First to understand what I am going to say I will tell you all a bit about myself. For the past 2 years I have been into Downhill Skateboarding. And I have gotten pretty good at it and even picked up a sponsor, I have even met most of my friends through it. But even before I did downhill I played with a fingerboard. And while it has not been the center of my life like it is for a lot of you, it is still something I enjoy.

Anyway, fingerboarding has been something I guess I could say I was "ashamed" of. It was something that I did not want anyone to know about because I was scared people would think I was weird or that I was wasting my money/time doing it. But recently I decided who cares, I should be proud of what I do and what I am interested in. So 2 days ago I uploaded my first picture of a fingerboard onto my instagram. And one of my buddies who I skate with commented on it saying "...is that a tech deck" and soon he got into calling it a toy in another photo and saying it was not worth my time and I should just street skate, which I do also. Its just funny for me seeing that people can't understand that what we do is actually fun and worth our time. I have learned that I need to be proud of what I do and that fingerboarding is part of who I am. I am no longer ashamed to say I do it and I'm comfortable talking about it with other people. And to be honest I feel a lot better. So, to everyone who still feels like fingerboarding is some hidden hobby that they should never talk about, who cares, you have your hobbies and other people have theirs. Be proud of what you do. Have no regrets

That is all.

Shit im 22 and I take my fingerboard to the bar! Fuck tha haters!

I agree with you, but I hate the fact that every time someone sees a fingerboard, they call it a tech deck. It just really annoys me.

Toasty wrote:

I agree with you, but I hate the fact that every time someone sees a fingerboard, they call it a tech deck. It just really annoys me.

Haha, that's just because a lot of people haven't realized how insane its gotten.
But it does get under my skin a bit too, admittedly.

Atleast most people here know about wooden decks so they know a bit not to call it a tech deck.

the only reason half the skaters in bristol know of me is because I'm 'that fingerboard guy', aha..

people will always be offensive towards things they don't understand at first, but if you just stay calm and keep doing it, eventually they'll accept it as what you do whether they personally like it or not

kerryDETH wrote:

the only reason half the skaters in bristol know of me is because I'm 'that fingerboard guy', aha..

people will always be offensive towards things they don't understand at first, but if you just stay calm and keep doing it, eventually they'll accept it as what you do whether they personally like it or not

Couldn't have said it better myself!

kerryDETH wrote:

the only reason half the skaters in bristol know of me is because I'm 'that fingerboard guy', aha..

people will always be offensive towards things they don't understand at first, but if you just stay calm and keep doing it, eventually they'll accept it as what you do whether they personally like it or not

I finally came to terms with the guy haha. I guess its just getting them to understand at first then it just gets better from there.

Good on you, bro.

I think another thing is the age your friend might be. Your profile says you're 15 so I'm guessing they're somewhere around this. Once people have matured, they are more open-minded and respectable towards things.

Xi wrote:

I think another thing is the age your friend might be. Your profile says you're 15 so I'm guessing they're somewhere around this. Once people have matured, they are more open-minded and respectable towards things.

Very true, I guess its just about getting people to realize that what we do is completely normal.

kerryDETH wrote:

the only reason half the skaters in bristol know of me is because I'm 'that fingerboard guy', aha..

people will always be offensive towards things they don't understand at first, but if you just stay calm and keep doing it, eventually they'll accept it as what you do whether they personally like it or not

Also this is at least better than "that Tech Deck guy".

Man, some people on these forums live near some really judgemental people.
In highschool I was never afraid to be open about what I liked and after I graduated I still felt the same I've never had to deal with someone who made fun of me fingerboarding. It's cazy that some people make fun of others over a peice of wood... I can't comprehend it.

I don't tell everyone I fingerboard. Not because I am ashamed, but because I don't think it's something that I have to tell everyone. If someone asks if I fingerboard, I say yes. If they start accusing me of not ever skating, or wasting my time, I just keep a level head and explain it to them. As Xi said, people mature, and when they understand the hobby, they are far more accepting of it.

i fingerboard in class/public places all the time. theres always gonna be people who think its lame and theres always gonna be people who are interested in it and think its cool

I always say I'm a tech decker, if you can make jokes about it people accept it so much easier

I don't mind if people think it's lame or whatever, just as long as they keep their opinions to themselves. If they think it looks interesting, I'll gladly explain to them that there's more than just tech decks, since most people don't know that there's much more to fingerboarding.

deejaydestroy wrote:

Shit im 22 and I take my fingerboard to the bar! Fuck tha haters!

hahahahahha

Cool thread Fingerboard yea!  

Good for you man! I was lucky enough to bring Techdecking to my middle school and have it become the cool fad for a while, but I realize that most people don't have it that way. Considering your age, people will stop picking on you for it pretty soon once they realize that making fun of someone for a hobby that he enjoys isn't doing anything for them.