Skate Park Challenge, page 2
“Really?” said Josh.
“She’ll be back for the competition,” said Nick.
“I see you’re wearing wrist guards,” said Josh.
Nick nodded. “I hope I can ride my board with them on. They feel funny.”
“You’ll get used to them,” said Josh. “It just takes a few days.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have a few days,” said Nick.
“Have you seen Brandon yet?” asked Josh.
“There he is,” said Nick.
Brandon rode his skateboard up to Josh and Nick.
“So, you’re still alive,” said Brandon. “Too bad.”
“Knock it off, Brandon!” said Josh.
Brandon ignored him and kept staring at Nick. “I haven’t seen you out in a while.”
“Yeah, and we both know why,” said Nick. “You tried to knock me out of the competition.”
“I did what?” said Brandon.
“You know,” said Nick. “The gravel you threw at my board.”
“You’re crazy,” said Brandon.
“We saw you throw it,” said Josh.
“Whatever,” said Brandon. He looked away. “Hey, Victor, wait up!” Brandon rode his skateboard over to an older boy.
“Brandon thinks he can take Victor’s place in the grom competition,” said Josh.
“Brandon is all hot air,” said Nick.
“I know,” said Josh. “But now that Victor has a sponsor, he can’t be top grom anymore. Someone else will be!”
“That’s right,” said Nick. “It will be you or me.”
“Yeah!” said Josh.
“Let’s go watch the pros,” said Nick. “We can see some new tricks to copy.”
“But they’re not moving in slow motion,” said Josh.
“No problem,” said Nick. “No one expects us to be exactly like the pros anyway.”
“Yeah,” said Josh.
“But that won’t stop me from copying the pros,” said Nick.
“Me neither,” said Josh.
“Hey, I’m still working on the ollie fingerflip,” said Nick.
“How is that going?” asked Josh.
“Okay, I guess,” said Nick.
“I can’t do it yet,” said Josh. “The board keeps landing on its side.”
“I haven’t done it with these wrist guards,” said Nick, “so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Chapter 9
The First Run
“Skateboarders! We’re ready to start,” said the official.
Finally! thought Nick.
“Each skateboarder will have two runs on the course,” said the official. “The grom with the best score from the two runs will be the winner.”
The crowd cheered.
And that will be me, thought Nick.
I can’t let Brandon beat me, not after what he did, Nick said to himself.
One by one, the littlest boarders, the grommets, had their turn on the course.
“I wish they’d hurry up and let us have a turn,” said Nick.
“They always do the little kids first,” said Josh. “They’re almost done.”
“I know, I know,” said Nick. “Wait. They just called your name!”
“Wish me luck,” said Josh.
“Luck,” said Nick. He gave Josh a high five.
Josh stood up and rode his skateboard over to the start.
Then he rode onto the course and started by riding down the rail.
Josh rode the rails and the ledges. He rode up and down the half-pipe, too. Then the timer buzzed and Josh’s time was up. He rode off the course with a smile on his face.
“Man, that is such a great course!” said Josh.
“I wish we had a big half-pipe like that at our park,” said Nick. Then the official called Nick.
Nick rode his board over to the starting point. The timer started as Nick rode out onto the course. Nick popped his board up, then rode down the ledge.
The half-pipe was next. Nick rode up one side of the half-pipe and grabbed his board.
Nick landed on the lip at the top and turned around.
Then he rode down the half-pipe and up the other side. He grabbed his board in midair and landed at the top of the pipe.
Nick rode down the half-pipe and over to the rail. He popped his board up and rode down the rail backward.
Nick rode his board over to the half-pipe and flew up one side. He grabbed the front of his board as he went up. After he landed, Nick turned around again and rode back down.
Time for a new trick, Nick thought. A cannonball. He grabbed his board and crouched down low.
The judges should like that, he thought.
I’ll finish up with a street trick. Nick rode over to the rail and popped up on it.
He rode down the rail with half the board in the air. As he reached the bottom, Nick wobbled and fell off.
The timer buzzed.
My time is up, and the last thing the judges saw was a mistake! thought Nick.
Well, at least the tricks were harder than the ones the little grommets did. That has to count.
Nick rode off to talk with Josh.
“Bad break,” said Josh.
“It’s okay,” said Nick.
“It was a hard trick,” said Josh. “It counts more than an easy one, even if you fall.”
“Yeah,” said Nick.
Brandon was next. He did a few tricks on the rail and the ledge and then moved over to the half-pipe.
“Nothing great,” said Nick when Brandon was done.
“Only safe moves,” said Josh.
But after all of the groms had their turns, Brandon was number one on the scoreboard. Josh was fourth and Nick was seventh.
“Seventh!” said Nick. “How can I be seventh?”
“You fell,” said Josh.
“But it was a hard trick,” said Nick. “Brandon didn’t do any hard tricks.”
“He didn’t fall,” said Josh. “Maybe that counts more this year.”
“It shouldn’t,” said Nick. “Taking a chance should count more!”
Chapter 10
Final Scores
Nick looked over and saw someone giving Brandon a high five.
Brandon turned to look at Nick and flashed him a big, fake smile.
He really thinks he’s going to win, thought Nick.
Nick looked at his wrist guards. Well, at least they haven’t really bothered me the way I thought they would.
If I am going to crash and burn, thought Nick, I’m going to go out in style.
Nick waited for all the little groms to finish their second run. Then finally it was Josh’s turn.
Josh did his second run and he was really smooth. The judges will like that, thought Nick.
Nick slapped Josh a high five when he came off the course.
Now it was Nick’s turn. Nick rode over to the official.
“Can you wait until I get up on the half-pipe?” said Nick. “Then start the clock.”
The official looked at Nick.
He knows that’s the way the pros do it, thought Nick.
“Uh, okay,” said the official.
Nick rode up to the top of the half-pipe and looked down.
Time for some fun!
Nick pushed off.
Down the half-pipe he rode, picking up speed.
As Nick rode back up the other side, he grabbed the middle of his board.
Then up to the top. Nick balanced his board on the edge of the half-pipe and waited three seconds. Axle stall!
Nick tipped his board and rode back down into the half-pipe.
As he came up the other side, Nick reached forward and grabbed the front of his board. Nose grab!
Then he rode up to the top of the pipe again.
Nick balanced his board on the edge. Then he twisted his body and pivoted the board around.
Back into the half-pipe he rode.
As he came up the other side, Nick crouched low and grabbed his board. Cannonball!
Nick came up the other side, and this time he pushed just the front wheel over the lip.
Then he rocked back and rolled down into the pipe. Rock and roll!
He rode back up the pipe, and both wheels went over the lip.
Then Nick popped the board and twisted his body around as he came down. Blunt to fakie!
My time is almost up! It’s now or never, Nick thought.
As Nick rode up to the top, he reached over and flipped his board!
The board twirled around and landed on the flat table at the top of the half-pipe.
Yeah!
Ollie fingerflip!
Nick landed on the board as the timer buzzed.
No falls that time, thought Nick, and then he heard the crowd cheering.
Nick rode his board down and off the pipe.
There was Mom! She came up to Nick and hugged him.
“That was great, Nick!” she said. “It looked just like your skateboard videos.”
“Thanks, Mom,” said Nick.
Josh came over and they slapped their hands in the air for a high five.
A big guy with dark glasses came over to Nick. “I’d like to talk with you.”
“Uh, sure,” said Nick.
“I’m Ben,” said the guy.
“I own the bike shop on Second and Main. I really liked your moves on the half pipe.”
“Thanks,” said Nick.
“I’d like to sponsor you,” said Ben, “so we can let people know that we’re selling boards at our store now.”
“A sponsor?” said Mom.
“Yes, ma’am,” said Ben. “We’d take Nick here all over the county and have him ride for us.”
“How would you like that, Nick?” asked Mom. “It means not being top grom, though.”
Nick smiled. “I’d like that a lot!”
“Hey, Nick,” said Josh. “Look at the scores!”
Nick looked up at the board.
1 – Nick Jackson
2 – Josh Abernathy
3 – Brandon Dorian
Yeah! First place!
About the Author
Anastasia Suen is the author of more than seventy books for young people. She made her first skateboard from a board and an old skate! Anastasia grew up in Florida and now lives with her family in Plano, Texas.
About the Illustrator
When Sean Tiffany was growing up, he lived on a small island off the coast of Maine. Every day, from sixth grade until he graduated from high school, he had to take a boat to get to school. When Sean isn’t working on his art, he works on a multimedia project called “OilCan Drive,” which combines music and art. He has a pet cactus named Jim.
Glossary
air (AIR)—riding with all four wheels off the ground
backside (BAK-side)—when a trick is done with the rider’s back turned toward the ramp or obstacle
grind (GRYND)—scraping one or both axles on a rail, curb, or other surface
half-pipe (HAF PIPE)—a U-shaped ramp with a flat section in the middle
ledge (LEJ)—the top edge of a half-pipe ramp
ollie (OLL-lee)—a basic skateboard jump performed by tapping the tail on the ground
street skating (STREET SKAYT-ing)—skating on street, curbs, benches, handrails, and other city street items
vert ramp (VURT ramp)—a half-pipe, usually with ramps that are eight feet tall and almost vertical
vert skating (VURT SKAYT-ing)—skating on ramps and other vertical structures built for skating
Taking Care of Your Skateboard
Skateboards, just like any other piece of equipment, need to be maintained. They should be kept out of wet weather and their parts need to be checked regularly. Otherwise, instead of doing an ollie, you might end up upside down on the ground!
The first thing to do is make a maintenance checklist. Put it up wherever you store your skateboard. Mark the date on the checklist every time you work on your board. You should try to do it once a week. If you need extra tools, your local skate shop can help you figure out what to buy.
A list of what you should check is on the next page. If you want, you can add other things to the list. For example, once a week you could add a new sticker, or try a new trick!
Skateboard Maintenance Checklist
1. Wheels
Skateboard wheels wear down after a while and need to be replaced. Check your wheels for wear, and if they look worn, buy a replacement set. The skate shop can help you learn how to replace the wheels yourself. If a wheel is only worn on one edge, you can take it off, turn it around, and replace it.
2. Bearings (metal balls inside the wheels)
Bearings help your wheels move smoothly. They get squeaky and rusted sometimes, especially if your board has gotten wet. They should be cleaned with a lubricant, like oil, and greased.
3. Deck (the flat part of the skateboard that you stand on)
Make sure that there are no chips or cracks on the deck. If there’s a small chip, and it’s still attached, you can fix it with a little glue. But if there’s a major chip, you will need to replace your board.
4. Trucks (trucks connect the wheels to the board)
If your trucks are loose, your wheels will wobble. Test them often, and tighten them with a screwdriver.
Discussion Questions
1. The main character, Nick, doesn’t want to wear his wrist guards. If you were his friend, what would you tell him to change his mind?
2. Do you think it was fair that Nick’s mother grounded him? Why or why not?
3. Why did the bike shop guy want to sponsor Nick?
Writing Prompts
1. What do you think was going through Nick’s mind as he waited for the X-ray results? How would you feel if you were waiting? Describe your feelings.
2. How do you prepare yourself to play your favorite sport?
3. If you could ride the half-pipe like Nick, what moves would you try? Describe what you see and hear and feel as you are doing your moves.
Internet Sites
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Impact Books are published by Stone Arch Books,
A Capstone Imprint
1710 Roe Crest Drive
North Mankato, Minnesota 56003
www.capstonepub.com
Copyright © 2007 by Stone Arch Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maddox, Jake.
Skate Park Challenge / by Jake Maddox; illustrated by Sean Tiffany.
p. cm. — (Impact Books. A Jake Maddox Sports Story)
Summary: Despite sabotage that put him in a wrist brace for two weeks, Nick is determined to win an upcoming skateboarding competition.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59889-064-8 (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59889-241-3 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4342-8852-3 (ebook)
[1. Skateboarding—Fiction. 2. Sports injuries—Fiction.] I. Tiffany, Sean, ill. II. Title. III. Series: Maddox, Jake. Impact Books (Stone Arch Books) Jake Maddox Sports Story.
PZ7.S94343Ska 2007
[Fic]—dc22
2006006078
Art Director: Heather Kindseth
Cover Graphic Designer: Heather Kindseth
Interior Graphic Designer: Kay Fraser
Jake Maddox, Skate Park Challenge
