Sick! A nollie ollie!

Okay, so a “nollie ollie” is not a real skateboarding trick. I made it up and it is impossible to do, as my students remind me every time I brag about doing one. Well, one of my students, Aaron suggested that I read The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself. I was expecting that I would hate all of the technical stuff and find it impossible to relate to…I WAS WRONG.

Rodney (the Mutt) Mullen opens up in this book in a way that most authors would not dare. He shares his deepest emotions and all the while telling the story of skateboarding. Since Rodney was a nerd, and I am nerd, the story was easy to relate to even without a skating background. He was a loner for so much of his life and anyone who has ever felt lonely could read this book and relate to it while also finding inspiration. Another thing that struck me throughout the book was Rodney’s spirituality and his humbleness. Before this book I was clueless and now I have so much respect and admiration for him.

Even though the book has plenty of pictures of Rodney doing tricks, I wanted to see him in action. I you-tubed him and found the video below. It gave me goosebumps and blew me away. Watch the video and read the book. You won’t regret it.