Skateboarding

Skateboarding in Mexico

Skateboarding is the act of riding on a skateboard and doing tricks that very difficult. A person who skateboards is most often called a "skateboarder".

Skateboarding can be a hobby, an art, a job, or a way of moving around.^[1] Skateboarding has been changed by many skateboarders over many years. A 2002 report by American Sports Data found that there were 18.5 million skateboarders in the world. Of those skateboarders, 85 percent were under 18 years old, and 74 percent were male.^[2]

Skateboarding is an Olympic sport since the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan but it's also a way to transport yourself around town. Whatever you're using a skateboard for it's important to wear proper protective equipment like a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, and knee pads.

History

Skateboarding really exploded in California when the surfers wanted to take surfing to the street during the 60s and 70s. It wasn't really until the Z-Boys that skateboarding really became popular. The first interpretation of the skateboard during the early 1920s but there have been many reiterations of the board since then.

Tricks

The basic tricks of skateboarding are ollies, kickflips, shuv-its, and 180s ("one-eighties"). These are the tricks that new skateboarders often try. An "ollie" is when someone pops the board and gets off the ground. A kickflip is done by doing an ollie and rotating the board. A "shuv-it" is done by turning the board 180° while staying above the board. A "180" is done by turning the board 180°, along with the skateboarder. There are also variations of these tricks, such as the "tre flip", which is a 360° shuv-it and a kickflip. There are many other tricks such as manuals, slides, grinds, grabs, slappy grinds, footplants/plants, and nollie flips.

Skateboarding Media

Skateboarder in Manhattan, New York (2008)
Downhill skateboarding (video) (2012)
there's an old catholic church on wangfujing which always has skateboarders in front of it. I've never seen them skating anywhere else.
Tony Hawk speaking about the importance of skateboarding in people's lives at the California Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2019 (video)
Soldier carrying a skateboard during a military exercise in Oakland, California (March 1999)
Skateboarder in Grants Pass, Oregon (2010)
Skateboarder at Skateistan in Kabul, Afghanistan (2011)
A skateboarder in mid flight performing a trick in Australia (2012)
The Iso-Vilunen Skatepark in Kaukajärvi, Tampere, Finland (2015)
Nicholas Deconie frontside five-0 at Millennium Skate Park in Brooklyn, New York (2019)