Talk:Street skateboarding

Opinion

Skateboarding is culture. Skateboarding is part of important generational changes and shifts in attitudes which have occurred in the lead up to the year 2020 in the proceeding forty to fifty years. Skateboarding is not a sport. Those who try to fool you into thinking that it is, are trying to sell it to you or something which attaches skateboarding's terminology or likeness to a product or service they want to capitalise on. The act of Skateboarding is free as in freedom. You can do it whenever and wherever you want to. Even if that means fighting for your right to do so. Except private skate parks (where you should pay.)

Skateboarding is transport. And the tricks performed by skateboarders are part of the "style" a skateboarder exhibits when travelling to point A from point B. All of the possible trick combinations were not demonstrated or known until around the middle of the 2000's when execution and style were the main focal points of observing others skate.

Products not designed and signed off by professional skateboarders should be utterly rejected. They are untrustworthy and likely unsafe. There is an organic network of connected people and places which have grown around the culture of skateboarding and there is an unwritten rule that these are safe places for everyone. Skateboarders do their part to maintain this. And trading and talking about skateboard products is a big part of this.

Skateboarding isn't a lifestyle or a life choice. It can seem that way but it really isn't. It doesn't teach you how to raise a child nor does it teach you how to treat a spouse. Nor is skateboarding a religion. What skateboarders do find though, is that there can be a certain bohemian charm or existence afforded to those who are the most passionate and/or perform at the highest levels in skateboarding. Bohemian in that skateboarders may stay at a skate spot for 24hrs+ and even sleep close to or at the spot to continue immediately skateboarding upon regaining the energy to do so. Especially when filming for video parts. It's called dedication and somewhat of a rarity today with so many glamorous over paid actors making a living in modern mainstream professional sports.

Skateboarding and it's culture has an authenticity to it which is hard to replicate. It's important that it's history is observed when deciding it's future. Events such as the Tokyo Olympics can promote skateboarding in a positive light. And yet there have been a huge number of controversies surrounding the national associations, proposed contestants, etc involved in the forth coming competition. With some observing wealthy parents moving in to "promote" their child into competing from a corner of professional sport corrupted by cronyism and greed. If such is the case, skateboarding will fundamentally reject the IOC and whatever the IOC does will not be considered skateboarding. Some are already decided on this matter but most are waiting to see how it plays out. The hope is that the outcome will be positive and that the standard will be high enough. Unfortunately, on paper this does not appear likely to be the case. We will optimistically see.

What skateboarding needs is more skate parks, skate shops, grass root organisations and organised sponsor funded competitions and less "Celebrities" living in mansions. The "essence" of skateboarding is and always will be nothing less. And the Olympics in Tokyo could be an important catalyst in making many or all of these things happen and in turn, make skateboarding feel more authentic, genuine and real again for the people who actually do it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.150.203.54 (talk) 18:17, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

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