Begin by smiling at the person. Smiling makes you feel happier and more confident. It can make it easier to walk up to someone to start a conversation. Plus, when you smile, the person you're smiling at automatically wants to smile back. Then, introduce yourself by saying "Hello" and giving your name. Start with, "Hello, I'm Jessica. What's your name?" Bring up a topic to begin the conversation. In a conversation, both you and the person you're talking to need a chance to say something. You're exchanging information to learn about each other. For example, you could ask them about their favorite singer or what their favorite color is. You could also start a conversation about what's going on around you. For instance, if you're in math class, you could say, "Is there a lot of homework this year?" If you're at lunch, you could say, "So what's your favorite food?" Smiling at people is a good way to show people you're open to friendship. You don't always need to be the person who says "Hello." Sometimes, other people will come up to you if you look approachable. Approachable just means you look like someone nice that another person could have a conversation with. In other words, try not to cross your arms or look angry if you want someone to approach. Try to look happy and interested in other people. If someone comes up to say "hello," ask her to sit next to you. You could say, "I'm so glad you came over! Would you like to sit next to me?" When you're meeting someone new, you have to be able to hold a conversation. That means you need to both ask questions about the other person and answer their questions in return. It's a way of getting to know one another. It involves both giving to the conversation and actively listening to what the person has to say. You could ask them, "What's your favorite food?" If they say, "Pizza!" you could say, "Pizza is my favorite, too! We made it at home last week." That way, you're offering something about yourself (what your favorite food is), as well as offering them something to respond to ("We made it at home last week.") They might say, "Really? I've never made pizza before. Is it hard?" Many friendships are based on the fact that you have common interests. That doesn't mean that you like all the same things. However, it does mean that you share some things that you both like. As you're talking to the person, try to figure out what things you both like. That way, you can develop those interests. For example, you discovered you both have a love of pizza. That's a common interest! You could get pizza together, or you could even invite them over to your house to learn how to make pizza. You could say, "Since we both love pizza so much, maybe you'd like to come over sometime and make pizza with me." Use what you know about the person to ask questions about their life and interests. If you don't know very much about the person, ask questions to get to know them better. For example, you could ask, "I saw you're on the dance team. How long have you been dancing?" Or, you could ask, "How's your project for our math class going? Mine is taking forever!"

Summary: Start a conversation. Be approachable. Act friendly. Find common interests. Ask questions about your new friend.

Have a friend stand in front of you. Get on the board and stand with one foot in front of the other. Put the foot you think is dominant in the back and the other forward. Once you're on, grab your friend's hands to steady yourself. Have them slowly roll you in the direction of your lead foot to see how it feels. Then switch feet and try out your other foot as the lead. Do this several times until you're sure which stance is the most comfortable for you. Make sure to wear a helmet and protective gear. Find a nice, open space where you can work easily. Mount your board very carefully, putting what you think is your lead foot in its position at the back of the deck. Slowly lower your back foot to the ground. Use your back leg to push yourself forward slowly and cautiously. Roll a few inches and then stop. Then try it again. How does it feel? Are you comfortable? Does it feel natural or awkward? Now switch the position of your feet and try it the other way. Does that feel more or less comfortable? Once you've figured out your stance, avoid switching back and forth during practice. Make that your official stance and start learning how to ride. After you've worked out your stance, the learning part can really begin because you are able to get comfortable. Your stance for one board sport will most likely be your dominant stance for all other board sports, such as windsurfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding and so on. If you already know your stance, it makes learning another board sport that much easier!

Summary: Stand on the board and have someone roll you. Test how your dominant foot performs. Stick to your confirmed stance.

There are seemingly endless options when it comes to fitness footwear. For competitive sprinting, the most useful type of shoe is known as a "spike." It looks like a regular running shoe with pins under the toe which help you gain traction and improve your speed. These shoes are lightweight so that you can sprint faster. If you're not planning on sprinting competitively you can safely wear other shoes for sprinting, such as: Other types of running "spikes." There are spikes for long distance, middle distance, field events, and even cross-country running. If you already own a pair of these, they will do fine for recreational sprinting. Lightweight training shoes or running shoes. Sometimes these are advertised as "spikeless" sprinting shoes. The important thing is that they are streamlined, with less bulk that will slow down your sprint time. Regular running shoes. These tend to be a bit bulky. They won't hurt you, but they might slow down your sprint time. If you're just starting out, these shoes will do in a pinch. If you're aiming for the fastest possible sprint time, wear something stretchy but form-fitting, like running pants. Otherwise, choose something breathable and comfortable.
Summary: Choose the right shoes before you hit the track. Wear something you can move around in comfortably.