Could All-Terrain Skateboarding Be The Next Competitive Sport?
There are always new and intriguing sports hitting the world, but skateboarding has been one of the more successful since it became competitive. Skateboarding has remained popular for so long that the idea of all-terrain skateboarding has been discussed to further expand it and reach even more people globally. The question remains though, can it be as popular as other sports in this genre such as motocross?
Skateboarding Remains Ahead Of Its Class
When it comes to the United States, skateboarding had the most searches online in the country. Some estimate that there were roughly 550,000 monthly searches on it. Part of that is due to people looking to get a smaller, cost-efficient form of transportation, while the rest of it was due to skateboarding being introduced at the Olympics.
Skateboaording wound up being a fun addition to the Olympics due to the freedom it gives its competitors. After all, much of the sport rests upon the skater’s creativity with the board underneath them.
That creativity is in the form of tricks and stunts. The ollie being the most common nowadays but certainly not the only trick out there.
The more people that join this skateboarding community, the more tricks and possibilities present themselves in competition. The Olympics put that creativity on a huge stage and now it’s got many people searching for more.
This is also a reason why the sport has garnered so much popularity. Not to mention the fact that it’s heavily relatable with so many people across the world having ridden a skateboard at some point in their lives.
Growth alone could point towards all-terrain skateboarding possible reaching new heights in a tough industry.
It’s More Than A Sport
While there are people out there that consider skateboarding as just a hobby, many think that it’s a sport and then some. In fact, skaters have even claimed that it’s more of a lifestyle and a community rather than just something they do in their spare time.
The skateboarding community has had to battle a lot of adversity in order to get to this point in time. Years ago, skateboarders were usually outlawed from public spaces, but now that has seemingly turned on its head.
You’ll see skaters significantly more often than you would in the past, and people want to get out and practice more now that they can make a career off it as a sport. Overall, there’s enough love and passion behind this group that there’s a genuine shot it continues to dominate the sporting market.
Skateboarding Isn’t Perfect
If all-terrain skateboarding has a possibility to become one of the most sought-after sports around, they have to figure out a few problems worldwide. The United States has fallen in love with skateboarding, but not every country shares that same sentiment.
A good majority of them do, just not all of them yet. For example, some have spoken out about their experiences when skateboarding worldwide, “The way that we experience skateboarding in the US is not the same as we experienced skateboarding in Cuba. It is not the same way we experience it in South Africa.”
Neftalie Williams was the person being quoted here, and she is currently a scholar at the University of Southern California. She’s long studied skate culture and continues to dive deeper into it. The reason why this sport isn’t as welcomed in certain countries is because it is deemed dangerous.
Another example would be Japan, who considers anybody that skateboards as rebels. Ironically, Japan was where the first skateboarding competition at the Olympics was held.
Skateboarders Continue To Search All Areas
One mindset that many skaters, both at the Olympics and not, have backed is that the community won’t stop searching for the best possible outlet for them. The Olympics adding the sport was a massive step in the right direction, though some researchers don’t believe that it will be enough over a long stretch of time.
Williams, the scholar we quoted earlier, did mention that there could be a time when skateboarders realize that the Olympics aren’t serving in their best interests as competitors. When that happens, they will seek out new opportunities to further expand and reach new audiences. Just as they were able to do before when they worked into the Olympics.
The fact that it has been able to reach the Olympics goes to show the push that the community has and how passionate they feel about it. If that passion carries over into an all-terrain version of skateboarding, the support could be better than anybody might imagine.
Skateboards Have Been Reinvented
It’s not just the community that has grown so much, it’s also the types of skateboards that are being produced. When they were first created, electric skateboards were really just a piece of wood with four wheels that you could get from point A to point B in.
However, they’ve been so much more than that. Skaters can now detail and customize these skateboards to express themselves in a way that might have been supremely difficult otherwise. They can fine tune these boards to fit their needs and can also search up different versions of boards to get.
For example, the electric skateboard has been aa rising search term in the past two years. Electric skateboards are thought of as lighter than a longboard, but they are easier to travel with and help skaters cruise at a stable pace.
Simply seeing electric skateboards get invented and designed shows the world that the industry isn’t settling down on what they’ve accomplished. If you’re interested in following skateboarding at the Olympics or even taking it up for yourself as a hobby, you are in luck.
This community is always striving to improve their boards, their customization options, and their competitive drive worldwide. It wouldn’t be surprising to see electric skateboards ramp up production as time goes on as well. After all, electric boards offer convenience and power in a way that normal boards don’t.
Couple all of this information with the fact that all-terrain skateboarding could be rising in popularity, and you will know exactly why it has the potential to succeed at the highest levels.
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