Kamis, 23 April 2009

Cepat Mewabah, Cepat Pula Melorot


Bayu Dwi Mardana
Agar terhindar dari cedera fatal, seorang pengendara BMX kelas jalanan (street) membekali diri dengan alat pelindung. Alat-alat ini amat mudah dijumpai di toko-toko olahraga.

Dunia BMX memang identik dengan gaya hidup anak-anak muda masa kini. Sebuah gaya hidup yang digauli oleh tiap anak muda pada masa jayanya. Sejarah telah memberi bukti. Saat ”virus” BMX mewabah, sejak itu pula generasi muda negeri ini ramai-ramai pindah ”aliran”. Ibarat gelombang, hobi ini punya masa pasang surut yang kentara sekali. Dunia BMX begitu cepat dikenal tapi amat mudah digeser tingkat popularitasnya.
Menurut Muhammad Yusuf (26), salah seorang pehobi sepeda yang setia dengan BMX, akhir delapan puluhan dan awal sembilan puluhan boleh dikata masa suram bagi perkembangan BMX di Indonesia. Nama komunitas penggemar BMX sudah terlanjur dicap jelek oleh mata awam. Berbau kriminal, narkoba dan beragam tindakan negatif lainnya. Buntutnya, dunia BMX sepi dari arena lomba. Sponsor pun enggan mengucurkan dana.
”Wah, waktu itu saya sempat pusing juga. Pamor BMX turun drastis, tapi justru di situ awal saya suka dengan hobi ini. Jadi, saya main hanya berdua dengan abang ipar. Habis pemain lamanya, sudah bosan main BMX lalu pindah ke MTB (mountain bike),” papar Yusuf. Ia sendiri memutuskan tetap bertahan dengan hobi BMX karena kecintaannya pada atraksi dan tarian di atas sepeda itu. ”Kalau pakai MTB rasanya ribet gitu lho. Dengan BMX ada troator tinggal dilompati saja. Gampang, kan.”
Lagi pula anak muda yang saat ini membuka usaha penyediaan suku cadang dan aksesoris bagi BMX itu ingin hidup dari hobi BMX. Tak pelak, dibutuhkan rasa cinta yang dalam dan konsistensi dalam menekuni sebuah bidang. Dan Yusuf sadar betul akan hal itu. Jadilah dia pemain setia dalam dunia BMX ini. Teman-teman sepermainannya, terutama senior, telah ditelan rimba kota.
”BMX mulai terangkat lagi pada tahun 1995. Ini gara-garanya, beberapa pemain lamanya ternyata masih suka ngumpul di Senayan. Lama-lama kok makin banyak yang gabung. Dari situ timbul ide, kenapa BMX nggak dimunculin lagi,” ucap Yusuf dengan logat Betawi yang kental.
Komunitas Senayan ini pun tumbuh pesat, berkembang menjadi sentral dan ajang kumpul bagi seluruh komunitas BMX di Jakarta dan sekitarnya. Ada yang datang dari Kemayoran, Pulo Gebang, Pondok Kopi, Ciputat, bahkan ada dari Depok dan Cikarang. ”Malah ada perumpaan, kalau belum pernah datang ke Senayan, ibaratnya anak itu belum naik haji ke Mekkah seperti dalam (agama) Islam,” kelakar lelaki berkulit bersih itu yang disambut derai tawa pehobi BMX lainnya.
Kata Yusuf, tak ada asosiasi atau wadah besar yang menampung seluruh pehobi BMX. Kini, komunitas yang ada tumbuh berdasarkan lokasi saja. Kecil-kecil tapi jumlahnya bisa sampai ratusan. ”Yang di Senayan itu hanya tempat nongkrong saja. Bukan sebuah wadah asosiasi.”
Apa yang dikatakan Yusuf itu ada benarnya. Komunitas BMX yang tumbuh berdasarkan lokasi main amat mudah dijumpai di seantero Jabotabek. Lihat saja Super Tetra, sebuah komunitas BMX yang didirikan oleh anak-anak muda di bilangan Kayu Tinggi, Pulo Gebang dan sekitarnya. Komunitas ini tumbuh dari seringnya frekuensi berjumpa dan bermain bersama di satu lokasi.
Keterbatasan alat bantu untuk bermain membuat rasa solidaritas tumbuh subur. Tak jarang, mereka harus membuat sendiri sebuah papan lompatan. Semuanya serba mandiri. Mencari kayu sisa proyek bangunan, merancang hingga membuat papan itu. Dari situ, kekompakan dan daya kreativitas terjalin dengan apik.
Di luar negeri, perkembangan BMX sudah demikian maju. Riders bule itu tak bakal kesulitan mencari arena bermain untuk semua kelas. Sponsor pun jor-jor-an dalam mendukung sebuah tim. Semuanya serba disiapkan dengan serius. Contoh paling gampang, soal teknologi. Mereka sudah memproduksi sepeda BMX dengan bahan aluminium alloy dan titanium. Alhasil, sepeda makin kuat tahan banting tapi amat ringan untuk diajak menari di udara. Anak-anak muda kita hanya bisa melihatnya lewat majalah, internet dan tontonan di VCD. Dan bagi mereka itu sudah cukup. (str/bayu dwi mardana)

Selasa, 21 April 2009

Does skateboarding make you a criminal?
Wednesday April 22, 2009
It was reported Monday on KSL.com that in West Bountiful, Utah, while the manager of a small cafe was walking to her car carrying a bag of money, a "man on a skateboard" came by, grabbed the bag of money, and skated off. The police are still looking for him.

OK, first off, doesn't this sound like a cartoon? I mean, people really carry around bags of money? And there's no way this skater just happened by - he must have been watching her, and waiting. Weird. Creepy. And, who thinks that the skateboard is the best getaway vehicle? It works well, sure, but ... the whole thing seems ridiculous.

But this really happened, and it's a bummer. It's a bummer because this poor lady lost $2,700, but it's also a bummer for you and I. There's no way that things like this make skaters look good, and we've already got a pretty rough reputation. So let me ask you - are all skaters criminals? Is it something built into skateboarding, that makes skaters want to be evil? Or is it simply that skateboarding attracts deviants?

You should know that I'm joking. I don't think this way. But there are LOTS of people who do. People with the authority to push through laws and city ordinances. So what's your answer to them? I'd really like to hear from some of you readers - post your comments below!

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What does ABEC mean for Skateboard Bearings?
Monday April 20, 2009
Jamie O'ClockOn the heels of my last blog post here, I realized that a lot of people don't know what ABEC really means. ABEC stands for Annular Bearing Engineers' Committee, and is the American method for rating the accuracy and tolerance rating of bearings. ABEC standards are set by the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA).

So what does that mean? Well, bearings are used for all kinds of things, not just skateboard wheels. The higher an ABEC rating, the more accurate and precise the bearing is. Read What does ABEC mean for Skateboard Bearings? to find out more about ABEC, why it is and isn't important, and what it means for skateboarding!

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Don't by junk boards ... PLEASE!
Saturday April 18, 2009
In large Walmart-style stores and sporting goods stores across the planet, junk skateboards lurk, waiting for unsuspecting skaters and parents to buy them. I just got done writing to Glenn, a reader who got a "Jackhammer 31" skateboard. I'm using this Jackhammer complete skateboard just as an example, to help you see how these cheap skateboards are a waste of your hard earned money, and a plague on skateboarding.

1. It has a 9 ply deck. "Plys" are the strips of wood that are pressed together to make the skateboard deck. A 9 ply board is a cheap way out of making something quality. The standard skateboard is 7 plys. With 9, the board won't flex, and will be way too heavy.

2. It has ABEC 1 bearings. The ABEC rating explains how precise the bearings are. For skateboarding, we usually use ABEC 5 or so. Much lower than that, and you sacrifice too much precision. Much higher, and the bearings are too delicate for skateboarding. ABEC 1 is just above no-ABEC-rating-at-all. It's junk.

3. It has plastic wheels... *sigh* That's ... that's disgusting. Real skateboarding wheels should be made of urethane, or some wild urethane-ish formula, or at LEAST made by a company that knows not to use PLASTIC. It's insane, it's insulting, it's dangerous ... it's junk.

The whole board is likely junk. If you can afford it, please get a REAL skateboard. ESPECIALLY if you are shopping for a kid. They won't know. It's your job to protect them. Skateboards like this one I'm describing aren't just lame, they are poorly made, and will give the kid a bad skateboarding experience. He or she might end up thinking skateboarding is too hard, when it's not them, it's the board! Or, worse yet, they might get hurt.

And if you run a store of some kind, please don't sell junk boards like these. Please. They might be attractive because of the low cost, but they are horrible to skateboarding, and to your customers.

You can read more in-depth ideas of things to look for in the FAQ article, "Are Cheap Skateboards OK to Buy?" I don't often go off on tirades here, so if you have a reaction, I'd love to hear it. Even if you think I'm full of it, or over-reacting. Leave a comment below!

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Piles of pro skater photo galleries
Wednesday April 15, 2009
Rob and BigHave you seen the huge pile of pro skater photo galleries we have here? Just in case you've missed 'em, here are some of my favorites:

* Rob Dyrdek
* Ryan Sheckler
* Eric Koston
* Bam Margera

There are many more pro skater photo galleries under the Pro Skateboarding tab up above. Take a look. I'd like to add some more to the list, but I don't know who to add. If there's someone you would like to see a gallery of, leave a comment below and say so!

Best Online Skateboard For Almost Skateboarding & Skateboard Accessories

If you are seeking information about skateboarding techniques, skateboard models, safety tips, and skateboarding as a sport there are many information sources available for you.
If you know the exact information, what are you looking for than you can save lot of your time. And if you recently took up skateboarding as a sport or hobby, and you’ve never been involved in skateboarding before, there is a lot of information you will need to know in order to ensure that you are safe and know how to properly use the skateboard outdoors and at indoor skate parks.
Buying or shopping online can be quite interesting in a way as you get to see numerous products of various kinds all on a single screen. This makes it easier to compare and sort them to take a pick. Complete skateboard provide you the fastest way to begin skateboarding. You can find them at Gosaktergohome.com. So just, browse through the site to get a glimpse of the unmatched collection of skateboards.
It is a wonderful sport! For beginners, who do not own their own skateboards, shopping can be tiresome. If you do not have the time to go out and look for a skateboard in various shops, you can get the best online skateboards by placing your order on the Internet. As much as it is wonderful to watch skateboarding, it is equally thrilling to master this sport and ride on your skateboard. Besides the Best online-skateboard, we offer a large selection of complete skateboards, decks, trucks, wheels, bearings and apart from all these necessary items we also give you the opportunity of selecting from a wide range of skateboard hardware, grip tape, risers, bushings, long boards and other skateboarding accessories as well. Skateboards of so many famous brands are available nowadays in different sizes, shapes, designs, colors and prices that you can order skateboards online as per your favorite brand.
There are two major types of skateboard shops where you can find information on skateboarding. One is your local skateboarding shop. In the skateboard shop, you can get information on Sector 9 skateboards; Sector nine products, Almost skateboard, long boards, mountain boards, and other popular skateboard models and products.
The second type of skateboard shop you can turn to is the skateboard shop online. This online shop is ideal for finding information on skateboarding because you can access it from the comfort of your own home.
An online skateboard shopping makes it easy to get information on skateboarding without the hassle of going out.

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§ 21st April, 2009 § Trackback §
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Cats : Recreation and Sports §

138 comments

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