Blunt Fakies & Other Peer Group Identifiers

Hey, Dude!  Your front side blunt fakie is stellar!  Mine looks really sketchy.....any tips?

And so it begins.

As Michael Gurian writes in "The Wonder of Boys" :

• Boys gravitate toward and form their culture around large groups.  A boy without a "peer group" feels very lost.  One of the many reasons boys join gangs is the search for the group in which he can relax, have a task, feel powerful as part of a collective...(Gurian, Michael. The Wonder of Boys. New York , Putnam. 1996. Print)

The peer group in the bowl is a powerful microcosm for peer groups throughout life:  there is a hierarchy, a vocabulary, a way to be invited 'in', & a code of conduct.  Let's look at these a little closer:

• Hierarchy:  There are two ways to climb the ladder here, through skill and/or age.  There is a respect earned, of course, through tricks mastered, but those who have a few more years on them are also respected by others, as long as they are respectful to those around them.

• Vocabulary:  Spend even a little time around a bowl and you'll feel as if you've 'dropped in' to another country.  The language developed by skaters serves a purpose, though:  to identify the speakers as part of the group.  If you don't understand, you aren't part of the group......yet.

• The way to be invited in:  Observe, observe, observe. Respect others & their space, and ask for help.  These are the best ways to find acceptance at the bowl. 

•  Code of Conduct:  The unstated Code of Conduct has everything to do with respecting those around you. Cutting  people off in the middle of runs, bragging, hogging the bowl, not cleaning up after yourself, & not apologizing after accidentally getting in some one's way are all acts that will get you ostracized. 

All in all, the bowl is a effective place to learn how to get along in groups, and these lessons will apply in many different situations.  I'd much rather my kids learn them here instead of choosing a more dangerous group.  That's why you'll find this mom.....at the bowl.