Never too young: Adults skateboard for health, fun

Nov 17, 2008 (The Times-News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- ZUMZ | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Shawn Black's demeanor doesn't give away his age.

He spends his free time coasting on a skateboard and writing rap lyrics for his hip-hop group. His T-shirts and skate shoes camouflage his graying goatee.

Watching him catch air on the ramp with ease, it's easy to forget he's nearing 40 years old.

At 37, Black is one of Idaho's most senior skaters. While he's been on the ramps for 20 years, he testifies that it's never too late for adults to learn how to skate.

Lesley Martin, fitness director for the Twin Falls YMCA, agreed.

"You're never too old," she said, adding that skateboarding can even help adults stay fit.

"It's perfect for core strength,"Martin said, which can help adults regain their balance in their senior years. The motions required for skateboarding also engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, arms and upper body, she said.

"It's a lot tougher than what it looks,"Martin said. "It's just a good all-over body workout."

Black agreed.

"Just by doing the active skateboarding, you'll lose weight,"he said. He pointed out most serious skateboarders are skinny and fit.

Of course, the sport isn't without its dangers. Nine years ago, Black fell while doing a trick and went headfirst into a wall. His helmet buckled and stabbed him in the temple, he said. He stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated.

That doesn't stop him from skating -- or from encouraging his 15-year-old son, Devan, to improve his skating skills.

And while Black is more proficient on the ramp than his son, Devan might find more of his peers at the skateboarding park.

"A lot of our hard-core skaters ... are young, young,"said Skylar Iverson, assistant manager at the Zumiez skateboard and clothing shop in Twin Falls. "They're, like, 12. Barely even teenagers."

Black couldn't care less about the skating demographic. He still competes around the Northwest and is good enough to have sponsors -- Fatt Ratt Tattoo,Verve Energy Drink and Flux Skateboards, which provide free boards for him to use. He competes against several other mature skateboarders, including one of the 62-year-old founders of the sport, and knows local adults who got into the sport after their teenagers expressed interest in it.

On Thursday evening, he practiced at his friend's house in Jerome with eight other older skaters. The youngest of the group was 25 years old, he said.

He chatted easily with the teenagers at the skate park in Twin Falls' Harmon Park on Thursday afternoon -- all of whom knew him by name. He revealed his age only when catching up with Boisean Nate O'Neill, 18, whose father was Black's tattoo artist.

"The last time I saw you, you were this big!" Black marvelled, holding his hand out to shoulder height. "Say hi to your dad for me."

Melissa Davlin may be reached at 208-735-3234 or melissa.davlin@lee.net.

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