Sophomore Charlie Rolfsen prepares to make an attempt at a new trick he is trying to learn called “the hardflip.” The sounds of the skateboard hitting the ground echo throughout his head as he grows more confident with every attempt. As he sets up to try the trick again, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He drops his board down and pushes off. As the board grinds against the pavement, Rolfsen prepares for the right moment. Nine years after he started skateboarding, he still leaves with a new trick in his bag.
“I have been skateboarding for about nine years now,” Rolfsen said. “I saw Marty McFly riding on a skateboard while hanging onto a truck in ‘Back to the Future,’ and that’s what made me want to try skateboarding out.”
Skateboarding is a growing passion for Rolfsen. He tries to practice skating as much as he can, but it is difficult during colder parts of the year.
“It’s hard to skate in the snow but during the warm seasons I skate for a few hours every day,” Rolfsen said.
Along with the challenges produced by the climate, skaters face other issues as well. Depending on where you skate, it can become costly. Rolfsen skates transition, which is skating on ramps and rails, so he doesn’t need new parts on a regular basis.
“It can be expensive depending on how often you wear through your parts,” Rolfsen said. “I skate transition, which doesn’t tear up your board as opposed to street skating.”
Rolfsen said he makes sure that he has open times during his schedule for hobbies like skating.
“It does take up my time usually,” Rolfsen said. “I can usually find the time to fit in skateboarding once I’ve taken care of my schoolwork and if I don’t have track practice.”
There are skateboarding competitions people can enter. Rolfsen said they can be a way of showcasing his skills and competing against other skaters.
“I have done a few competitions before,” Rolfsen said. “But it’s not my main focus with the sport. My main focus is to learn as many tricks as I can for as long as I can still do it.”
Rolfsen has gotten injured times before, but this propelled him to be safer and wear better gear like a helmet.
“I have fractured my wrists several times, and I have hit my head before,” Rolfsen said. “After getting hurt so much I have started to wear more protective gear. I have messed up tricks more and more, so wearing a helmet and pads have really helped me.”
Rolfsen skates at a skatepark in Indianapolis, where his biggest challenge to overcome is staying patient. Instead of it being the physical limits that stop him, it ends up being the mental roadblock he’s forced to overcome to meet his goals.
“Skateboarding is entirely a mental sport,” Rolfsen said. “You need to learn patience, how to commit to something scary and overcome it.”
Even though Rolfsen has been skating for years and has many tricks under his belt, he is learning new ones every chance he gets.
“One I recently learned is a Frontside 360 nose grab,” Rolfsen said. “I spent a whole month filled with hours a day trying again and again until I finally learned it. In this trick you must gather a lot of speed and shoot yourself out of a ramp while holding the front of your board and then spinning 360 degrees.”
