relatively limitless opportunities for novelty, experimentation, and adventure.

        5. Conquest: Many skateboarders are also graffiti writers/artists or associate with people so inclined. ‘Writers’, as they are called, are obsessed with spreading their name – ‘tag’ – throughout the graffiti world; they seek recognition and reputation. They also feel that they conquer and take ownership of a place simply by labeling it with their signature or artwork.

Many skateboarders have a similar attitude in the sphere of skateboarding. By skating all sorts of difficult street spots around his city, a skater may feel that other skaters who arrive at that spot will recall how he did such and such a ‘gnarly’ trick there. He leaves his invisible artwork for passersby to appreciate him by. Alternatively, he may feel as though he partly ‘owns’ the place that he skated, after all, he did conquer it.      

     6.  Living out of the box:  There is a very special feeling when one can view and utilize objects in unconventional ways. That is, in a way that they were not intended to be used by their inventors. It’s as if one becomes a co-creator by reinterpreting the object. Thus, when Marcel Duchamp entered a urinal in an art exhibition (which he called ‘Fountain’) he did not create anything new but merely re-framed a mundane object. Yet, this was deemed artistic and opened people’s eyes to the beauty inherent even in the basest of objects.

Along these lines, skaters have incredible pleasure in perceiving and revealing the artistic potential that otherwise lies hidden within banal street objects.  

7.  Being real:All people, whether conscious of it or not, have a need to enter the arena of the ‘real world’ and thrive there; to confront reality as it is, without escaping into the comforts of fiction and fantasy. In this way, one validates himself as being real. When skating in a skate park, a skater feels that he is escaping from the real world, entering into a space which is designed for skateboarding, where the ramps, ledges, handrails, stairs, etc, are not real but artificial and simulated – in a sense, fictional. The stairs don’t really lead anywhere, one walks up them in order to jump down them. The hand rail is not for holding onto when using stairs, it was made for grinding and boardsliding.

                                                                                                                   

As long as a skater feels he is not skating in the real world, he feels he is escaping from it and thus not being real. This is why many skaters see the skate park as a preparation for street skating: for them, it amounts to flying lessons on a simulator in preparation for actual flight.            

       

Viv and Yuta shredding Prahran

Dance, Acrobatics, and skateboarding

 Art is expressed through various mediums: sculpting, painting, dance, music, and so forth. These can be organized on a concrete - dynamic continuum. In sculpting, one makes a solid and rigid figure. Painting may produce a fixed piece, but it offers increased fluidity, motion, and freedom of expression. Dance involves dynamic movements in the flux of time. Still, they are the movements of a physical body in space. By contrast, music is the most transcendental, energetic, and intangible of the arts. Out of the mentioned mainstream categories of art, I believe skateboarding most strongly resembles dance.

However, if we were to include the less conventional art form of acrobatics, I would place skateboarding closer to it than dance on the continuum. There are at least two reasons for this:

     Firstly, though the exact nature between dance and music is controversial - some maintain that dance is a bodily manifestation of music, (as some dancers exclaim, ‘I do not dance to music; I become music’), while others hold that music merely helps coordinate dance – dance is almost always accompanied by music, and more so, is typically synchronized with it. In contrast, skateboarding, as acrobatics, is usually unaccompanied by formal music altogether.                                                                                                                 

    Another central feature of both dance and acrobatics that distinguishes them from ordinary human movement is the precarious positions assumed by performers in relation to gravity. For instance, dancers raise their legs to awkward angles, fall forward or backward, spin or rotate in the air, or simply assume awkward foot stances. The magic is that they maintain perfect balance and grace. In contrast, in ordinary human movement, people attempt to maintain the most stable and safe postures possible, in particular, those requiring least effort to maintain.   

  

               Acrobatics, however, goes further in the degree of instability that it expresses. Typically, the acrobat is performing movements which so significantly defy gravity that danger of physical injury is constant. Hence, whereas spectators hold their breath while watching acrobats perform somersaults and mid air rotations of sorts, and feel relieved when the acrobat safely completes his routine, spectators of dance typically lack such fearfulness. Skateboarding, like acrobatics, has a considerably higher level of instability and danger relative to dance.