Skateboarding in the Olympics; and its effects on the image of young people worldwide.

For years now, a small community of people have been campaigning to include skateboarding in the Olympics. Since the birth of the modern activity; in the 1960s, it has often been overlooked as a sport due to a harsh reputation and finite skill set required to master the sport. However, after a unanimous vote from the International Olympic Committee, skateboarding has finally been included in the 2020 Olympics.

The first skateboard was made in 1959 - though a far more crude version than what you might find today. The first skateboard consisted of old rollerblade wheels and a plank of wood. People started using skateboards for the adrenaline rush of riding it down a hill; something about narrowly escaping injury made the invention very popular for teenage boys. The skateboard then evolved into a mode of transport.

Shortly after, companies began to manufacture a more safe and modern instance of the skateboard and selling them nationwide. A metal brick was added, with a hinge on either side for each wheel. Ball bearings; being an essential part of the skateboard, were redesigned to add speed and control to the peculiar contraption. The metal brick was refined to be more lightweight and allowed steering simply by leaning backwards and forward. These became widely known as “trucks.” The board shape was remodelled and the grip tape was added to allow the board to grip its riders shoes. The improvements made to the day to day skateboard inspired people to push the limits of the sport.

People started to fashion ramps out of pieces of wood and fly off them as fast as possible. In the late 1970s, Alan Gelfand completely changed skateboarding. He combined physics with skateboarding, pushing the back of the board to the ground, slid his foot up the grip tape, and jumped - hence, creating the “Ollie.” From this moment onward skateboarding was never the same.

Nowadays, skateboarding is near unrecognisable from its debut in the late 20th century: magnificent skateparks accommodating all styles of skateboarding, huge communities of people of all ages encouraging each other to improve and have fun. Its transformation is simply incredible.

Nevertheless, skateboarding has been given a bad image. When I started skateboarding, my mum was worried about this image of drugs, laziness and violence; this whole greasy dirty dead-end skateboarder image most people picture when they hear the term. Yet as I was introduced to the skateboarding community at the impressionable age of 12, my mum was also introduced - and it was probably the last thing she expected. Some of the friendliest people I have ever met were introduced to me through skateboarding. Every time I left the house to go skating I was excited to see everyone at the skatepark. The older more experienced skateboarders were unbelievably accommodating and helpful, giving me tips and always proud when I learned a new trick.

In all the people I’ve met through skateboarding, there is one man I will always hold responsible for my love of the sport - a man in his 20s who skated barefoot, who I met at the age of 14 in Plymouth on holiday. I went to Plymouth quite often, and he was at the skatepark every single day; conversating with me and my dad, and making time to talk to me about how I had progressed since I last saw him and helping me out with whatever trick I was trying to master next.

It’s about time skateboarding has broken away from the stigmatism so harshly held against its name. After 60 years, skateboarding is finally recognised around the world as a sport, and it is simply mesmerising to watch it in the Olympics. The bravery these people hold and the complexity of the tricks they attempted is simply astounding. Every single person competing urges each other to push themselves and celebrate each other’s accomplishments really shows the purity of the sport. And after a 3-month hiatus from the sport, watching skateboarding at the Olympics has encouraged me to get back out and fall in love with the sport all over again.