For one family， skateboarding offers a chance for bonding and life lessons
For the Birdsong family， life doesn't center on the baseball diamond or ballet class. They're skateboarders. For them， skating is one of the ties that bind.
"I don't know much about football and basketball， but I can teach them about this，" said 37-year-old McLemore Birdsong， a Suffolk， Virginia， resident who regularly skates with his two kids at Mike's Surf Shop indoor skate park in Hampton.
"It's good exercise-and it's exercise without a team. But I don't push them. If they want to stop tomorrow， I'm OK." There's no sign of that.
His daughter Harper， 10， is an enthusiastic， confident skater who navigates the bowl with grace. Her younger brother-7-year-old Miles-isn't too far behind her. He's not yet fine-tuned his skills to the level of his dad or sister， but he's working on it.
Miles has been skating for about six months. His sister， for about 18 month. So far， the Birdsongs have sustained no major injuries. Aches and pains？ Yes. Bruised pride？ Probably. Father said. It helps that all three skate with a full array of protective gear： knee pads， elbow pads， wrist pads and helmet.
Amy Birdsong， the mother of family， doesn't skateboard， but she's often there to praise every new skill of trick， be it a grind， kick turn or transfer.
"This is their thing with their dad，" she said， as she watched the action through a window. "I read with them. Dad does the skateboarding. My husband is a surfer， [but] when there are no waves， he can [skateboard] with the kids.
Word
Center on （phr v） to give a lot of attention to one particular activity
The ties that bind （n phr） something that brings people closer together
Navigates （v） to carefully make your way across something， usually with difficulty
Bowl （n） a skateboarding surface that curves inward like the inner surface of a bowl
Fine-tuned （v） to make very small changes to something in order to make it work as well as possible
Sustain （v） to suffer or experience， especially damage or loss
Grind （n） a trick that involves sliding the skateboard along a surface's edge， such as a curb or railing， using the metal T-shaped part underneath the board， instead of the wheels
Kick turn （n phr） a turn on the skateboard that involves balancing on the rear wheels， and spinning your body around toward the front or the back
Transfer （n） a skating jump from one ramp to another ramp or to a different object.
For the Birdsong family， life doesn't center on the baseball diamond or ballet class. They're skateboarders. For them， skating is one of the ties that bind.
"I don't know much about football and basketball， but I can teach them about this，" said 37-year-old McLemore Birdsong， a Suffolk， Virginia， resident who regularly skates with his two kids at Mike's Surf Shop indoor skate park in Hampton.
"It's good exercise-and it's exercise without a team. But I don't push them. If they want to stop tomorrow， I'm OK." There's no sign of that.
His daughter Harper， 10， is an enthusiastic， confident skater who navigates the bowl with grace. Her younger brother-7-year-old Miles-isn't too far behind her. He's not yet fine-tuned his skills to the level of his dad or sister， but he's working on it.
Miles has been skating for about six months. His sister， for about 18 month. So far， the Birdsongs have sustained no major injuries. Aches and pains？ Yes. Bruised pride？ Probably. Father said. It helps that all three skate with a full array of protective gear： knee pads， elbow pads， wrist pads and helmet.
Amy Birdsong， the mother of family， doesn't skateboard， but she's often there to praise every new skill of trick， be it a grind， kick turn or transfer.
"This is their thing with their dad，" she said， as she watched the action through a window. "I read with them. Dad does the skateboarding. My husband is a surfer， [but] when there are no waves， he can [skateboard] with the kids.
Word
Center on （phr v） to give a lot of attention to one particular activity
The ties that bind （n phr） something that brings people closer together
Navigates （v） to carefully make your way across something， usually with difficulty
Bowl （n） a skateboarding surface that curves inward like the inner surface of a bowl
Fine-tuned （v） to make very small changes to something in order to make it work as well as possible
Sustain （v） to suffer or experience， especially damage or loss
Grind （n） a trick that involves sliding the skateboard along a surface's edge， such as a curb or railing， using the metal T-shaped part underneath the board， instead of the wheels
Kick turn （n phr） a turn on the skateboard that involves balancing on the rear wheels， and spinning your body around toward the front or the back
Transfer （n） a skating jump from one ramp to another ramp or to a different object.