Last Sunday I watched the finals of the World Freestyle Roundup skateboard contest, which was happening in the Vancouver, Canada area. They did a live stream of the event.

The skating ranged from challenging to watch to mind-blowing to inspiring. I say “challenging to watch” not out of snottiness, but simply because let’s face it, sometimes beginners are kind of rough to sit through, but we do it 1)to support those beginners, because we were all beginners at one point and 2)because regardless of skill level these skater are putting themselves out there, under pressure, on the world internet and in-person stage. It’s important to support people. We all need it.

To be honest, old dudes can be rough to watch as well, and I fall firmly into that category.

But one old dude I did not mind watching was Lynn Cooper. Lynn is a long-time skater. An all-around skater who has always excelled at freestyle. He is now about 62 years old, and still skates really well.

Lynn got 2nd place in the Masters Pro division. Of all the skating I saw, his is the stuff that made me want to go out and skate. His flowing and relaxed style just spoke to me and is a sign of deep mastery. The way he turns, the way he holds his body. All the subtleties that go unnoticed by too many people. I love it.