Have you ever done something dangerous because of peer pressure? The fear of being made fun of pushed me off the edge. This happened to me about three years ago. It all started one day when my friends Brandon, Cameron, and I were going to the skate park to have some fun, but this fun turned into a disaster when my friends started jumping the ten stair gap there. I was terrified of this gap, because the most stairs I had ever done was eight. I tried this before I was ready and ended up breaking my ankle. Even as a young teen, I was faced to overcome peer pressure, fear, and failure from which I grew from.

Peer pressure is a topic that is very broad, and can be capitalized on a lot of topics. Peer pressure can have to do with drugs, grades, or even little problems like what happened to me. Before I lived in the windy city, I lived near the beach in San Diego, and skateboarding was the thing to do. San Diego California is a city of all cities because it is seventy year round and that is perfect weather for sporting activities. Every day I would try new tricks to develop my skateboarding skills. I would always make sure I was prepared for the trick I was going to try before I attempted it. But on this bright sunny day at Rancho Penesquetos skate park (Skate Park my friends and I went to often), my friends were skating this ten stair gap. I knew I was not ready and planned on just watching them. There was a problem though; I used to like to skate with older people because I felt I got better faster. But with every strategy there is a catch and mine was the peer pressure they forced upon me trying to make me Ollie (jump) the ten stairs. Every person not only teens should know and always do things based on their opinion, not let others influence them.

My next themes in this story are fear and failure. Everyone in the world experiences fear on a day to day basis. There are two different types of fear however. There is the good type of fear where you are scared but you know deep down you are very ready to do what you are about to attempt. Then there is the bad type of fear where you know you are not ready for something and you are attempting it out of pure stupidity. I experience both types of fear on a day to day basis, but unfortunately on that bright sunny day at the park I was stupid. Fear is also a human mechanism to tell them to stop and to scare them. If people did not have fear in our society, then we would not have turned out the way we have today. Failure is another topic that everyone should and will experience some time in their lifetimes. Failure is when you try to succeed at something and do not. Failure is sometimes better than succeeding because you often learn more when you lose.

Last Summer I traveled back to California and redeemed myself of my fall three years ago. I boarded the plane back to San Diego and was excited to see my old friends, but I still had the thought in my mind of how I broke my ankle and the terrible pain. What happened exactly that brutal day was my friends and I got out of the car then paid our five dollars to get into the park (cost for admission). Then we were just warming up, going up and down the ramps getting a feel for the park that day. Then my friends started skating that dreadful ten stair. So I said “What the hell I’ll try it.” The reason I tried it was because I had never actually hurt myself skateboarding before this incident so in my mind I felt I had nothing to lose. I knew we would probably go back to Rancho Penesquetos Skate Park for old times’ sake, and I planned on redeeming myself. I was ready to do this and I knew it as soon as my eyes saw upon it. It literally looked about half the size as it used to. I did it with no problems, and it truly showed how I matured at skateboarding.

Peer Pressure, fear, and failure are all obstacles that are easy to overcome if you truly stick to what you love. In my case I waited for my ankle to heal then I kept maturing in skateboarding, and I am happy I did not give up after my ankle injury because skateboarding is a huge part of my life. I would never be the same if I had given up after my failure and defeat. Instead I got back on the horse, and kept riding, and if people live by this lifestyle, they will always succeed.