Current Events > How do you feel about skateboarding as an olympic sport?

(+) Yeah! (+)

On one hand, I can't think of a single reason why it shouldn't be. Anyone who's tried it knows that it's athletic, difficult, competitive, everything a sport should be.

On the other hand, I got into skateboarding as a kid because it felt like counterculture. Seeing guys in uniforms perform tricks for points to win a medal, I dunno. It's a bit like if there was a music conservatory to study punk music.

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pinky0926 posted...

I got into skateboarding as a kid because it felt like counterculture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mps0LTpIBE

It's always had a competition aspect (and this is 86, even in the 70s there were skate teams)

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Should have been included years ago, I feel like it is way less popular now

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Because street and vert leagues don't already exist.

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It's on the same tier as skiing and snowboarding, I don't see why it wouldn't have a place.

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Its awesome to see tbh

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It is counterculture. It always kind of will be.

Though competitive skateboarding needs to be legitimized and this is really the best way to do it.

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Way more interesting than most of it.

I was a lot more likely to tune in to the x games than the olympics back when I had tv and actually watched that stuff.

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if they can make a game about scrubbing ice in front of a moving stone into an olympic sport i cant see why they cant make skateboarding one.

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cuh posted...

I wonder if the "counterculture" aspect of it is an American cultural attitude, or universal

I feel like it's "counterculture" everywhere BUT America.

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I've always been a fan of skateboarding, and I like the format they decided to use at the Olympics. I still watch the X Games, but at the Olympics, the national aspect adds a different layer to the events.

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Honestly the street course they set up was really well done. Hopefully it's included in the new Skate game if they can get the rights for it.

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To be fair, skating has had bland commercial events for a long time. Vert contests in skating and snowboarding in general are kinda trash the last few years because no one but the guys that compete in it do it.

Street events and real street type things are the response but overall the Olympics arent a bad thing for the sport.

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Is skateboarding a thing in the rest of the world? I know its popular in the West, but do they skateboard in Asia and Africa and stuff?

I always thought it would be fun if they introduced some type of motor sport. Maybe an off-road rally race or a 24 hour endurance team race.

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I don't think it's enough Class if I can say.

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Pretty stoked about it and wish it had been.

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Payzmaykr posted...

Is skateboarding a thing in the rest of the world? I know its popular in the West, but do they skateboard in Asia and Africa and stuff?

The gold medalists in the street events were from Brazil and Japan, for what that's worth.

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I'm not really a fan of judgement competitions being considered full on sports. I mean you can't just do a pickup game without a third party to judge who wins and loses. And even then it's subjective.

Anyway, why are there 13 year olds in this to begin with? During the London Olympics they made a big deal about the athletes having to be 16 or older. This was especially a big deal for women's gymnastics, potentially screwing people out of getting to the Olympics from being to young and then being to old to keep up the next one. Of course now it seems all the female gymnasts are in their mid 20s this year, so I have no fucking clue.

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Countries like Japan and Brazil have a relatively young skateboarding history but they quickly surpassed the US at the competitive level.

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Gamerguymass posted...

Anyway, why are there 13 year olds in this to begin with? During the London Olympics they made a big deal about the athletes having to be 16 or older. This was especially a big deal for women's gymnastics, potentially screwing people out of getting to the Olympics from being to young and then being to old to keep up the next one.

Each sport sets its own age requirement

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The majority of the best skateboarders on the planet are between 10-18. Tony Hawk hit his first 900 at 14. Its a young persons sport, cant have a bunch of elderly 20 somethings in a skate competition.

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https://youtu.be/oqMDX8HmNnQ

22 years old, first Olympic Gold Champion in Skateboarding. He's been at the top for about three years now.

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electricbugs2 posted...

The majority of the best skateboarders on the planet are between 10-18. Tony Hawk hit his first 900 at 14. Its a young persons sport, cant have a bunch of elderly 20 somethings in a skate competition.

Yeah the kid that did the first 1080 on a vert ramp is 12. He did a 900 at the age of 8 too



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I think it's a cool idea but I couldn't get with the format of the competition really. Like earlier today someone posted a video of the women's street competition and all they were doing is several runs of one rail trick each? Seemed so lame but I didn't watch enough to know better.

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Don't see how it's any different to any other sport with judges

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AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

Should have been included years ago

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Ratchetrockon posted...

Yeah the kid that did the first 1080 on a vert ramp is 12. He did a 900 at the age of 8 too

Yep and Tom Scharr was 12 when he hit his on a mega ramp.

Brighton Zeuner went pro when she was like 9. Its far and away the youngest pro sport.

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Ratchetrockon posted...

Yeah the kid that did the first 1080 on a vert ramp is 12. He did a 900 at the age of 8 too

What was Tony Hawk's reaction to that?

As for skateboarding in the Olympics I'm cool with it but the rules are a bit too harsh. When the best of the best botch tricks constantly the rule of averages should be thrown out for a high score.

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ForsakenHermit posted...

What was Tony Hawk's reaction to that?

As for skateboarding in the Olympics I'm cool with it but the rules are a bit too harsh. When the best of the best botch tricks constantly the rule of averages should be thrown out for a high score.

He called him to congratulate him. Then they competed against each other at the following X games.

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Flockaveli posted...

Countries like Japan and Brazil have a relatively young skateboarding history but they quickly surpassed the US at the competitive level.

Japan is like better than us at everything. Cept maybe war

electricbugs2 posted...

The majority of the best skateboarders on the planet are between 10-18. Tony Hawk hit his first 900 at 14. Its a young persons sport, cant have a bunch of elderly 20 somethings in a skate competition.

My step father was into competitive bike tricks on flat ground he would never do the ramp stuff. And he explained that younger people where more capable cause they likely didnt have a healthy dose of fear as much as adults. He said once you knew fear it would hang you up and limit what your even willing attempt

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^Theres that and also the fact that kids can handle pain a lot better. Im only 28 but stubbing my toe at this point feels like a twitch of the death nerve. Meanwhile go watch the vid of Tom Scharr hitting the 1080. He crashes like ten times but still keeps getting back up. Meanwhile I fall off my longboard and that would be the end of my ride.

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electricbugs2 posted...

Tony Hawk hit his first 900 at 14

...Tony Hawk landed the first 900 at 31. What the fuck are you smoking

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electricbugs2 posted...

^Theres that and also the fact that kids can handle pain a lot better. Im only 28 but stubbing my toe at this point feels like a twitch of the death nerve. Meanwhile go watch the vid of Tom Scharr hitting the 1080. He crashes like ten times but still keeps getting back up. Meanwhile I fall off my longboard and that would be the end of my ride.

Yeah step father also said most older ramp riders he knows are dumb as a brick and he couldnt figure out if that what simply let them keep doing it (cause lack of fear) or if it was caused by all the times they smacked their head fucking up a trick. Cause some of his old buddies do still do it despitr being 40 or 50. His buddy actually did a performance on some tv show I forget which one now.

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ClunkerSlim posted...

Its stupid.

No u

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Buzz Killjoy posted...

all they were doing is several runs of one rail trick each?

Real life isn't Tony Hawk. You won't see someone riding a rail for 3 miles, and pulling 2 million points worth of tricks.

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electricbugs2 posted...

^Theres that and also the fact that kids can handle pain a lot better.

That is definitely the opposite of true.

Most kids can't handle pain for shit. Even at 8 lots of kids will bawl their eyes out over practically nothing.

I'm old af and my pain tolerance is probly better than it ever was in my teens. Though part of that is from medical shit I've gone through where I either had to deal with it or just kill myself or something. Lol.

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mooreandrew58 posted...

Japan is like better than us at everything. Cept maybe war

My step father was into competitive bike tricks on flat ground he would never do the ramp stuff. And he explained that younger people where more capable cause they likely didnt have a healthy dose of fear as much as adults. He said once you knew fear it would hang you up and limit what your even willing attempt

This is definitely true. Although the risk doing flatland is pretty minimal. A skinned shin or a bruised elbow is about as bad as it gets unless you're really unlucky.

I used to drop off roofs on my bmx... now I get scared riding a 5 foot quarter pipe.

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Shezarr posted...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mps0LTpIBE

It's always had a competition aspect (and this is 86, even in the 70s there were skate teams)

Damn he was good. I only ever heard of him from the old THPS games but don't think I ever saw a video of him. Thanks for sharing

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The Eko posted...

Damn he was good. I only ever heard of him from the old THPS games but don't think I ever saw a video of him. Thanks for sharing

Rodney Mullen is a fucking magician. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6AQD9juq3w, at least the first 3 minutes. Some of the stuff he does is just... there are no words to describe it beyond magic.

In terms of the original topic, my favourite thing about skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport is the fact Tony Hawk, a man who was so very instrumental in building skateboarding up from "a few surfers put wheels on their boards so they don't have to rely on waves" to what it is today, was able to ride an Olympic skatepark. While counterculture is certainly a huge part of what made skateboarding so popular in the 90s and 00s, I don't think that makes it a negative that it's reached the Olympics.

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Yeah Rodney is a mad genius on a skateboard. Fantastic dude

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Rodney Mullen is the GOAT when it comes to skateboarding imo

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CanuckCowboy posted...

This is definitely true. Although the risk doing flatland is pretty minimal. A skinned shin or a bruised elbow is about as bad as it gets unless you're really unlucky.

I used to drop off roofs on my bmx... now I get scared riding a 5 foot quarter pipe.

Yeah he said he never did ramp stuff cause he already knew fear from crazy shit he did as a kid and got hurt. He's specialty was balance tricks.

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sk8r_ryan posted...

Rodney Mullen is a fucking magician. Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6AQD9juq3w , at least the first 3 minutes. Some of the stuff he does is just... there are no words to describe it beyond magic.

In THPS3 if you beat the game with him (and every other skater) you get a highlight reel of their IRL skating. I must have seen Rodney's like a million times.

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The things Rodney was doing 20-30 years ago is still outlandish today. There will never be enough praise for him.

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When I was really into skateboarding, it never felt like a sport. Sure, there were competitions and such back then, but everyone understood the results weren't indicative of what skateboarding was really about. That sounds kind of snobbish, but it's the best way I can explain.