How Skateboarding Made Me Less Scared

Written By Ida Wiedel  Photography By Melissa Zabihi

When I started skating I didn’t want to take up any space at all, and I was really scared of hurting myself. I watched out when I was at the skatepark and preferred to go when it was dark or early in the morning to practice. I was ashamed of being a beginner, and I didn’t have many friends who skated. But as the months passed, I found myself in situations where I took up more and more space, and people suddenly waited for me to finish my lines in the ramp. The slightest stomp on the floor with the board was enough for me to not be scared when trying a new trick, nor be ashamed when I fell in front of an audience. The thought about my body breaking felt further away, and I learned how to roll on my back during falls. It's a good feeling when you fall but get back up, and I realized that I started comparing this physical movement with what was going up in my head as well. The more I believed in myself mentally, the better I skated, and the better I did everything in life. 

Skateboarding made me be more aware of my body's and mind’s capacity, and therefore I realized that I don’t have to be so scared. My body is able to handle a lot more than what I first thought. Sure, sometimes it really hurts, but it also heals. The same goes with the mind. To go to the skatepark alone can be a bit scary, especially being the only girl there. But when I learned to take up that space at the skatepark, to try, to fall, to get the trick, to sometimes not get the trick, I used the same mental tools for a lot of other activities in my life. I mean, skateboarding is largely about pushing your limits, continuously striving to improve and having (or building up) the courage to commit and try your best. It's a constant competition with yourself, with what you did the last time, the last sesh. This instills confidence that carries over into all aspects of life, right? Skateboarding has brought so much more to me than just what happens at the skatepark. I have made so many friends, moved to a new country, started a small business (s/o “@powerslida_), gained new confidence, and developed a healthier everyday life. All because I tried skateboarding back in 2020 at a girlskate-day. 

I think many of you will recognize yourselves in what I’m saying. For most people, skateboarding is more than just technical tricks. It has one of the biggest cultures I have ever encountered and been part of. This culture encourages people to have a less scared mindset, so it's maybe not that surprising that it has had such an impact on myself and so many others. Either way, I’m grateful for sticking with it and for getting back on the board after those falls. I’m growing perfectly alongside skateboarding, and I hope you are too.