Unique Soul: Weird World (Home Run Edition)

Chapter 1: Bury Your Head

The Wright Brothers: Flyers or Liars? That was the famous headline on the front page of the International Herald Tribune. The date was January 11, 1906. This was three years after the Wright brothers flew an airplane for the first time.

Now, for just a moment, pretend that you are living during this time period. Teddy Roosevelt is the president of the United States. Transportation means a horse and carriage, not a car. Forget MP3 players or even CDs-- record players are not even available yet. Imagine your reaction to the news that the Wright brothers have built a machine that allows people to fly!

There were no television cameras in 1903 to show the first flight. So people weren't sure whether or not to believe it. They may have thought that the Wright brothers were dishonest or insane. They probably read many stories with headlines like the one in the International Herald Tribune.

Wilbur and Orville Wright refused to give up on their dream, even though they were criticized. It took a lot of guts for them to go for it. The Wright brothers were the big winners in the end, when people saw that their flying machine worked. They became legends. Today, thousands of people board airplanes every day of the year. If not for unique souls like the Wright brothers, this might not have been possible.

There are almost seven billion people living in the world today. Each one of them is completely unique. Sure, a lot of people follow the crowd and do what everybody else is doing. There's nothing wrong with that. However, there are many people who don't follow. They see things from a different point of view and aren't afraid to do their own thing. People like that make the world rich, interesting--and, quite honestly, a little bit weird. Their souls flow with ideas never before seen or heard. These creators give us music, new inventions, beautiful art, and huge skyscrapers. Like the Wright brothers, they can also give us something completely new, such as the gift of flight.

Thousands of unique souls are living among us in this weird world. Darren "Jerry" Schaeffer is one of them. You'll find people like Jerry everywhere--in big cities and small towns, and in every corner of the globe. They are young and old, tall and short, rich and poor. They all share a creative spirit that is often questioned by others.

Throughout history, many of these people have been misunderstood. Those who became successful followed their hearts, sometimes even in the face of great criticism. Being unique is about going after your dreams. It's about choosing your own path to travel down, just like the Wright brothers--and just like Jerry.

In 1999, 10-year-old Jerry was preparing to enter middle school in Beulah, North Dakota. He had lived there for three years since moving from Minnesota. A very small city, Beulah has a population of about only 3,000. There's not a whole lot to do there. Jerry could have easily given in to boredom. He could have just settled on a life of TV-watching, snowman-building and video-game playing. Instead, he started skateboarding. He quickly realized that it was going to be a huge part of his life.

"Even at a young age, I got into the skateboarding culture," Jerry remembers. "I realized that being a legit skater wasn't just about the act of skateboarding. I wanted to go deeper. Hopping on your board when you have a little bit of free time doesn't make you a skater. There's so much more. I wanted to bury my head in it, you know? That way, whenever I opened my eyes it would be all around me. So I started bringing my board with me wherever I went, even to school. I hung out with other skaters. I even started to change the way I looked at things."

The experience of being a skateboarder is different for every person. Still, many skaters understand exactly what Jerry is talking about. When you "bury your head in it," skateboarding becomes a way of life, or a lifestyle. It affects what you do, how you talk and dress, and how you think about the world. Part of the "skate cool" lifestyle refers to clothes and other fashion statements. Basically, it's what an individual is all about. Jerry likes to wear slim-fit pants that stretch so he can move around more easily. Colorful clothes express his personality. Rain or shine, big shades and hats are part of his wardrobe most days. Shoes are important, too. Jerry likes the pro models from the company Fallen.

Some skaters take their style in very different directions. That might mean long hair, spiked hair, or even no hair! You'll see tattoos and piercings, a beanie in the summer, a fake fur hat in the winter. Or, really, any other fashion statement that appeals to them. Sometimes keeping it simple is a statement all by itself--meaning none of the above. The key to being real is being you.

Not surprisingly, adults are often the anti-skaters. Young people find it hard to understand why adults don't get it--but clearly, most don't. In many cities, lawmakers pass laws that limit the freedom of skateboarders. To them, skaters are troublemaking slackers who should be dealt with harshly.

Maybe some skateboarders are slackers, but most are not. Anyway, there are just as many non-skateboarders who fit that description. The two things have nothing to do with one another. There are plenty of awesome skateboarders who are acing tests in school. Not to mention the ones who make loads of cash from successful careers. A lot of people don't take the time to understand skate culture, so they misunderstand it. They just assume that skateboarding attracts a bad crowd.

Not all adults are narrow-minded about skating, of course. Many skateboarders from the 1970s and 1980s grew up to be cool adults. Some of them have remained true to the sport. Still, most older people--meaning anyone over thirty--have trouble understanding the appeal of skateboarding. Part of the problem is that skateboarding isn't like baseball or basketball. It isn't focused on winning.

When people think about sports, most of them picture uniforms, rulebooks, teams, and coaches. The focus is usually on wins and losses, points scored, or home runs hit. The thought of a sport that has no real goal seems pointless to some people. Nothing could be further from the truth. When it comes to skateboarding, having fun is the point.

Although skateboarding is about pure enjoyment, this doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with competition. Everyone knows that competition is a part of life. We compete in school, in sports, and in our careers. This competitive spirit has made its way into skateboarding. The X Games are proof of that. There are millions of skaters out there skating just for fun. However, there is also a huge community of mainstream skateboarding competition. It's even found its way onto ESPN.

Skateboarding has gone commercial in many ways, but the essence of skate culture has remained underground. When something is "underground," that means it's not accepted by everyone--it's almost the opposite of "mainstream," or "commercial." Skateboarding is a symbol of youth, freedom, and independence. The world would be a boring place if people didn't have a way to express themselves with these kinds of things.

Like almost every other skateboarder in Beulah, Jerry has one main complaint about the city. Beulah is a very flat place! In other words, there aren't many streets that are curving, sloping, or downhill. That's not good news if skateboarding is your thing. You see, Jerry and his friends are "street skaters." They're out on the streets using curbs, benches, stairs, and rails to perform tricks.

In the old days, the place they skated the most was in the parking lot of the grocery store. The best time to skate was at night when all the cars were gone. It was sweet because the parking lot is large and well-lit. The high school was also a good spot for Jerry and his buddies. There are two sets of stairs outside, which were just right for practicing new tricks. But their all-time favorite place was in front of the Union Bank building.

By the time Jerry and his friends were in seventh grade, they had found other places to skate. However, they still liked kicking it at Union Bank and at the high school. By then, they could do more than just a simple trick like an "Ollie." Jerry had already begun learning more difficult tricks, like Kickflips and Ollie Manuals.

Things began to change for Jerry around this time. In the summer after seventh grade, Jerry went to a camp called "701 Board Camp." It was a lot of fun, especially because the camp had an awesome mini-ramp. Jerry had never skated on a ramp before. This was an opportunity for him to learn new tricks. Jerry spent most of his time at camp practicing on the mini-ramp. He and the other campers skated up and down all day long . . . every single day.

Something else happened at camp that was interesting. Jerry, whose real name is Darren Schaeffer, became friends with a kid named Kip. The problem was that Kip, a forgetful kid, couldn't remember his friend's name. As a joke, Kip started calling Darren "Jerry," after a famous skateboarder named Jerry Hsu. Jerry thought this was hilarious, especially when the other kids joined in. The nickname stuck, and now hardly anybody knows that Jerry's real name is Darren!

On the second-to-last day of camp, a mini-ramp contest was held. Jerry had never skated in a competition before. In truth, he didn't really care if he won or lost. He just thought it would be fun to try and pull off some awesome tricks. So, with everybody watching, Jerry went for it. When the contest was over, Jerry had run away with it. He easily won first place and was awarded a brand new skateboard.

Most people, after a successful competition, would get caught up in the thrill of winning. They might feel as if they had to continue competing--but not Jerry. "Pretty simple," he says. "I love to skate more than I love to win. Being a pro skater means skating with a bunch of rules. You have to bow down to the sponsors who pay you, which means losing a lot of freedom. Skating for fun means wherever, whenever, and however I say."

When Jerry got home, he had big plans. His experience at camp had given him an idea that was more important than trying to be a pro: Why not try to build a mini-ramp of his own? Forget the sponsors, the skateboard competitions, and the rules. With a mini-ramp in his own backyard, Jerry would be able to skate whenever he wanted.

Jerry was determined to pursue his goal of building a ramp. Having one in his backyard would be the ultimate way to skate in Beulah. He wasn't sure if he would be able to do it, but he was ready to try. As soon as he returned home, he talked to his dad about the idea. Mr. Schaeffer was interested. He was also very supportive and felt that it was a worthwhile project. So Mr. Schaeffer talked to a friend who had experience in construction.

For his part, Jerry borrowed a book from a friend on how to build a skate ramp. The book was a great help. Jerry also did hours of online research. Finally, he was ready.

Luckily, it was still summer, because Jerry had a lot of work ahead of him. He thought he might be able to complete the project in a week or two. He and his dad purchased a bunch of wood and brought it all home. The next morning, Jerry woke up at the crack of dawn and began. It was a little confusing, and things got off to a slow start. But Jerry didn't care. He's the kind of guy who sets his mind to something and then just goes out and does it.

Working nonstop, Jerry ended up finishing far ahead of schedule. With almost no help, he built his mini-ramp in just four days! He named it "El Mini." Over the years, he has redone the surface of El Mini a couple of times so that it remains smooth. That makes it easier to ride. Still, nothing can compare to the day he completed it. When Jerry's friends came over, they were totally stoked--yelling and fighting over who got to try it out first.

The feeling of satisfaction within Jerry was amazing. He and his friends spent the rest of the summer skating on that mini-ramp . . . and many summers since then.