Board Battle, page 2
Hannah shrugged. “That might have something to do with it,” she admitted.
Slim leaned back on his stool and crossed his arms over his stomach.
“We also want to sign up for the competition,” Conner said. “Hannah’s going to kill it on the half-pipe.”
“Conner!” Hannah said, shooting him a look. “He’s just kidding.”
Slim reached under the counter and came back up with his clipboard. “I was wondering when you’d sign up,” he said. “You’re one of the best kids at the park.”
Hannah shrugged, but Conner could tell she was pleased. Her cheeks went a little red.
Then Slim grabbed a second clipboard and set it in front of Conner. “And here’s one for you, Conner,” he said.
The words “Street Race Sign-Up Sheet” were written at the top of that paper. Conner took a deep breath and wrote his name on the list.
“This is how we’ll fight,” Conner said as he and Hannah walked away from the front desk. “No fists. No swinging skateboards.”
“Right,” said Hannah. “We’ll show them on our boards.”
CHAPTER 6
THE PLAN TO PRACTICE
The next Saturday, Conner rode up to Slim’s at 9:15. Hannah was already there, crouched down behind an overgrown hedge near the fence of the office building next door.
“What are you doing?” Conner asked as he rolled up next to her.
“Shh,” said Hannah. She grabbed Conner by the sleeve and pulled him down next to her. “I’m waiting for the truck.”
“What truck?” Conner asked.
“Keep your voice down!” Hannah hissed.
“I don’t think anyone can hear us from here, Han,” Conner said.
“Hank’s dad’s truck,” Hannah said with a sigh. “We’re waiting for those bullies to leave, and when Hank’s dad’s truck gets here, it means they’re leaving.”
“Or we could go inside,” Conner said.
Hannah ignored him. Suddenly, a loud rumble filled the air.
“Here it comes!” Hannah said. She dropped even lower to the ground.
A horn honked loudly, and the heavy doors of the skate park banged open.
“Okay, okay!” Hank shouted as he and his friends stepped outside.
“Watch your tone,” the driver snapped. The boys climbed in. Three doors slammed, and the SUV’s tires squealed as it sped off.
Hannah looked up at Conner. “Now it’s our turn,” she said.
* * *
When they got inside, Hannah went right to the half-pipe. Conner stood at the start of the street course to watch.
Hannah climbed the steps to the top and took a deep breath. After a quick nod in Conner’s direction, she dropped in. On her first pass, she already had enough speed for a quick handplant with a frontside rotation.
“Nice one,” Slim said quietly from the desk. Conner could hear him, but he was pretty sure Hannah couldn’t since she was all the way across the park.
Conner watched Hannah do one more trick — another perfect Indy 360 — before starting his own practicing on the street course.
He pushed off hard to get up some speed before the first small ramp. He kicked his board up to the low rail and grinded it across the platform. Then he landed, ollied, and pushed off again.
Conner kick-flipped to the little quarter-pipe, pushed off hard, and grabbed some air off the lip of the pipe. But as he landed, the board slipped out from under him. Conner managed to catch himself, but the board shot across the street course and crashed into the flat end of a double-sided ramp.
He looked at Slim and shrugged. “Oops,” Conner said.
Slim just shook his head and went back to reading his magazine.
Conner retrieved his board and got right back on the course. He and Hannah spent the whole day at Slim’s, only stopping for lunch.
By the time they headed home, Conner was exhausted. But it’ll be worth it, he thought. Even if I don’t plan to fight with my fists or my skateboard, I still plan to win.
CHAPTER 7
THE GAMES BEGIN
For the next three weeks, Conner and Hannah practiced every Saturday morning as soon as the SUV drove off. By the time the tournament came around, Conner was in the best skating shape of his life.
The morning of the competition, Hannah’s dad gave them a ride to Slim’s.
“You guys wouldn’t want to wear yourselves out on the ride over, right?” her dad said on the drive there.
“Thanks, Dad,” said Hannah.
Conner stared out the back window as they headed across town. The car zipped past the old, run-down skate park.
“Hey, Hannah,” Conner said. He nodded toward the old park. “Want to get in some practice on the way there?”
Hannah laughed and shook her head. “Never again,” she said.
Conner smiled. Maybe if we do well enough in Slim’s Games, we’ll have our park back, he thought.
* * *
When they arrived, Slim’s was more crowded than Conner had ever seen it. It got crowded sometimes on Saturdays and after school, but this was different.
Conner recognized a few kids from school and plenty of kids he’d seen around the park occasionally. But most of the kids wandering around the skate park weren’t wearing numbers for the tournament.
They must just be here to watch, Conner realized.
There were plenty of other kids with numbers pinned onto the backs of their T-shirts, though. Conner hardly recognized any of them.
“There must be people here from all over the city,” Hannah whispered, sounding a little nervous.
At the same time, Hannah and Conner spotted Hank’s father walking through the big double doors. Hank, Drew, and Jay were right behind him.
Hannah smiled and narrowed her eyes. She rubbed her hands together. “Excellent,” she said.
“Whoa,” said Conner with a grin. “You’re kind of scary right now, you know that?”
“Good,” Hannah said as Slim picked up the microphone. “Wait till you see me on the half-pipe.”
“Welcome, everyone,” Slim’s voice boomed through the speaker system. “Attention please, all skaters. And quiet from the crowd, okay?”
After several moments of clapping and cheering from the crowd, the park settled down.
“We’re about to begin the first ever Slim’s Games!” Slim shouted.
The park went crazy cheering again. When everyone finally quieted down, Slim announced, “The first event will be the middle school half-pipe competition.”
“Looks like you’re up before me,” Conner said. Hannah’s smile grew even bigger.
CHAPTER 8
THE HALF-PIPE
Hannah was up third out of the six half-pipe competitors. When it was her turn, she climbed the steps to the top of the pipe. At the lip, she leaned back on the tail of her board so the rest of it stuck out over the ramp. Then she dropped in.
Hannah’s first trick was her perfect Indy 360. On the next pass, she grinded both trucks from one side of the lip to the other, and then finished with a 180 off the lip.
“Nice one, Han!” Conner cheered from the stands. He spotted Hank on the other side of the pipe, waiting for his turn. The bully glared at him.
Hannah finished up the first of her two thirty-second runs on the half-pipe with a long handplant and grab. She stayed suspended on the lip for the final few seconds of her run. The crowd went crazy.
When the buzzer sounded, Conner hurried over to meet her. “That handstand was amazing!” he said. “When did you practice that?”
“When do you think?” Hannah said, smiling. “The past few weeks while you were on the street course.”
They both watched Slim to see how she’d done. He held up a score of eight.
“Yes!” Hannah said, pumping her fist.
Hank’s friend Drew was up next.
“Isn’t Hank doing this event?” Conner asked.
Hannah shrugged. “I guess not,” she said.
They watched as Drew dropped into the half-pipe. He was good — but not as good as Hank. Even still, he pulled off a perfect 540 rotation. Conner noticed Hannah’s smile faded a little when he did.
“You were just as good as he is,” Conner said. “One trick doesn’t matter.”
“Maybe,” said Hannah.
Then Slim held up Drew’s score of nine, and Hannah looked even more worried than before.
Hannah’s second turn on the half-pipe was just as strong as her first — until the very end. She went for the 540 air. She missed the full turn, though, and her board got away from her. She slid down the ramp on her back and rolled onto her stomach.
The crowd gasped and then went silent.
“Hannah!” Conner shouted. “Are you okay?”
Hannah nodded and climbed to her knees as the timer ran out. The crowd cheered. Slim put up her score: seven.
Conner felt an elbow in his side. “Ow,” he said, turning. Hank stood next to him, snarling.
“Your girlfriend blew it,” Hank said. “And now you’re about to blow it on the street course. Against me.”
CHAPTER 9
STREET COURSE
On the street course, each skater got one ninety-second run. Slim would judge the run based on how many tricks the skater performed, how well the skater did, and how much of the course was used.
Conner recognized the first skater on the street course. He’d seen him sometimes around Slim’s after school. His run was pretty good, but Conner knew his real competition would be Hank.
Hank’s run was aggressive and intense. His grinds were extreme. His trucks slapped against the rails and squealed loudly. He moved quickly from box to ramp to rail. At the end of his turn, Hank did a 360 grab off the biggest ramp. His time ran out right as he stuck the landing.
Slim held up his score: nine.
“You’ll never beat that,” Hank said confidently as he skated past Conner.
Conner was up next. He clicked the chin strap of his helmet and gave Hannah a high five. Then he hit the course.
After weeks of practicing, Conner’s body seemed to move on its own. He pushed off and glided to the first low rail. He ollied to a backside 50-50. Back on the ground, he kick-flipped to the two-sided ramp.
Up one side, Conner got enough air to clear the flat top of the ramps. He pulled up his knees in midair and grabbed the board. Then he landed on the other side and shot to the quarter-pipe.
Conner was flying. He had enough speed and air to go for a 360. It wasn’t part of the routine that he’d practiced, but he really wanted to win. He wanted his skate park back.
I’m going for it, Conner thought. I know I can do this.
But out of the corner of his eye, Conner caught a glimpse of Hank. The bully stood off to the side of the street course, right next to the quarter-pipe.
What’s he doing? Conner thought. He shouldn’t be standing so close.
Suddenly Conner realized what Hank was up to. The bully had shoved his board with his foot, right across the top of the quarter-pipe — and it was coming straight for Conner.
CHAPTER 10
EJECTED!
Whistles suddenly blew loudly, and Slim’s voice screamed over the speaker system.
Conner tried to turn at the last instant, but his board collided with Hank’s. Conner landed on his back on the quarter-pipe and slid to the bottom.
“Ungggh . . .” Conner muttered as he rolled onto his stomach. He heard footsteps running toward him. They were Hannah’s.
“Are you okay?” Hannah asked.
Conner nodded and muttered, “Yeah, I think so.”
“You’re out of here, Hank,” Slim said. Conner saw the big park owner standing over him. He didn’t look happy.
“It was an accident,” Hank said, rolling his eyes.
Conner got up on his knees. “No, it wasn’t,” he said, staring right at Hank. “You pushed your board with your foot. I saw it.”
Hank’s dad pushed through the crowd and grabbed his son by the elbow.
“Is that true?” the man demanded angrily.
“No, Dad,” Hank said. He pulled his arm away. “It was an accident.”
Hank’s dad crossed his arms and looked back and forth between Hank and Conner. Then he turned to Slim. “If my boy says it was an accident,” he said, “then it was an accident.”
“Sorry,” said Slim. “I know these kids pretty well, and Conner wouldn’t lie.” Slim faced Hank. “You’re out of the games,” he said. “And you’re not welcome at Slim’s anymore.”
“What?” Hank shouted. “That isn’t fair! You can’t do that!”
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” Hank’s dad growled. Then he grabbed Hank by the elbow again and pulled him toward the exit.
Hannah reached out a hand and helped Conner climb to his feet.
“You can take your ninety seconds again whenever you’re ready, Conner,” Slim said as he headed back to the judges’ table.
“Thanks,” Conner said.
“Well, I guess you were right not to fight,” Hannah said. “It all worked out.”
Conner watched Hank as his dad dragged him through the crowd. His dad slammed the front doors open and pulled Hank through.
“I guess,” Conner said. “At least now we know why Hank is a bully. He gets it from his dad.”
AUTHOR BIO
Eric Stevens lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is studying to become a middle-school English teacher. Some of his favorite things include pizza, playing video games, watching cooking shows on TV, riding his bike, and trying new restaurants. Some of his least favorite things include olives and shoveling snow.
ILLUSTRATOR BIO
Aburtov has worked in the comic book industry for more than 11 years. In that time, he has illustrated popular characters like Wolverine, Iron Man, Blade, and the Punisher. He lives in Monterrey, Mexico, with his daughter, Ilka, and his beloved wife.
GLOSSARY
accident (AK-si-duhnt) — an unfortunate and unplanned event
competition (kom-puh-TISH-uhn) — a contest of some kind
exhausted (eg-ZAWS-tid) — very tired
extreme (ek-STREEM) — exciting and very dangerous
irritated (IHR-uh-tay-tid) — angry or annoyed
menacing (MEN-uh-sing) — threatening or dangerous
routine (roo-TEEN) — a regular way or pattern of doing things
tournament (TUR-nuh-muhnt) — a series of contests in which a number of people try to win the championship
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Talk about the relationship between Hank and his dad. Do you think Hank can ever stop being a bully?
2. If you were Hannah and Conner, would you have given up the skatepark? Talk about some other ways they could have handled the bullies.
3. Do you think Slim should have done something to stop Hank and his friends? What are some other solutions for dealing with a bully?
WRITING PROMPTS
1. Have you ever had to deal with a bully? Write about what happened and how you resolved things.
2. What was your favorite part of this story? What was your least favorite part? Write a paragraph explaining both choices.
3. Do you think Conner was right to let Hank and his friends get away with their bullying at first? Write about what you would have done.
MORE ABOUT SKATEBOARDING
Skateboarding was invented in the 1950s and is now one of the most popular sports in the world. Skateboarders are always inventing new, more difficult tricks and jumps. Check out these skateboarding-specific terms to learn more:
backside — turn or move with your back facing outward and your toes facing inward
bailing — to leave your skateboard before you crash
carve — to turn your board at a high speed without sliding on the wheels, usually on a ramp or bank
drop off — to ride off something involving a drop, like a curb or a block
fakie — riding backwards
goofy — standing with your right foot on the front of your skateboard and pushing with your left foot
grind — riding along the truck’s surface, rather than on the wheels
half-pipe — a large, U-shaped tube with a flat bottom, usually made of wood but sometimes concrete or metal
heelside — the side of the board closest to the inside of your heel (right for goofy stance, left for regular)
lip — the top edge of a ramp or bowl
slamming — a hard uncontrolled or unexpected fall
vert — a jump ramp that has a vertical section at the top
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Jake Maddox books are published by Stone Arch Books
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Copyright © 2014 Stone Arch Books
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maddox, Jake.
Board battle / by Jake Maddox ; text by Eric Stevens ; illustrated by Jesus Aburto.
p. cm. -- (Jake Maddox sports stories)
Summary: Conner and Hannah are friends who love to go to the skateboard park on Saturdays, so when a bully named Hank shows up and starts pushing them out of the way, they need to find a creative way to practice for the upcoming tournament.
