Although he has been skateboarding for more than four years, Daniel Kounin, 17, finds writing to be an equally interesting hobby. He believes that skateboarding and writing are less antithetical to each other than most people believe them to be. While skateboarding involves an arrogant willingness to injure oneself in order to land a trick, it also involves keen insight and open mindfulness in order to detach oneself from the dangerous aspect of skateboarding and to indulge in the fun of it. Skateboarding, like writing, requires a passion to commit yourself to hard and tedious work, as well as a willingness to pick yourself up and start with a fresh mind in spite of being frustrated by your failure to meet your goals. In short, Daniel is a highly motivated and interesting individual.