Is skateboarding really a crime?

A quick list of 8 myths about skateboarding and skaters:

1 ) Pro skaters land all of their tricks.
Absolutely false. If you are not falling, you are not learning anything new. Even Rodney Mullen, Eric Kosten eat some concrete once in a while. Actually, I bet they take more slams than the average skater ‘cuz they are out their every day pushing their limits.

2 ) Skateboarding is for kids.
Not. I am living proof of that. Nearly 40 years old, and I’ve been skating for 5 years. It’s never to late to start skateboarding. Got kids? I am not always the oldest dude at the skatepark, either. I bet they’d be stoked to have you come to the park and skate with ‘em.

3 ) Skaters are trouble makers.
Skaters have always gotten a bad rap, mostly I think because skateboarding attracts a sort of do-it-your-way personality. But any skater who is really out to have fun on their board is not gonna have time to cause trouble. Every time I have seen a problem while out skating, the trouble was caused by someone without a skateboard.

4 ) Skateboarding is not popular.
There are over 13 million skateboarders in the United States, over 50 million worldwide. Lessee. Wikipedia says “About 12 million people play baseball in the United States”. Maybe skateboarding should be the ‘National Past Time’?

5 ) Skateboarding is like the X-Games.
No. Not even close. One of the best things about skateboarding is the simple fact that there are no rules - no right way to do things. Some people like to skate in the streets, some like to skate big wooden ramps to bust huge airs and tricks. Someone else might want to ride their longboard to the grocery store or maybe spend all day practicing their manuals on a 6 foot by 6 foot concrete pad.

6 ) Skateboarding is for guys.
Anyone can skate. An-ee-one. And skater chicks kick ass! Mater of fact, a lot of girls can do more tricks, carve higher, and drop a bigger wall than the guys they skate with. I know my friend Randi is fearless and was bustin’ out tricks just weeks after she stepped on a board.

7 ) Skateboarding is dangerous.
Any sport is dangerous if you go beyond your abilities. Skating is no more dangerous than any active sport, especially if you wear some pads. These stats seem to indicate that skateboarding is safer than football, baseball, soccer, exercising, using a trampoline, or playing volleyball.

8 ) Skateboarding is a crime.
Skateboarding is NOT a crime! “Destroying property is a crime. There’s a difference.” - urban dictionary

Got any other skateboarding myths to bust? Leave em in the comments.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 at 1:52 am and is filed under Skateboarding, Wall of Gray. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.