We quit because of the felling of being useless... Of being less talented, skilled, having no skate friends... Being afraid... We come back because of being done with the life without the freedom of the ride. We then quit because the freedom of the ride crushes by the wall of not having the freedom of movement we wish to have... We come back again because nothing left but for doing this again. Inbetween we achive moments of clearity in a timeless something no one can tell what it is... It's like with style - it is there, but noone can tell what it is, but it exists.

I stopped skating because I cannot afford to miss work due to injury.

I got my first skateboard at 40, broke my hip at 42, still going at 47.

Getting hurt sucks. Getting old sucks. The two together is horrible. Just have to adjust the skating to what one is willing to deal with pain wise. Still better than a gym

I stopped being a full time skateboarder when the pain was bigger than the enjoyment I was getting out of it. I usually skate around 2-3 times a year nowadays, but having skated for over 25 years fully committed, I will always be a skateboarder in my heart.

Played rugby. . ... got hurt...played football got hurt...played squash got hurt....literally every sport I've done I get hurt.....life hurts !

depression, lack of improvement/skill and poverty is why i quit. respect to everyone still out there skating

Slowly skating again! ❤

I'm 62, started skating in 1974 and have decided to limit skating to simply carving around. I have a lot of great memories of the crazy stupid stuff I used to do. that's good enough.

I went to that dark place a week ago also after my first bad slam this year; I screwed up my wrist and had to get my knee stitched up in the emergency room. I was ready to quit because I'm so tired of hurting myself. Then after a few days of processing what happened, skating seems to have already started to reel me back in. I'm 49 this year and have been hurting myself on a skateboard since I was 11 years old.

I'm 52 and only skate bowls (no street). Yes, slams are the worst and will make you question why the hell am I doing this? The love of the sport keeps you going. With that being said, I am FULLY padded up, including heavy duty wrist guards and padded shorts because I do not want to get hurt. You get used to the gear. You're 100% correct - it's only a matter of time before you get hurt. Pad up OG's!

i became too comfortable too after months of progression n getting better , then the board humbled me again n yeah, reminded me to always stay focused even on tricks u did a million times

I just started skating at 37. I grew up riding BMX. Always wanted to skate but thought it was impossible. I'm 40 now and it's my favorite activity. I'll skate until the day I cant.

I'm mad proud of you bro, it takes a lot of bravery to come back from a scary fall, especially when you get injured the way that you did. I've fallen many times, like all skateboarders do, and it is so hard to get back up sometimes. Mad respect/ kudos to you my friend.

Skated from: 2001-2017 Bipolar disorder related fatigue and weight gain caused me to quit. Otherwise I would’ve never stopped skating. Since then like an addict i’m fingerboarding and skate gaming like crazy every day, imaging that it’s actually me doing the tricks. What can I say. It fucking sucks!

My bro broke his wrist the other night , it looked so painful !!! I had to call an ambulance He's going for surgery tomorrow (metal pins etc) I'm gonna wear wrist guards from now on !!!

That slam lookd heavy😮 I’m Soo glad you recovered 😅 Can’t wait for more of your vids

Respect bro! Skating is gnarly. I quit a few years ago to stay good for my job climbing trees. I miss it everyday. Keep pushing g!

I'm slowly skating again, good to hear this now from you cause i was having fear creep moving back up my trick bag, i think i just need to send it on a spot some time and just pad up and hope for the best.

Glad u back on the board dawg!✨🛹💯

Dang! Glad you’re getting better Zack. You are right about getting hurt more often when progressing, and I think it is because when you are progressing you are feeling good, so you keep trying to ride that wave, meaning you continue to try harder tricks therefore you are more likely to fall and get hurt, as compared to skaters that stick to doing the tricks they already know and are used to. Mind you those skaters that stay in their comfort zone can still fall and get hurt, as we all have off days, but it is more likely to happen on the former scenario.

Damn Zack, putting in work. Glad you’re better

Missed you! Good to see you back!!! 🙌🏽🔥

people quit becaues they realize you gotta be good at skateboarding for it to be cool

Dang glad you're on the mend Zach! Slamming sucks because of the pain obviously, bur more so when it takes you away from being able to skate for a long time. But such is life. Its a balance of pushing yourself to new limits, but hopefully mitigating injuries. Have a nice Sunday funday 🤙

Zack and Christian together?! Gahhh! Two of the best!!! So sorry to hear of the injury man, hope you heal up fast. That's why I stopped skating the first time... it really freaks you out to get hurt badly, but I learned you just gotta get back to it as soon as you can and overcome! Good on you, and looking good out there!

I'm 41 and getting back to skating after a 5 years off after breaking my wrist for the 5th time and having my scaphoid die. Now when I'm getting tired of have a close call I call it a day. I have been really unhappy even though I have a beautiful wife, 2 fantastic adult sons, make really good money and am healthy. I finally realized it was because I needed to skate. My whole life it was a part of my identity, kept me in shape, kept me in the sun and kept me challenged. So good to be back, there are some tricks I will probably never get back at my age but my God, it feels so good to step on a deck again. I finally understand what "skateboarding saved my life" means.

I hella slammed the a few weeks ago too. I got the clip but I had to take 2 weeks off and then I had to have a tooth extraction. Getting back into the groove sucks but it's all a part of why I don't quit. Every time I slam I am forced to learn how to rest. Resting is a super valuable skill, especially when your icing the injury, because if you do it right, you find that when you come back to skating, you kind of suck for like 3 days but then you start making hella progress. Sorry you got hurt man, I know it sucks! Thanks for making these though because us 35 and older skaters really understand what your going through and vice versa. Cheers man!

All of us older skaters need to just suck it up and wear protective clothing for tailbone, ass, knees under out clothes. It’s not noticeable and it definitely helps when falling

I loved skating that little park! Best place to chill & skate. Glad they’re gonna be improving it soon!

Growing up makes people quit. Increase of responsibilities the big reason. Being young you don’t have big bills, you don’t have a family to support, full time job etc. compared to when you finally become an adult. And as you get older you just don’t have time. I’m thankful I work from home and can do chores during lunch. But I have so much full adult stuff to deal with like things around my home that need tending to, working on my car, taking care of my dogs, etc. I skate only 4 hours in the weekend just due to being an adult now compared to those 6 hour sessions A DAY when I was younger

Great video Zack! I'm a skateboarder always have been as soon as I saw and road one from 10 years old, I recently did a Liz franc been a year off it's been brutal 💔 Wishing you good vibes, man, peace ✌🏾 from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺 Skate on you got this 👍🏼

very good advice for recovering form a crash. keep the awesome videos coming.

I am 62 and have skated off and on most of my life, and recently gotten back into it as well as started inline skating. As was mentioned by another viewer, as you get older, you have to adjust your expectations and skate within your acceptable level of pain and fear knowing that you aren't likely to escape the slam forever. I have a laundry list of injuries from various sports over the years and at my age, they ALL come back to haunt you. If you can't find an acceptable level of risk, skateboarding is probably not your sport, but sitting on the couch afraid of getting injured is not living, it's simply existing, and that's more scary to me than getting hurt.

skaters and filmers should do a First Aid and CPR course. It has really helped in dealing with and keeping people calm when they injure themselves and are panicking. When you got winded, your homie just stood there filming and didnt really seem to help.

i came back after 19 years of a break the first 3 days in, i broke my elbow back then Skateboarding was so easy man i was so fit i learned all those tricks very fast even while riding alone then the injuries stacked up and it was either Skateboarding or playing Football (Soccer) on a pretty high level on the potential going Pro so i decided to quit skateboarding at the end i didnt become a pro in Football and my left knee were done so i was afraid coming back but last year i just felt it and was too motivated and instantly lost my Job being out for almost 4 Months now i got my Job back and i take it way way slower now more controlled my biggest Goal is to Push on the Streets and move with the Board i dont want to know tricks yet outside of those i need to move with my Board

Good to see you healing up dude...👊

I’m currently going through that “going through the motions” part of skating. I’m not dealing with any injuries, but there’s just other things going on in my life. So finding the time to skate has become difficult. Also a few years ago I switched to a night shift job, so even when I find time to skate I’m usually alone. So what I’m realizing in my 40’s is a mixture of my schedule not lining up with the other local skaters. And it so hard to self motivate when skating alone, that you wind up just doing the same few tricks at the same spots. And never really pushing yourself to learn anything cause, what’s the point you’re alone! And I find myself just thinking “why am i even still doing this?!” That add on top of that I’m in my 40’s so when I do slam, it fucks my everyday life up even longer now. I’ve been struggling really bad the last few weeks, even considering quitting all together. I’ve never even given that a serious thought in over 25 years! Like I’ve made it out every year, but this year has felt way different. I know I’ll actually not quite, but it’s getting harder for me to justify it …..

Did you get it X-Rayed? It could easily be a scaphoid fracture. I just recovered from one and it was exactly as you described - no pain until much later, limited mobility, and I even did the push-ups with my fist like you. I got it checked out and it was a fracture. Don’t wait on it either because the bone can get cut off from blood supply and dissolve 😬

My last slam shook me more mentally than physically. What convinces me to keep skating is that I have to practice that much more to get better. And I need to patch that crack at the end of my sidewalk. Having a rear wheel hang up going over a curb has its consequences.

Movement is medicine brotha!

people also quit skating when they find better / more interesting / gainful things to do with their time - not just because they become injured. I never quit .. just scaled back and I"m still walking at 50 for that correct choice and when I get on a board I still get the same feelings of when I was young but I don't have to 'show off' to the degree I put myself into danger and I never do things to try to impress others - never have - so the mental game of self induced competition is not in everyone's game - the guys I knew who were like that .. are now basically crippled - the proverbial 'self game' of delusional competition that goes nowhere - and they have a type of delusion as they age , never progress but push themselves to things that only a young person should be doing if you want to think logically and health wise.. Cheers thanks for sharing your experience.

I hadn't skated since highschool. I'm 38 now and at the end of last August I'd gotten a longboard. 3 weeks later BAM! Broke my shoulder. I was super depressed and skating was the one thing I had. It wasn't a couple weeks after breaking my shoulder I hopped back on the damn thing in my sling. Skated for a couple months in that thing. My balance after removing the sling and having an extra appendege to flap around was pretty incredible.

So having the mini ramp in the backyard, how's that work with home insurance?

I'm 42 and want everyone to be grateful of your knees as long as they work as intended. I still skate on a weekly basis but man, oh man my knees are so busted so I'm nowhere near where I once was...and I should be grateful that I'm still rolling at my age, but it's still frustrating af when the rest of my body is up to par.

I quit skating in 1988 when I got my first peddle bike and still ride mountain bike today at 48 years old.

Dowdy is the best when he waxes philosophical ❤

You can still skate and still do things for a living. Just skate within your limits and forget about progression and gnarly stuffs for they are no longer your friends at this period in life. I still skate and go to work w/ 5 kids. I skate to unwind, relax, fitness purpose, have fun by myself or w/ my kids and feeling the freedom. 50-50s, 5o's Boardslides and etc are what I have left and I still find happiness when doing them. I just skate regularly like 3x a week for muscle memory and to avoid injury.

I just tried to quit after pulling my back out. I didn’t even fall. It was from not landing my tricks, getting that whiplash when you stop suddenly. Getting old sucks

im 28 now and havent skated in over 6 years since a bad neck injury. well i got me and my son boards, and weve been riding alot . getting super comfortable again .... but today i went to just ride off a curb and misplaced my foot and slammed hard asf. HUMBLED like you said lmaoo

When I was 16, I was going off a four foot launch ramp and did a front foot kick out and my foot did not make it back on the board so it scraped all the way up my right leg and cut my ball sack open. I let that heal and was going down a handrail about six months later and racked myself again and cut it back open. I let that heal again, but I kept skating, but it just was never the same. Then a friend of mine and me went to San Diego and was skating at Mission Beach by Hamils skate shop and ended up meeting Ray Barbie and Danny Way. I believe Chet Thomas was also there, but it was cool to talk to Ray Barbie and I told him that I was from Arizona and he basically told me that the only way to turn pro is if I lived in California, so that really kind of sucked. I spent a month there skating a ton of cool spots and the weather was always nice, and then came back to Arizona and it was hot and miserable. Now I can see why it’s so easy in California because that’s where all the companies are at and the people and the weather is pretty much always nice then in my senior year my parents were notified that I was so many credit hours behind to graduate on time, so I had to focus more on school and I always had what Barbie told me in the back of my head about not being able to turn pro in Arizona so I basically gave it up. I’m now 50 years old and all of my injuries from skating all those years Have definitely come back to haunt me. But I still check out all the videos and think about all the good years that I was able to skate and go to contests. It’s insane to see how skateboarding has advanced so much and the tricks are just insane these days.

Skateboarding has changed a ton. Back in the early 90s when I skated we only had 1 board in the car. We had no skateparks. Being in Minneapolis we broke into malls and warehouses in the winter. If we wanted to film we had to haul a big VHS camera. We were always jealous of people from California with your nice 365 weather. If we couldn't get into somewhere warm we hit parking garages. If it was 1 degree outside the parking ramp was 9. We would only have extra king pins in winter weather cause they would snap a lot in the cold. If I grew up in Cali I don't think I would have ever quit. Now at 49 I live vicariously through all of you on KZfaq. Have fun, stay safe and keep posting cool shit.

For me, Old Bones therapy compression wrist wrap helped with injury, and I actually love wearing it even when I’m 100% because it prevents injury and boosts my confidence during falls. ❤

I'm 53 just picked up a Santa Cruz again haven't skated in 30yrs and it's harder now than ever all I knew I've lost plus now the fear is huge but I still love it I had a spam two weeks ago and the bruise is only just coming out !!

I started skating again now at my 34. I’ve quit when I was 18 due to school and a year later I almost lost my leg on a motorcycle accident (tibia & fibula, exposed) spent an entire year without walking. I don’t do crazy stuff, but at the beginning i said i would only ride it for fun, no ollies or kick flips to prevent injury since I do have hardware in my bone along with screws. These days I’ve landed most of the tricks I used to do back then. I literally broke into tears when I landed my first kick flip again ❤

That slam where you jacked up your hand made me get some full glove wrist braces. Scary stuff.

Come skate Tustin skatepark or la puente Dowdy!

I quit skating because I was fractally stupid - by being stupid enough to not wear wrist protection skating ramps, by taking drugs so I wouldn't realize my wrist was in fact broken and didn't bother with ER and stuff either. Took plenty of metal to fix a few years later and I had been lucky because the first hospital wanted to jump remove a number of my hand bones and stiffen the rest with a metal spider.. However, I couldn't help myself to at least pick up cruisers again after getting sober 7 years ago which proved little satisfying so I'd get into surfskating - and from there I tried skating miniramps again after a hiatus of ten years in may and found a surprising amount of tricks still dialed in even though I rode an unsuited surfskate. I got a popsicle setup the next day - and a set of knee and wrist guards as well as a helmet whom to wear I'm old enough now age 37 I suppose.. 😅

I miss Skating the most. Just riding around and doing small Olly’s makes me the happiest man alive. I stopped because I had to pretty much do two jobs. 1 part time job and internship and 1 day of school. Just 6 days of straight grinding. That together with the bad weather during the fall/winter here in the Netherlands. I miss it alot.

Slammed hard in February and my palms still not full healed lol I AINT EVA GONNA STOP SKATEBOARDING!!

I can only flat tricks I just can't comfortablly go forwards or essentially sideways on any board having learnt everything on a bike or skis

My left ankle can sprain really easily now but I loved skating but now enjoy watching it and watching all the videos

When I was 13 I was at the skatepark, I had already been there for 4 hours, the sun was setting, I was tired, but I was determined I had my front foot on the nose by accident and took my back foot off to push and fell, I fell sideways and I couldn’t walk for the rest of the night but the next day I went back and skated again

what kind of shades do you have on @ 5:00 ? looking for some new ones

As a professional coach, I cannot risk serious injuries, however I returned to skating a couple of years ago, because I wanted to do a sport that was totally "out of the box" where I can get out of my comfort zone and take risks to improve. its crazy to realized me how I can perform in high level in one risky sport and be so afraid in the other one. I feel that through that process I can keep growing and enjoying a sport lifestyle.

Switched from skateboarding to long boarding and just cruising.

"", Zack Dowdy MMAASSHH!!!

Hello Zack, Good explaind by a experiense skater, team pain it is, just let the passion rule. I broke my wrist (24) in may 6 weeks no skateboarding for me, i be 59 years in Aug. I been skating for about 8-9 years. My daughter started me up with this delicate habit. Like you said, it will happen fast and when least expected to happen, after a lot of fun skating with just one more run to go. Is it a focus thing? To relaxed? Or just to much adrenalin? Or everything at once. It cant be wrong to feel that good? Humble yes but deteminded. Is it possible to put an PVC PIPE to umbrace the pain with, and do some runs out night in the tennis court the fourth week. l am not shamed by this manners, love skateboarding to, no limits the flow. Anyway i don't take off my wrist guards text time!!! Keep sharp Zack.

I started skating again after 30 years at 47 years old and I'm still at it after a broken humerus, multiple bruised ribs and a year and 2 months later. The only way I stop again, and I hope it's many years down the road, would be paralysis or death. I'm a better, healthier, more positive human being when I'm on my big ol' 9.3 Eric Dressen Rose Crew one! Keep shreddin' out there!

Have cartilage damage and stress fracture in my knee. Been 6months and not even close to better because of the cartilage damage. Ive broken bones in the past and been good 2months later. This shit sucks

You’re such a trooper bro🔥🔥

I try to every now and then but the board sliding foot motion damaged my left hip after 30 years of skating and my knees go out in 15 minutes and can last 1day - 2 weeks. So with all this i cant do an eighth of the tricks i used to do and that can be depressing.

One thing my mentor said i was good at is that I have passion for learning new things. I recently started skateboarding, I'm super slow and in public I get judged a lot for being a beginner and it feels like crap to feel like a failure sometimes I want to quit but there's one problem. I just can't quit forever, I love the feeling of the board under my feet its both anxious and calming, I love the feeling of getting it right even for a sec. And this is the first I've done any form of exercise and liking it. I don't believe in quitting cause its a permanent word, I just skate for myself in private at the moment.

i skated from the age 12 to 19 then decided to join the navy and while i turned 21 in, I asked my parents to get me a board for my birthday. I tried to get back into it for a bit but then just stopped cause of work and a bunch of other stuff going on, but i’m 23 now, out of the navy and back in my home town and gonna try to get back into it again

I pretty much stopped skating at about 27 years old after skating almost every single day since I was 12. I got married and moved away from California. I used to tell myself that I don’t want to skate anymore because I didnt have all my friends to skate with anymore but honestly the times I did go skate it just felt boring. That and the fact that I can’t get hurt in my line of work or I can’t work and also took up golf before I moved and it’s a lot more enjoyable and easy on the body. I guess in my experience it just got boring after doing it non stop for 15 years.

I learned to skate for a little more than two months. I only did manuals and practiced Ollies. No bad falls, just average falls you'd expect. I was wearing full protective gear, knee, elbow and wrist pads, helmet. I literally needed surgery on my right wrist because I ended up incrementally tearing my TFCC. Same on the left, but didn't require surgery. Missed months of office work because my wrist hurt a lot when I had to type 9 to 5. Sucks. I love skating, gives me thrilled I didn't know existed. But it's just not worth this kind of injuries that will literally never heal again.

Dislocated elbow and i gave my board to the kids in the park same time. I was done.. So much pain.. And i still had to drive home than to hospital...

its the same with stunting motorcycles. getting hurt is part of the game. and it can be tough getting back into it after getting hurt. because we fear getting hurt again. but if u enjoy what u do enough then youll continue with it despite the injuries

Pain is a symptom of a well lived life

this is very theraputic and relatable

I’ll be 35 on the 28th. Six weeks ago I tore my acl. Broke two ribs back in March. Waiting to get a draw for surgery now 😢

My close skate friends left town. My 9-5 job, the errands of adulthood, the weather and the different routine of friends made me skate less and less. Also when I first got my own place I could not afford getting hurt. Skating was my only work out and I got heavier. I am tall and I was always on the heavier side but now I could feel the weight on my knees. I went to the gym doing martial arts to lose some weight and I actually gained muscle and became heavier. Anyway I haven't stopped skating I am still skating as a way of transport but I would rarely subject my knees to the impact of an ollie. Sometimes I miss doing some trick but when my knees start hurting from pressure I hate it very fast.

I just bought a skateboard at 38 and I love it. Greatest hobby yet.

Man!, we have the same wrist fuckery issue.. my main reason why I don't skate as hard, but i'm not gonna ever quit.. i love it.. i can't see myself not skateboarding or being around it..

I skated for about 20 years, mostly bowls and mini ramps. The feeling of flying off the coping is amazing. I had a talent to get hurt when I tried atreet skating. But it was in a mini ramp in 2012 that I badly hurt my left knee, even wearing pads. Struggled with pain for 3 years. 12 years later sometimes I still feel some pain and all I can do is walk and sometimes ride a bike. No running, no swimming. Sad.

I quit skate a lot of years ago 'cause the injuries, if i cannot work i'm fucked, but i have cruiser that i use everyday and i start to ride a table again like 5 o 6 years ago, i'm from Venezuela living in Argentina here in Buenos Aires you have a lot of skateparks and in some point i decide that if i'm not got to skate but i'm going to ride 'cause i love it, by the way, you're amazing dude, blessings, keep skating and take care

who made the concrete ramp??

I quit because of work and my injuries started piling up. Had 3 surgeries by the time I was 21, and couldn't afford to miss work. Now I'm 31, have chronic knee and ankle issues, and work 50 hours a week. I've hopped on a few times over the last 5 years or so just to skate flat and see what I can still do. It's wild how much muscle memory you retain even after years of not doing something

You can skate without hitting jumps and Grinds. Just do ground tricks. I’m 42 and my 10 y/o daughter just got a skate board and so I’m going to start learning too. Never too late to learn something new!

Started playing hockey again and felt more supported by parents, plus started at a new school where no one in my friends group skated. Now i live in big bear and skate or snowboard every day. initially.i started again in my mid 30s with snowboarding and that led to the skating.

every slam that I took just motivated me to keep on going, not falling you ain't doing it right as one skater told me.

Dude I am 45, just keep rolling, shit happens, as a skateboarder you know. As you get older, the good days are far and in between, but when they do happen, it is the best feeling.

I gave up skating because I don't feel any sensation anymore. And I don't want to get some irreparable injuries. Although I started surfing which help building my body and having a good diet.

Thanks for speaking reality. I had to quit flatland at 34, street bmx a few years later. But I couldn't quit and rode a road bike at the park. 180's sliders and air outs. I'm now on an e bike @ 44😂wtf

My wrist is so messed up I was hillbombing and the worst part was I was on the flat after the hill when I got the wobble and slammed, When I fell I folded my hand under the weight of my body when I hit didn't break my wrist or even sprain it just completely demolished it...here I am 5 year's later it's in intense pain all the time.

That's the part of skateboarding I don't miss at all but dark slides on the local curb and getting off the curb/riding away...that was so much fun. Falling though and wondering if it's broke or not, etc...yea I don't miss that at all.

Bro, Im 49. I get back on the board a few times a year, each time losing a little bit more of my equilibrium and balance. I get broke off and then put it down, but then get back on it again a few months later. At this point I've lost practically everything except carving around and grinding. Was always a street skater with a big bag of tricks and all that's gone. The fear of building tricks back up is greater than the drive to push myself. I still have that style that says, I used to be good, whatever that's worth but I guess that's more than I would have expected at my age.

Been off my board since early December due to ACL tear and I'm struggling to get back into it. I'm pretty worried about my knee. and for the first time I have debts due to being out of work from it. fucking sucks. I absolutely love skateboarding but I'm certainly scared of the consequences.

It much to do about your video title with this question but HEY! That cement halfpipe in that backyard is absolutely insane! That is exactly what I want here in Hawaii as lumber is so expensive after the Maui fires. Do you have a video showing the making and cost of that beauty? Solid, low noise and low maintenance 🤙🏼

I did not quit at age 58 but I do hold back more to avoid injury. My lower back already has two bad discs. I have dropped in on a big vert ramp hundreds if not thousands of times but I don't do it anymore.