First Real Launch

Click-rev! The living room felt too cramped, so I slipped out through the open door and rolled all the way down the smooth sidewalk toward the neighborhood skate plaza. Clean pavement the entire path—not a single tire-popping thorn or sharp stone! Right on the open concrete sat a low wooden mini-ramp with a smooth, curved plywood face. My engine hummed. I backed up to clear my runway, revved full throttle—*vroom!*—and shot straight up the incline. For one wild second my treads left the wood, catching clean air before touching down with a solid *thwack* on the flat concrete. Phew! What a launch, but it drained me dry. My motor let out a slow, strained *whir-chug*, and I coasted beside the ramp to rest.