Beat watched as the boy wobbled his way across the plaza, half cringing in fear that he'd plummet head first into the pavement and then someone would blame him for the kid's death. But as Gene drew to a soft and slow stop, Beat straightened and had to admire the boy's dedication to a craft he obviously didn't know about. Jogging over, Beat put a foot out in front of the skateboard to stop it from going any further and then grabbed Gene by the waist.

"You gotta loosen up. Skatin' like you some kinda stiff is jus' gonna make you eat pavement. And when you push off?" He pointed down at the boy's feet. "Put your other foot behind you like this." He demonstrated, pointing his front foot at an angle and the back foot slightly askance from it. "Keep yo' knees bent and stay low, means you ain't gonna wobble 'round like a bobbin' doll."