School skating parties used to be the truth. If you were a nerd, they leveled the playing field of athletic ability. If you were cool, they gave you a chance to show off for the girlies.

True story: My boy William was trying to talk to a girl he had a crush on at our middle school skating party. He lost his balance and fell under a bench. In an attempt to get back up, he grabbed the back of the bench and only yanked it down on top of himself. The girl didn't laugh, but the rest of the school did. William just got up and played it off.

William is a cop now and gets to shoot people. He's 6'3" and about 250 lbs. Nobody laughs at him anymore.

I think most people have a memory like William's. That's why more grown folks don't still skate.

This shirt was inspired by the skaters who toughed out that awkward stage at the beginning and still do it for the love. They're out there all over the country, but they're massive in Detroit. They work long hours and head straight to the rink from their jobs. Their kids put on skates before they can form sentences.

They've made a community out of this thing they love and they celebrate it every time they take to the rink.

The design for the front of this shirt went through a few incarnations. I finally decided on something with the feel of a tattoo, in part to represent the indelible mark skating has left on these folks, but also to capture something a little harder-edged. You mention skating nowadays and people start thinking some gimmicky '70s, disco-and-sequins type stuff. Know that it's not that soft. Not here. Go up to Flint and see.

The back reads: "You don't get it. I have to do this. It keeps me young. It keeps me in good health. It keeps me out of trouble. It connects me to the past generations and the ones coming up. It keeps me in touch with my community. It challenges me. It frustrates me. It comforts me. I glide on this music. I float on these wheels. And I'll be doing it 'til they put me in the ground."

Skating is something everybody can enjoy, and that's why the community continues to grow. Get over that fear of falling -- everybody does it -- and you can remember how fun skating was back in the day.

William actually got back on the skating floor years later after we reconnected as adults. He fell again, a little less spectacularly than in middle school, but he had a good time after it was all done.

Be like William. Bad childhood memories don't have to hold you captive. Buy this shirt, hit your local rink, and be fresh.