Rhetoric+of+Hanging+Ten

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** __Welcome to //Rhetoric of Hanging Ten//, where we inform young skateboarders about the definition of rhetoric and how to properly use this skill in their everyday skating life.__ **  //Matthew, Mark, Andrew - your humble disciples, writers of the skating gospel//

 **“I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport.” - //Tony Hawk// ** ([])

 These words from one of skateboarding's immortals are a good way to sum up all that skateboarding encompasses,  and it does a great job of communicating to different boarders individually. Combined with Hawk's near flawless skating record, these words exhibit a sense of power; they show a good use of //Rhetoric//. Rhetoric is within everyone. Perhaps it is apparent in varying skills and effectiveness but we all have the ability to use rhetoric, just as everyone has the physical ability to go ride a skateboard. The skill level develops with practice, and hard work. Though many words may confuse a new boarder ([|caballerial] anyone?), rhetoric might be especially confusing seeing as how it is not something commonly associated with boarding. Rhetoric does play a valuable part in boarding however, since you use rhetoric everytime you use a specific deck brand, or when you attempt to convince others that you can perform of a new trick you perfected.  Before we can thoroughly examine what rhetoric is, and come to our own conclusion, it would help to see how others have defined rhetoric in the past. Plato (the Alan "Ollie" Gelfand of rhetoric) said rhetoric is the "art of enchanting the soul." ([]) Think of this type of speech while observing a kickflip that melts your face. Or as Andrea Lunsford says, “Rhetoric is the art, practice, and study of human communication." This is probably one of the best applications of rhetoric to skateboarding, since there is more than speech to human connection, it is an art and a practice, just as skateboarding is. Think of this type of speech while observing a kickflip that melts your face. Or as Andrea Lunsford says, “Rhetoric is the art, practice, and study of human communication." This is probably one of the best applications of rhetoric to skateboarding, since there is more than speech to human connection, it is an art and a practice, just as skateboarding is.

**"Wherever there is persuasion, there is rhetoric, and wherever there is ** **rhetoric, there is meaning." - **//**Kenneth Burke **//

This definition by Burke represents something very important to rhetors and skateboarders alike: persuasion. Persuading others to believe you or believe in you is rhetoric, whether you persuade by pulling off a daring ramp dive or by speaking eloquently. When you persuade others that you can do certain tricks or that a particular skating style applies to you, this is rhetoric and it gives meaning to the acts you've performed to earn that belief. Persuasion is a valuable part of skateboarding because, let's be honest, we all like to show off our tricks.

__**Still Unsure**__ __**About Rhetoric?**__ __**<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Observing: **__ <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Now that we've seen some definitions of rhetoric, and even heard a bit of rhetoric from Tony Hawk, now is a good chance to observe and break down how Tony uses rhetoric in conversation. Try to pick up on key terms (impressive, difficulty) he uses to communicate his points; is he persuasive about his enjoyment of playing violin?
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Here's some more resources for the young skater/rhetor: **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">__**Society and Collaboration:**__

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Skating is, believe it or not, a collaborative effort. Being a skater is being in a unique culture; there is a skating society. Tricks come about only by showing others, those people recognizing it as a trick, and imitating that trick from there on out. Rhetoric is the same in that it can be a collaborative effort. Rhetors sometimes get consultations or have others right speeches for/with them. Who you collaborate with and what you write is important when trying to communication effectively to your audience. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Follow this link to learn more about collaboration and its effect on the skateboarding society.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">__**Failing at Rhetoric:**__

<span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">More than anything, whether its performing a skateboarding trick or delivering an important speech, many people are afraid of failing. Danny Way exhibits failure in the picture to the right, but this just follows with an idea that neither skateboarding nor rhetoric can be perfected, in fact they are practices, meaning they can never be perfected. It certainly can be a lonely feeling when you do not use rhetoric in an effective manner, you can be left in silence, forced to figure out your mistake.The milestone of <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">getting your rhetoric or skating right can be a a sereal moment. Dont however become convinced that you will not ever have another off day or a minor miscommunication. <span style="display: block; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: left;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Follow this link to learn more about how to avoid failing at rhetoric and how failure can even contribute to success!

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">__**Developing Your Own Rhetoric Style**__

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Just like professional skaters perfecting their own style of boarding (deciding which trick to use in a competition), which one will grab the judges attention and sway them to high marks? It is almost as if you are persuading the judges with your board. But style does not just apply to professional skaters, everyone has their own style, even the two kids down the street playing a game of SKATE. When playing SKATE you must discover all the tricks that you can do, and your opponent cannot. This is similar to rhetors who must discover all available means of persuasion, meaning they must determine which arguments to use and which to leave out for the specific audience. <span style="display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; text-align: right;">. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">From the clothes you wear (skinny or baggy jeans?) to the brand of board you like to dominate with (enjoi or element?), style says alot about what kind of skater/rhetor you are. It can even determine whether or not people take you seriously. It is important to pay close attention to the words you use, and the way you deliver speeches if you are to grasp the notice of your audience. Be careful not to spend to much time obsessing over your style though! This could lead to you being seen as a "poser" or "wannabe"; undoubtbley two of the worst names to be called as a skater/rhetor. Most importantly, you should just be yourself and not be afraid to be expressive. To learn more about a different sense of style (while still expressing yourself) follow this link over to our helpful wiki page dedicated to the art of "expressing yourself".

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">To learn some more about style and how it can apply to you, follow this link to the very well educated people at Brigham Young University.

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