Skateboarding Gear and More

"Skateboarding is not a crime."

"This freakin' skateboard stuff, it's not a sport. It's a way of life." - Northwest Documentary

"I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport." - Tony Hawk

"To me, it`s about getting better every time and doing the best I can every run no matter where I am. The Olympics are going to be huge, but I don`t think the Olympics are going to make or break any rider. At the end of the day, it`s just another contest with just a little bit more riding on it." - Shaun White

"All I wanted to do was ride skateboards - I wanted to be a professional skateboarder. But I had this problem. I kept breaking half of my body skateboarding." - Travis Barker

"If you go out there and your main purpose is to get a sponsor, then it's not gonna work. Just go out there and have fun. That's how I got sponsored." - Ryan Sheckler

Skateboarding has many positive impacts on the skateboarder.

It goes beyond the obvious.

Skateboarding obviously promotes physical health. Most skateboarders are more active than most other sporters. It is typical for a skateboarder to be skateboarding for hours and hours in a day. They use their boards as means for transportation, recreation, fun, and sporting. Skateboarding builds muscle, balance, and endurance.

However, most people fail to consider the other benefits skateboarding has on a skateboarder. A skateboarder is usually trying to master new tricks on the board all of the time. This is not only physically challenging but also mentally challenge. It is teaching the child or person to overcome weaknesses. It also builds habits of improving oneself, and ones abilities. The skateboarder is also overcoming mental challenges and limitations in order to achieve the level of skill that they are after.

Although I feel the mental and physical affects of skateboarding are most important. I also feel that skateboarding has a positive social impact. Skateboarding is a sport where friends and other skateboarders are teaching and helping each other learn new tricks. And although they can be competitive it is not a sport that creates anger, hate or aggressive. It's positive competition among friends.

I would love for more parents and our society to consider and remember how positive skateboarding is. Yes, just like anything else, its not perfect. But remember most skateboarders intentions are not to annoy others or break rules. Their intentions are only to ride and to skate whatever looks fun and challenging to them which is actually extremely healthy and good for those individuals.

At times I can't believe that skateboarders are looked down upon and as criminals. They may be trying to skate places that some don't want them to, but they are only looking to skate. It's not a crime, it's not harming anyone and its not violent or negative. I hope to help people remember this next time they see someone riding their skateboard.