Saturday, June 19, 2010
2:21 AM
Grentec Skateboards
My dad bought me a skateboard just like this. I had three, in all. The invention of fiberglass decks and polyurethane wheels made skateboarding new again. Those first Grentecs were awesome! I wish, wish, wish I still had at least one of mine.
My very frist Grentec looked just like this flourescent green banana board. We had to drive all the way to Muskogee to find one because they weren't carrying them around here yet. I will never forget that day because I was SOOOOO excited to get my first Grentec. I loved that thing! In fact, today, whenever we pull into Muskogee and I see the building that used to be the T,G, & Y, where I got my very first skateboard, I STILL get a familiar, warm, excited feeling. I'll never forget my mom driving me all the way to Muskogee to look for a skateboard (well, she wanted to shop there, too but part of the reason for the special trip definitely was my skateboard quest) . It was summertime so neither Christmas, nor my birthday were anywhere near and Grentec skateboards cost around $30 at that time. That was a lot of money and normally, I wasn't allowed to have that much at one time unless it was on one of the aforementioned special days. Maybe that's one of the many reasons why I have such powerfully wonderful memories of that day and that purchase. Even though money was always tight, my sweet mama always bent over backwards to see that I got the truly special things that I really, really wanted. I had been borrowing and riding my cousin, Benny's skateboard for weeks so she knew I desperately wanted one of my very own. I didn't even have to beg for it. LOL When she mentioned that she wanted to make a Sunday drive up to Muskogee, I said, "AAGGHHH!! Can I look for a skateboard, please?????? And she said, "Yes, if you can find one, you can have it. " We didn't need any gas in the tank. I could have powered us all the way there with my excitement. I'm feeling excited all over again just thinking about it! And as though that were not enough, my mom also took me to McDonald's for lunch which was a huge deal at that time because we didn't have one here in our town. We had a super great time that day. My mom found some things for herself at Anthony's, we had a special inexpensive lunch (and she even bought extra boxes of the McDonald's cookies for me to take home!), I got my coveted skateboard, and we made a memory that will permeate mother/daughter love inside of my heart forever.
My third skateboard, that I got for Christmas of my sophomore year was a Coyote II just like this one. I took it to school one day because I did a speech in speech class over skateboarding. My high school vocal music teacher, who was my all-time favorite high school teacher, thought it was cool so he asked if he could try riding it. He said he had been a skateboarder as a kid but hadn't ridden in years. Seeing my board made him want to see if he could still stay up on one. LOL Just as I had in 3rd grade when Mrs. Frew tried my Skip-It, I thoroughly enjoyed watching my teacher get in touch with his inner kid and, almost bust his butt trying to recapture the skill and balance of his youth. LOLOh, Soliday. After all these years, you STILL make me laugh. I'm so glad we've stayed in touch. You're a one-of-a-kind friend and I will always love you like family.