A platform to improve your balancing act

Anyone who has ever gotten on -- and fallen off -- a skateboard, snowboard or surfboard knows that keeping one’s balance is essential for a successful ride. That’s why Carolyn Perrier and Rob Rosborough developed the Pivit, a balancing device that consists of a board and a barrel-shaped wheel (called a “rock”) that rides on a track. It’s meant to help board aficionados get better at their sports, and fitness buffs improve their balance.

Pivit: Users stand on the board and rock back and forth -- a task more challenging than it sounds. First-timers are advised to hold on to something, such as a wall or a counter, until they feel comfortable going it alone. After mastering the basics, bolder souls can try tricks such as jumping, turning and walking on the board.

As to whether the Pivit and its ancestors -- including the Bongo Board (still around) and the homemade wood-plank-and-wheel version -- are necessary for mastering board sports, opinions are mixed. Danny Lewin, a skateboarder and event director for the New Jersey-based United Skateboarding Assn. (which promotes skaters and skate events), said he’s seen people try them out in stores, but doesn’t know anyone who owns one. “The best practice [for skateboarding] is to do it,” he said.

But Tom Collins, executive director of the Truckee, Calif.-based United States of America Snowboard Assn., a nonprofit group that promotes the sport, said snowboarders do use such devices. “They can help you maintain your balance, and that’s very important in board sports,” Collins said. “You can also use them to train indoors as you get closer to the season -- kind of like having a treadmill or a rowing machine.”

Price: Retails for about $80 and is available online at www.gopivit.com or at select Sharper Image stores.

-- Jeannine Stein