You Don’t Need to Go to Tahoe to Shred: Let’s Blade
“Wanna blaze?” my emotional bid of a text read.
Clearly iOS autocorrect functionality has not kept up with the latest trends sweeping Stanford GSB’s campus because what I meant was not remotely related to cannabis. Rather, I was hoping that one of the esteemed members of GSBlades would join me on a golden hour campus “blade.” No wonder iOS hadn’t caught up with me — GSBlades is a community of rollerbladers, and we heartily engage in a sport that is all too underappreciated. I’m here to tell you why, more than ever, engaging in a fear-evoking, giggle-inducing, awe-inspiring sport like rollerblading will make you a happier, braver person and leader.
As an MBA2 living on campus by myself, the last two months in quarantine have been tough. I feel detached from my classmates and fatigued from the monotony of endless Zooming. I miss the random run-ins in Town Square and the free communal lemons in Arbuckle.
But my blades save me. When I strap them on, I feel liberated and carefree. While Stanford’s campus rests in hibernation, I’ve taken full advantage of the empty streets to “scoop the loop” on a nearly daily basis. I coast down the middle of Palm Drive and appreciate the beauty of the Oval and Memorial Church ahead of me. I pretend that I’m shredding in Tahoe and slalom in and out of the dotted yellow street lines (I’ve never been skiing but I don’t think it could top this).
A GSBlader said that when she’s blading, she feels like she’s “flying like a badass eagle.” I wholeheartedly agree; blading awakens the senses and allows us to experience wonder, exhilaration, and fear all at the same time. Blading is the perfect example of what sociologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined as the “flow” state. The flow state is characterized as an intense absorption and involvement with the present moment, in which the activity one is performing is challenging and engrossing. Blading gets me to the flow state more quickly than anything I’ve experienced at the GSB. I have to focus on the road and my balance so that I don’t fall, but I also get transported to a carefree mental state where I can accept and appreciate freedom and beauty. And blading with friends allows us to experience and name those emotions together.
Blading also takes me back to the prime of my childhood. Most of us are ’90s kids — we remember the days when we threw on our K2s to go over to our neighbors’ house and slam some Fruit by the Foot and watch the latest Disney Channel Original Movie. I also dabbled in my fair share of neighborhood roller hockey. Life was so simple. Blading is childlike, in some ways — magical, carefree, encouraging of awe.
In the GSB class Lives of Consequence, Professor Rod Kramer challenges us to design our lives so that we reap maximum benefit from our experiences by being present. In class, we talk about being open to pleasure in simple moments. Sociologist Ingrid Fetell Lee has made this commonplace with her #joyspotting thread on Instagram. Blading is pure joy; it allows me to recognize and appreciate new things, like a perfectly paved stretch of road or the wind at my back as I fly down the sneaky downhill on the backside of Campus Drive.
I think that every GSBer should invest in a pair of blades (they’re cheaper than a pair of running shoes). But if that isn’t feasible, all GSBers can stand to benefit from a blading mentality — because blading mimics life. A blading mentality means letting go of expectations and control. It means looking fear in the face and still doing it anyways. It means being fully alive in the present moment. It means adopting a mindset of discovery, exhilaration, and wonder.
When GSB classmates see me blading, I usually get a response that’s some combination of curiosity, admiration, and confusion. “It looks fun, but I’d probably crash and faceplant into the asphalt,” they may say. Or, “I haven’t been on rollerblades since my friend Rachel’s 12th birthday party at Roller-rama.” These are all valid points; there is a non-zero chance that you will fall and be embarrassed. You might look a little goofy as you get back into the rhythm that was once second nature when you were a kid.
But blading is also about conquering your fears and all of the things that could go wrong and just getting out there and doing the damn thing. Like launching your own company. Like running for office. Like starting a family. Like many other things GSBers are dreaming up.
So, what are you waiting for? Order a pair of blades and let’s get out there and wreak some havoc on this empty campus. HMU if you want a socially distant lesson. If we’re lucky, maybe Team Positivity Contagion will fund some Fruit by the Foot for a celebratory snack afterwards.
