You may have heard the skater phrase “skate or die” from a skate fan close to you or even on television or a skate movie. For many hardcore skater fans, these are words to live by or die by. Skating is so much a way of life for them that to be denied the opportunity would be a fate worse than death.
Skate or die…
These three simple words mean so very much in the mind of a skater. This phrase is more than just a common phrase spoken in jest or a jovial cry of the youth; it is a battle cry, it is affirmation of the true skater spirit, it is a phrase that has created a persona of its own. There are video games, movies, books and magazines, websites and more all dedicated to and named after this popular skater warcry. Some true skate fans sport this phrase on their t-shirts, others have it tattooed forever on their bodies.
How did “skate or die” come to be? Why do people skate? Why do they care with such ferocity and passion? For many, it is more than a hobby or a pastime. It is freedom and a way to escape. It’s a way to relax and wind down from stress and pressures of life. It’s a form of expression and a lightening of the heart and soul.
To skate fanatics, this phrase means that life without skating simply isn’t worth living but there is a lesson in this that anyone can learn whether you are a skater or not. Apply it to your own life, your own passions and dreams and desires and enjoyments. Replace the skate with what is important to you. Feel the passion that a skater feels when he is on his board, soaring down a side street, popping tricks on a street curb or catching some air on a half pipe. Look inside yourself and find your “skate”. Embrace it, cherish it and adore it. Then go skate… or die.
In addition to hearing the phrase uttered from the mouths of skate fans across the world you may have also heard of the popular video game, Skate or Die! which was released by Electronic Arts in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari St, MS-DOS, Apple IIgs and even the Amstrad CPC. It was later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) by Konami, and published by Ultra Games which was when many other people were introduced to Skate or Die! This popular game made it possible for anyone to skate like a pro, even if they did not excel at skateboarding themselves. For those that were skaters, it gave them another way to enjoy their favorite sport and pastime while indoors and off the board.
Skate or Die will forever live on in the hearts and minds of skate fans forever.
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