View source for Skateboarding

{{Short description|Action sport on skateboards}}
{{Redirect|Skateboarder|the magazine|Skateboarder (magazine)}}
{{Protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox sport
| name       = Skateboarding
| image      =File:BackSmithGrind.jpg 
| caption    =Skateboarder in [[Grants Pass]], [[Oregon]], 2010 
| union      = [[World Skate]]
| nickname   = 
| first      = 
| country/region = Worldwide
| registered =
| clubs      =
| contact    = 
| team       = 
| mgender    = Yes, separate competitions
| category   = 
| equipment  = 
| venue      = 
| olympic    = Since [[Skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics|2020]] 
| paralympic = 
}}

'''Skateboarding''' is an [[extreme sport|action sport]] that involves riding and [[Skateboarding trick|performing tricks]] using a [[skateboard]], as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry [[Profession|job]], and a method of [[transportation]].<ref name="Architecture">{{cite book|last=Borden|first=Iain|author-link=Iain Borden|title=Skateboarding and the City: A Complete History|chapter=Skateboarding and the City |location=[[Bloomsbury]], London, England|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|year=2019|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hb-EDwAAQBAJ|isbn=9781474208420|oclc=1083120279|lccn=2018015183|doi=10.5040/9781474208420|s2cid=200160492|access-date=December 31, 2020|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Extreme Market Research|url=http://www.webdelsol.com/Topic/articles/04/howell.html|work=Topic Magazine|access-date=August 17, 2012|author=Ocean Howell|year=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822093557/http://www.webdelsol.com/Topic/articles/04/howell.html|archive-date=August 22, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Originating in the United States, skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2009 report found that the skateboarding market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue, with 11.08 million active skateboarders in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shop-eat-surf.com/2009/05/the-state-of-the-skateboarding-industry |title=The state of the skateboarding industry |date=May 12, 2009 |access-date=July 23, 2014 |first=Tiffany |last=Montgomery |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812232423/http://www.shop-eat-surf.com/2009/05/the-state-of-the-skateboarding-industry/ |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In 2016, it was announced that skateboarding would be represented at the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in [[Tokyo]], for both male and female teams.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theridechannel.com/features/2016/08/olympic-games-skateboarding-tokyo-2020 |title=Skateboarding Is Officially an Olympic Sport. What Now? |date=August 6, 2016 |access-date=August 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812071914/http://theridechannel.com/features/2016/08/olympic-games-skateboarding-tokyo-2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Skateboarding made its Olympic debut in 2020 and was included in the 2024 games.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-07-21 |title=When do the Summer Olympics start? What you need to know ahead of Paris 2024 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-22/what-you-need-to-know-ahead-of-paris-2024-summer-olympics/103963744 |access-date=2024-07-23 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>

Since the 1970s, [[skatepark]]s have been constructed specifically for use by skateboarders, [[freestyle BMX]]ers, [[aggressive inline skating|aggressive skaters]], and more recently, [[Freestyle scootering|scooters]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history_2.htm | title=Skateboarding: A Brief History (page 2) | access-date=December 13, 2006 | author=Steve Cave, [[about.com]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214071941/http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history_2.htm | archive-date=February 14, 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref> However, skateboarding has become controversial in areas in which the activity, although legal, has damaged curbs, stoneworks, steps, benches, plazas, and parks.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref name=skateboarding/>

==History==
===1940s–1960s===
The first skateboards started with wooden boxes, or boards, with [[Roller skates|roller skate]] wheels attached to the bottom. Crate [[Kick scooter|scooter]]s preceded skateboards, having a wooden crate attached to the nose (front of the board), which formed rudimentary handlebars.<ref name="Gnarly"/><ref name="SBH">{{cite web|url=http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history.htm|title=Skateboarding: A Brief History (page 1)|access-date=September 1, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301070703/http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history.htm|archive-date=March 1, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Wave">{{cite book| last = Brooke| first = Michael| title = The Concrete Wave: The History of Skateboarding| publisher = Warwick Publishing Inc| year = 1999| isbn = 1894020545}}</ref> The boxes turned into planks, similar to the skateboard decks of today.<ref name="Architecture"/>

Skateboarding, as it exists today, was probably born sometime in the late 1940s, or early 1950s,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-02-11 |title=THE PREHISTORIC SKATEBOARD? |url=https://www.jenkemmag.com/home/2015/02/11/the-prehistoric-skateboard/ |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=Jenkem Magazine |language=en}}</ref> when [[surfers]] in [[California]] wanted something to do when the waves were flat. This was called "sidewalk surfing" – a new wave of surfing on the sidewalk as the sport of surfing became highly popular. No one knows who made the first board; it seems that several people came up with similar ideas at around the same time. The first manufactured skateboards were ordered by a [[Los Angeles]], California, surf shop, meant to be used by surfers in their downtime. The shop owner, Bill Richard, made a deal with the Chicago Roller Skate Company<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clayman |first=Andrew |title=Chicago Roller Skate Co., est. 1905 |date=November 28, 2021 |url=https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/chicago-roller-skate-co/ }}</ref> to produce sets of skate wheels, which they attached to square wooden boards. Accordingly, skateboarding was originally denoted "sidewalk surfing" and early skaters emulated [[surfing]] style and maneuvers, and performed barefoot.<ref name="Gnarly">{{cite book |last1=Marcus |first1=Ben |last2=Grggi |first2=Lucia |title=The Skateboard: The Good, the Rad, and the Gnarly: An Illustrated History |publisher=MVP Book |year=2011 |isbn=9780760338056 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NxembYuScL8C |access-date=October 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320011028/http://books.google.com/books?id=NxembYuScL8C |archive-date=March 20, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Architecture"/>{{sfn|Weyland|2002|p=21}}

By the 1960s a small number of surfing manufacturers in [[Southern California]] such as Jack's, Kips', [[Hobart Alter|Hobie]], Bing's and Makaha started building skateboards that resembled small surfboards, and assembled teams to promote their products. One of the earliest Skateboard exhibitions was [[Skateboarding sponsorship|sponsored]] by Makaha's founder, [[Larry Stevenson]], in 1963 and it was held at the Pier Avenue Junior High School in [[Hermosa Beach, California]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Rompella |first=Natalie |title=Famous Firsts: The Trendsetters, Groundbreakers & Risk-Takers Who Got America Moving! |publisher=Lobster Press |year=2007 |isbn=9781897073551 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bc-_uWnoZWwC&pg=PA30 |access-date=November 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617083449/https://books.google.com/books?id=bc-_uWnoZWwC&pg=PA30 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thanemagazine.com/2012/08/brian-logan-interview/ |title = Brian Logan Interview |author = gbemi |work = Thane Magazine |date = August 29, 2012 |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120901100145/http://www.thanemagazine.com/2012/08/brian-logan-interview/ |archive-date = September 1, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="History">{{cite web | last = Cave | first = Steve | title = A Brief History of Skateboarding | work = [[About.com]] | url = http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history.htm | access-date = November 10, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120301070703/http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history.htm | archive-date = March 1, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref> Some of these same teams of skateboarders were also featured on a television show called ''Surf's Up'' in 1964, hosted by Stan Richards, that helped promote skateboarding as something new and fun to do.<ref>{{cite book|title= The Skateboarder's Journal – Lives on Board|first= Jack|last= Smith|publisher= The Morro Skateboard Group|year= 2009|isbn= 9780557100859|access-date= October 26, 2012|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=s3IROVSEMZ4C&q=Surf%27s+Up+with+Stan+Richards&pg=PA290|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140708213430/http://books.google.com/books?id=s3IROVSEMZ4C&pg=PA290&lpg=PA290&dq=Surf%27s+Up+with+Stan+Richards#v=onepage&q=Surf%27s%20Up%20with%20Stan%20Richards&f=false|archive-date= July 8, 2014|url-status= live}}</ref>

As the popularity of skateboarding began expanding, the first skateboarding magazine, ''[[The Quarterly Skateboarder]]'', was published in 1964.<ref name="Architecture"/> [[John Severson]], who published the magazine, wrote in his first editorial:

{{Blockquote|Today's skateboarders are founders in this sport—they're pioneers—they are the first. There is no history in Skateboarding—its being made now—by you. The sport is being molded and we believe that doing the right thing now will lead to a bright future for the sport. Already, there are storm clouds on the horizon with opponents of the sport talking about ban and restriction.<ref name="writers">{{cite web | last = Lannes | first = Xavier | title = Five writers that changed the way we read skateboarding magazines | year = 2011 | url = http://blog.istia.tv/2011/12/five-writers-that-changed-way-we-read.html | access-date = November 12, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120625231555/http://blog.istia.tv/2011/12/five-writers-that-changed-way-we-read.html | archive-date = June 25, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref>}}

The magazine only lasted four issues, but resumed publication as ''[[Skateboarder (magazine)|Skateboarder]]'' in 1975.<ref name="writers"/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://vintageskateboardmagazines.com/Skateboarder1965.html |title = The Quarterly Skateboarder (USA) |work = Vintage Skateboard Magazine |publisher = Jospehdreams |year = 2007 |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121117234551/http://vintageskateboardmagazines.com/Skateboarder1965.html |archive-date = November 17, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://vintageskateboardmagazines.com/Skateboarder.html|title = Skateboarder (USA)|work = Vintage Skateboard Magazine|publisher = Jospehdreams|year = 2007|access-date = October 27, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121115093708/http://vintageskateboardmagazines.com/Skateboarder.html|archive-date = November 15, 2012|url-status = live}}</ref> The first broadcast of an actual skateboarding competition was the 1965 National Skateboarding Championships, which were held in [[Anaheim]], California and aired on ABC's ''[[Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOwYrTMYTgs&feature=relmfu |title = GIRLS Skateboarding 1965 Skateboard Championships |author = Surfstyley4 |publisher = [[YouTube]] |date = April 7, 2010 |work = Starrfilms |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150606052536/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOwYrTMYTgs&feature=relmfu |archive-date = June 6, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADtgbABmG18 |title = 1965 American Skateboard Slalom Championships – Anaheim, California |author = slalomvideos |publisher = [[YouTube]] |date = June 17, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190817081732/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADtgbABmG18&gl=US&hl=en&has_verified=1&bpctr=9999999999 |archive-date = August 17, 2019 |url-status = live }}</ref> Because skateboarding was a new sport during this time, there were only two original disciplines during competitions: flatland [[Freestyle skateboarding|freestyle]] and [[Slalom skateboarding|slalom]] downhill racing.<ref name="Gnarly"/>

Animated cartoons of the time occasionally featured skateboard gags. Two [[Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner|Road Runner]] cartoons made in 1965, ''[[Shot and Bothered]]'' and ''[[Out and Out Rout]]'', feature Wile E. Coyote riding a skateboard.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060971/reference/ | title=Shot and Bothered (1966) - IMDb | website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060806/reference/ | title=Out and Out Rout (1966) - IMDb | website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

One of the earliest sponsored skateboarders, [[Patti McGee]], was paid by Hobie and Vita Pak to travel around the country to do skateboarding exhibitions and to demonstrate skateboarding safety tips. McGee made the cover of ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine<ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url = http://life.time.com/culture/skateboards-and-skateboarding-photos-1965/#1 |title = LIFE Goes Skateboarding, 1965 |author = Bill Eppridge |magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]] |access-date = December 12, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130112081721/http://life.time.com/culture/skateboards-and-skateboarding-photos-1965/#1 |archive-date = January 12, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> in 1965 and was featured on several popular television programs—''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]'', ''[[What's My Line?]]'' and ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''—which helped make skateboarding even more popular at the time.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqrD0Vl5Vo4 |title = Patti McGee Skateboard Champion Tv 1965 |author = Surfstyley |publisher = [[YouTube]] |date = January 25, 2011 |work = Starrfilms |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140601055331/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqrD0Vl5Vo4 |archive-date = June 1, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg644sM5tSA&feature=relmfu |title = Patti McGee 1965 Skateboard Champion on What's My Line |author = Surfstyley |publisher = [[YouTube]] |date = October 31, 2010 |work = Starrfilms |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151212055608/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg644sM5tSA&feature=relmfu |archive-date = December 12, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://blog.istia.tv/2011/10/patti-mcgee-interview-with-istia.html |title = Patti McGee interview with isTia |publisher = I Skate Therefore I Am |date = October 17, 2011 |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120730091834/http://blog.istia.tv/2011/10/patti-mcgee-interview-with-istia.html |archive-date = July 30, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref> Some other well known surfer-style skateboarders of the time were Danny Bearer, Torger Johnson, Bruce Logan, Bill and Mark Richards, Woody Woodward, and Jim Fitzpatrick.

The growth of the sport during this period can also be seen in sales figures for Makaha, which quoted $4 million worth of board sales between 1963 and 1965.{{sfn|Weyland|2002|p=28}} By 1966 a variety of sources began to claim that skateboarding was dangerous, resulting in shops being reluctant to sell them, and parents being reluctant to buy them. In 1966 sales had dropped significantly{{sfn|Weyland|2002|p=28}} and ''[[Skateboarder (magazine)|Skateboarder Magazine]]'' had stopped publication. The popularity of skateboarding dropped and remained low until the early 1970s.<ref name="SBH"/><ref name="SBH2">{{cite web|url= http://www.skatelog.com/skateboarding/skateboarding-history.htm|title= Skateboarding History|access-date= September 2, 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120219132259/http://www.skatelog.com/skateboarding/skateboarding-history.htm|archive-date= February 19, 2012|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="Fitzpatrick">{{cite web | title = Jim Fitzpatrick Interview | publisher = I Skate Therefore I Am | date = January 6, 2011 | url = http://blog.istia.tv/2011/01/jim-fitzpatrick-interview-part-ii-1957.html | access-date = November 10, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121116232821/http://blog.istia.tv/2011/01/jim-fitzpatrick-interview-part-ii-1957.html | archive-date = November 16, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref>

===1970s===
In the early 1970s, [[Frank Nasworthy]] started to develop a skateboard wheel made of [[polyurethane]], calling his company Cadillac Wheels.<ref name="SBH"/> Prior to this new material, skateboards wheels were metal or "clay" wheels.<ref name="Architecture"/> The improvement in traction and performance was so immense that from the wheel's release in 1972 the popularity of skateboarding started to rise rapidly again, causing companies to invest more in product development. Nasworthy commissioned artist [[Jim Evans (artist)|Jim Evans]] to do a series of paintings promoting Cadillac Wheels, they were featured as ads and posters in the resurrected ''Skateboarder Magazine'', and proved immensely popular in promoting the new style of skateboarding.

In the early 1970s, the precursors to the modern skateparks for skateboarding would be the repurposing of urban hydro and storm water infrastructure such as the [[Escondido, California|Escondido]] reservoir in [[San Diego]], California.<ref name="Architecture"/> ''Skateboarding'' magazine would publish the location and skateboarders made up nicknames for each location such as the Tea Bowl, the Fruit Bowl, Bellagio, the Rabbit Hole, Bird Bath, the Egg Bowl, Upland Pool and the Sewer Slide. Some of the development concepts in the terrain of skateparks were actually taken from the Escondido reservoir.<ref name="Stalefish">{{cite book|title= Stalefish: Skateboard Culture from the Rejects Who Made It|first= Sean|last= Mortimer|publisher= Chronicle Books|year= 2008|isbn= 9780811860420|access-date= November 3, 2012|url= https://archive.org/details/stalefishskatebo0000mort|url-access= registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.angelfire.com/ca3/peralta/iv.html |title = Stacy Peralta 1st Skateboarder Magazine Interview |publisher = Skateboarder Magazine |date = October 1976 |work = Z-Boys.com |access-date = November 3, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141213112922/http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/peralta/iv.html |archive-date = December 13, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://calstreets.com/gxp-retro-skaters/skateboard-history-vintage/2012-06-12-05-45-04/sims-corporation-2 |title = Sims Contributions and Importance to Skateboarding |author = Ben Marcus |publisher = Calstreets |date = May 24, 2012 |access-date = November 5, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130617041510/http://calstreets.com/gxp-retro-skaters/skateboard-history-vintage/2012-06-12-05-45-04/sims-corporation-2 |archive-date = June 17, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Many companies started to manufacture trucks (axles) specially designed for skateboarding, reached in 1976 by Tracker Trucks. As the equipment became more maneuverable, the decks started to get wider, reaching widths of {{convert|10|in|mm}} and over, thus giving the skateboarder even more control.<ref name="Architecture"/> A banana board is a skinny, flexible skateboard made of [[polypropylene]] with ribs on the underside for structural support. These were very popular during the mid-1970s and were available in a myriad of colors, bright yellow probably being the most memorable, hence the name.

In 1975, skateboarding had risen back in popularity enough to have one of the largest skateboarding competitions since the 1960s, the Del Mar National Championships, which is said to have had up to 500 competitors. The competition lasted two days and was sponsored by Bahne Skateboards and Cadillac Wheels. While the main event was won by freestyle spinning skate legend [[Russ Howell]],<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.skatelegends.com/russ_howell.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20011224210956/http://www.skatelegends.com/russ_howell.htm |url-status = dead |archive-date = December 24, 2001 |title = Russ Howell Interview |author = Dan Gesmer |work = Skate Legends.com |access-date = November 3, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://skateboard.about.com/od/boardscience/a/DogtownHistory_3.htm |title = The True Story of Dogtown and the Zephyr Team |author1 = Steve Cave |publisher = [[About.com]] |access-date = November 3, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130206185951/http://skateboard.about.com/od/boardscience/a/DogtownHistory_3.htm |archive-date = February 6, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> a local skate team from [[Santa Monica]], California, the Zephyr team, ushered in a new era of surfer style skateboarding during the competition that would have a lasting impact on skateboarding's history. With a team of 12, including skating legends such as [[Jay Adams]], [[Tony Alva]], [[Peggy Oki]] and [[Stacy Peralta]], they brought a new progressive style of skateboarding to the event, based on the style of Hawaiian surfers [[Bertlemann slide|Larry Bertlemann]], [[Buttons Kaluhiokalani]] and Mark Liddell.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.dogtownskateboards.com/about/history.html|title =Our only Crime is Being Original|author =Dogtown Skateboards|access-date =November 24, 2012|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121226053345/http://www.dogtownskateboards.com/about/history.html|archive-date =December 26, 2012|url-status =dead|df =mdy-all}}</ref> [[Craig Stecyk]], a photo journalist for ''Skateboarder Magazine'', wrote about and photographed the team, along with [[Glen E. Friedman]], and shortly afterwards ran a series on the team called the Dogtown articles, which eventually immortalized the Zephyr skateboard team. The team became known as the [[Z-Boys]] and would go on to become one of the most influential teams in skateboarding's history.<ref name="Stalefish"/><ref name="Legend">{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=2i55HQAACAAJ |title = Dogtown: The Legend Of The Z-Boys |author1 = Craig Stecyk |author2 = Glen E. Friedman |author3 = C. R. Stecyk |publisher = Burning Flags Press |year = 2002 |access-date = November 3, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150320012851/http://books.google.com/books/about/Dogtown.html?id=2i55HQAACAAJ |archive-date = March 20, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Have Board, Will Travel: The Definitive History of Surf, Skate, and Snow|first= Jamie|last= Brisick|year= 2004|publisher= Harper Collins|isbn= 0060563591|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gNv-ge5rOOUC&q=Jay+Adams+is+said+to+have+changed+skateboarding+at+del+mar&pg=PA45|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160429190622/https://books.google.com/books?id=gNv-ge5rOOUC&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=Jay+Adams+is+said+to+have+changed+skateboarding+at+del+mar#v=onepage&q=Jay%20Adams%20is%20said%20to%20have%20changed%20skateboarding%20at%20del%20mar&f=false|archive-date= April 29, 2016|url-status= live}}</ref>

Soon, skateboarding contests for cash and prizes, using a professional tier system, began to be held throughout California, such as the [[California Free Former]] World Professional Skateboard Championships, which featured freestyle and slalom competitions.<ref name="Birthday">{{cite web | last = Lannes | first = Xavier | title = Happy Birthday Ellen Oneal | publisher = istia | url = http://blog.istia.tv/2011/05/happy-birthday-ellen-oneal.html | access-date = November 17, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121024053810/http://blog.istia.tv/2011/05/happy-birthday-ellen-oneal.html | archive-date = October 24, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref>

A precursor to the extreme sport of [[street luge]], that was sanctioned by the United States Skateboarding Association (USSA), also took place during the 1970s in [[Signal Hill, California|Signal Hill]], California. The competition was called "The Signal Hill Skateboarding Speed Run", with several competitors earning entries into the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'', at the time clocking speeds of over {{convert|50|mph|kph|abbr=on}} on a skateboard. Due to technology and safety concerns at the time, when many competitors crashed during their runs, the sport did not gain popularity or support during this time.<ref>{{cite web|url =  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-nov-18-sp-signalhill18-story.html|title =  Board out of their minds|author =  Mike Horelick|date =  November 18, 2007|work =  [[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date =  November 17, 2012|archive-url =  https://web.archive.org/web/20120622195909/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/18/sports/sp-signalhill18|archive-date =  June 22, 2012|url-status =  live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-8612409 |title = vHistory of skateboard competitions 1960s to 1980s: A brief overview |author1 = Killeen Gonzalez |date = June 9, 2011 |work = [[Yahoo]] |access-date = November 17, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140113025406/http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-8612409 |archive-date = January 13, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref>

In March 1976, Skateboard City skatepark in [[Port Orange]], Florida and Carlsbad Skatepark in [[San Diego County]], California would be the first two large size US skateparks to be opened to the public, just a week apart.<ref name="Architecture"/> They were the first of some 200 skateparks that would be built through 1982. This was due in part to articles that were running in the investment journals at the time, stating that skateparks were a good investment.<ref name="Gnarly"/><ref name="Stalefish"/><ref>{{cite book|title= Skateparks: Grab Your Skateboard|first= Matt|last= Doeden|publisher= Capstone Press|year= 2002|isbn= 0-7368-1072-2|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=XU5F2ngzU58C&q=Skateboard+City+skatepark+opens+in+Port+Orange,+Florida&pg=PT7|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160427154102/https://books.google.com/books?id=XU5F2ngzU58C&pg=PT7&dq=Skateboard+City+skatepark+opens+in+Port+Orange,+Florida&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3RyYUKqgL8X1iQLRmoEg&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ|archive-date= April 27, 2016|url-status= live}}</ref> Notable skateboarders from the 1970s also include [[Ty Page]], Tom Inouye, Laura Thornhill, Ellen O'Neal, Kim Cespedes, Bob Biniak, Jana Payne, Waldo Autry, Robin Logan, Bobby Piercy, Russ Howell, Ellen Berryman, [[Shogo Kubo]], Desiree Von Essen, Henry Hester, Robin Alaway, Paul Hackett, Michelle Matta, Bruce Logan, Steve Cathey, Edie Robertson, Mike Weed, David Hackett, Gregg Ayres, Darren Ho, and [[Tom Sims]]{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}.

Manufacturers started to experiment with more exotic composites and metals, like [[fiberglass]] and [[aluminum]], but the common skateboards were made of maple plywood.<ref name="Architecture"/> The skateboarders took advantage of the improved handling of their skateboards and started inventing new tricks. Skateboarders, most notably Ty Page, Bruce Logan, Bobby Piercy, Kevin Reed, and the Z-Boys started to skate the vertical walls of swimming pools that were left empty in the [[Drought in the United States#Localized United States droughts|1976 California drought]]. This started the "[[Vert (sport)|vert]]" trend in skateboarding. With increased control, vert skaters could skate faster and perform more dangerous tricks, such as slash grinds and frontside/backside airs. This caused liability concerns and increased insurance costs to skatepark owners, and the development (first by [[Norcon]], then more successfully by Rector) of improved knee pads that had a hard sliding cap and strong strapping proved to be too-little-too-late. During this era, the "freestyle" movement in skateboarding began to splinter off and develop into a much more specialized discipline, characterized by the development of a wide assortment of flat-ground tricks.

As a result of the "vert" skating movement, skate parks had to contend with high liability costs that led to many park closures. In response, vert skaters started making their own ramps, while freestyle skaters continued to evolve their flatland style. Thus, by the beginning of the 1980s, skateboarding had once again declined in popularity.<ref name="SBH2"/>

===1980s===
[[File:Judi Oyama Rich Oyama Capitola White Shirt.png|thumb|[[Judi Oyama]] in 1980]]
This period was fueled by skateboard companies that were run by skateboarders. The focus was initially on [[vert ramp]] skateboarding. The invention of the no-hands aerial (later known as the [[Ollie (skateboarding)|ollie]]) by [[Alan Gelfand]] in Florida in 1976,<ref name="sm">{{cite news|title=GASBAG|url=http://skateboarding.transworld.net/1000009436/features/gasbag/|work=Transworld Skateboarding|publisher=Bonnier Corporation|access-date=August 17, 2012|author=Transworld|date=October 11, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120134852/http://skateboarding.transworld.net/1000009436/features/gasbag/|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and the almost parallel development of the grabbed aerial by George Orton and [[Tony Alva]] in California, made it possible for skaters to perform airs on vertical ramps. While this wave of skateboarding was sparked by commercialized vert ramp skating, a majority of people who skateboarded during this period did not ride vert ramps. As most people could not afford to build vert ramps, or did not have access to nearby ramps, [[Street skateboarding|street skating]] increased in popularity.

Freestyle skating remained healthy throughout this period, with pioneers such as [[Rodney Mullen]] inventing many of the basic tricks that would become the foundation of modern street skating, such as the "Impossible" and the "[[kickflip]]".<ref name="Architecture"/> The influence that freestyle exerted upon street skating became apparent during the mid-1980s; however, street skating was still performed on wide vert boards with short noses, slide rails, and large soft wheels. In response to the tensions created by this confluence of skateboarding "genres", a rapid evolution occurred in the late 1980s to accommodate the street skater. Since few skateparks were available to skaters at this time, street skating pushed skaters to seek out shopping centers and public and private property as their "spot" to skate. (Public opposition, in which businesses, governments, and property owners have banned skateboarding on properties under their jurisdiction or ownership, would progressively intensify over the following decades.) <ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Skate For Life: An Analysis of the Skateboarding Subculture|url=http://honors.usf.edu/documents/Thesis/U69703351.pdf|work=Skate For Life: An Analysis of the Skateboarding Subculture (Honors Thesis)|publisher=USF University of South Florida|access-date=August 17, 2012|author=Thomas Slee|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120134855/http://honors.usf.edu/documents/Thesis/U69703351.pdf|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Poetics of Security: Skateboarding, Urban Design, and the New Public Space{{!}}1|url=http://bss.sfsu.edu/urbanaction/ua2001/ps2.html|work=Urban Action 2001|publisher=San Francisco State University|access-date=August 17, 2012|author=Ocean Howell|year=2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120724004733/http://bss.sfsu.edu/urbanaction/ua2001/ps2.html|archive-date=July 24, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> By 1992, only a small fraction of skateboarders continuing to take part in a highly technical version of street skating, combined with the decline of vert skating, produced a sport that lacked the mainstream appeal to attract new skaters.

During this period, numerous skateboarders—as well as companies in the industry—paid tribute to the scenes of [[Marty McFly]] skateboarding in the film ''[[Back to the Future]]'' for its influence in this regard. Examples can be seen in promotional material, in interviews in which professional skateboarders cite the film as an initiation into the action sport, and in the public's recognition of the film's influence.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome Back to the Future Of Radical |url=http://www.rogerskateboards.com/welcome-back-to-the-future-of-radical/ |publisher=Roger Skateboards|access-date=August 24, 2012 |author=Michael Sieben |author2=Stacey Lowery |date=June 23, 2012 |url-status= usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511170150/http://www.rogerskateboards.com/welcome-back-to-the-future-of-radical/ |archive-date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Going 'Back to the Future,' 25 years later|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/20/bttf.anniversary.go/index.html|work=CNN Cable News Network|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc|access-date=August 24, 2012|author=Henry Hanks|date=October 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222230003/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/20/bttf.anniversary.go/index.html|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Tony Hawk has stated that “there are plenty of legendary pros that I know of that started skating because they saw that [film].” <ref>{{Cite web|title=At Tokyo Olympics, a debt to 'Back to the Future' and 'E.T.'|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/23/at-tokyo-olympics-a-debt-to-back-to-the-future-and-et/117657620/|access-date=2021-08-01|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}}</ref>

===1990s===
Skateboarding during the 1990s became dominated by [[street skateboarding]].<ref name="Architecture"/> Most boards are about {{convert|7+1/4|to|8|in|mm}} wide and {{convert|30|to|32|in|mm}} long. The wheels are made of an extremely hard [[polyurethane]], with hardness ([[durometer]]) approximately 99A. The wheel sizes are relatively small so that the boards are lighter, and the wheels' inertia is overcome quicker, thus making tricks more manageable. Board styles have changed dramatically since the 1970s but have remained mostly alike since the mid-1990s. The contemporary shape of the skateboard is derived from the [[Freestyle skateboarding|freestyle]] boards of the 1980s with a largely symmetrical shape and relatively narrow width. This form had become standard by the mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/freestyle/|title=HOME FREESTYLE Freestyle|publisher=Skateboard Express|access-date=March 20, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130606054411/http://www.skateboardexpress.com.au/freestyle/|archive-date=June 6, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===2000s===
[[File:Bad-mama-jamas 0049.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|Skateboarder in [[Manhattan|Manhattan, New York]] (2008)]]
By 2001, skateboarding had gained so much popularity that more American people under the age of 18 rode skateboards (10.6 million) than played baseball (8.2 million), although traditional organized team sports still dominated youth programs overall.<ref name="jump">{{cite web |url = http://www.ocfamily.com/t-coverstory_action_sports0203.aspx |title = Why kids climb higher and jump farther – on their own terms |author = John Weyler |publisher = OC Metro |date = February 2003 |access-date = December 2, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121102090542/http://ocfamily.com/t-CoverStory_Action_Sports0203.aspx |archive-date = November 2, 2012 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> Skateboarding and skateparks began to be viewed and used in a variety of new ways to complement academic lessons in schools, including new non-traditional physical education skateboarding programs, like Skatepass<ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Skateboards coming to a gym class near you |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12708014  |date=May 9, 2006  |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date= December 12, 2012}}{{dead link|date=August 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and [[Skateistan]],<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.news.com.au/world/female-afghan-skateboarder-pulls-off-fearless-big-air-at-bamiyan-buddha-site/story-fndir2ev-1226456483883 |title = Female skateboarder pulls off fearless big air at Bamiyan Buddha site |author = Simon Crerar |publisher = News Limited Network |date = August 23, 2012 |access-date = December 12, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227010444/http://www.news.com.au/world/female-afghan-skateboarder-pulls-off-fearless-big-air-at-bamiyan-buddha-site/story-fndir2ev-1226456483883 |archive-date = February 27, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref> to encourage youth to have better attendance, self-discipline and confidence.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/move/parents-pe-questions |title = What Do You Know About PE for Kids? |author = Ellen Greenlaw |website = WebMD |year = 2012 |access-date = December 1, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121122060606/http://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/move/parents-pe-questions |archive-date = November 22, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://nmai.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item/399/ |title = Ramp it Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America |publisher = Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian |year = 2009 |access-date = December 1, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140112232412/http://nmai.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item/399/ |archive-date = January 12, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.hepg.org/hel/article/143|title = Getting a Jump on Good Health|author = Sara-Ellen Amster|publisher = Harvard University|date = December 2000|work = Volume 16, Number 6|access-date = December 1, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120922034854/http://hepg.org/hel/article/143|archive-date = September 22, 2012|url-status = live}}</ref> This was also based on the healthy physical opportunities skateboarding was understood to bring participants for muscle & bone strengthening and balance, as well as the positive impacts it can have on youth in teaching them mutual respect, social networking, artistic expression and an appreciation of the environment.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://business.transworld.net/98778/news/just-one-board-skateboard-recycling-program/ |title = 'Just one Board' Skateboard Recycling Program |author = Kelli Hargrove |publisher = Transworld Business |date = May 24, 2012 |access-date = December 1, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120823125742/http://business.transworld.net/98778/news/just-one-board-skateboard-recycling-program/ |archive-date = August 23, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ocmetro.com/t-Just-One-Board-International-Association-of-Skateboarding-Companies-donations-6-20-12.aspx |title = 'Just One Board' offers skateboarders a chance to give back to their community |author = Jacy Danque |publisher = OC Metro |date = June 20, 2012 |access-date = December 1, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150322134458/http://www.ocmetro.com/t-Just-One-Board-International-Association-of-Skateboarding-Companies-donations-6-20-12.aspx |archive-date = March 22, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.wheelscape.co.uk/why-skateparks.php |title = Why a Skatepark is a Good Idea |publisher = Wheelscape |access-date = December 1, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121124073937/http://www.wheelscape.co.uk/why-skateparks.php |archive-date = November 24, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.cdc.gov/search.do?queryText=skateboarding&action=search |title = 2008 Physical Activity Guidelins for Americans  |publisher = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |year = 2008 |access-date= December 1, 2012 }}</ref>

In 2003, [[Go Skateboarding Day]] was founded in southern California by the [[International Association of Skateboard Companies]] (IASC)<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.oregonlive.com/wilsonville/index.ssf/2011/06/celebrate_international_go_ska.html|title = Celebrate International Go Skateboarding Day Tuesday in Wilsonville|author = Vickie Kavanagh|newspaper = The Oregonian|date = June 15, 2011|access-date = December 16, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120115160735/http://www.oregonlive.com/wilsonville/index.ssf/2011/06/celebrate_international_go_ska.html|archive-date = January 15, 2012|url-status = live}}</ref> to promote skateboarding throughout the world. It is celebrated annually on June 21 "to define skateboarding as the rebellious, creative celebration of independence it continues to be."<ref>{{cite web|title=GO SKATEBOARDING DAY 2012 PICS|url=http://www.theadrenalist.com/sports/go-skateboarding-day-2012-pics/|work=The Adrenalist|publisher=Unilever|access-date=May 25, 2013|date=June 22, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531123439/http://www.theadrenalist.com/sports/go-skateboarding-day-2012-pics/|archive-date=May 31, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-jun-22-la-me-0622-skateboarders-20110622-story.html |title = Hundreds in L.A. celebrate Go Skateboarding Day |author1 = Ricardo Lopez |author2 = Andrew Blankstein |date = June 22, 2011 |work = [[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date = November 18, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150611002516/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/22/local/la-me-0622-skateboarders-20110622 |archive-date = June 11, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://skateboard.about.com/od/events/a/GoSkateDay.htm |title = Go Skateboarding Day |author = Steve Cave |publisher = About.com |access-date = November 18, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130116231026/http://skateboard.about.com/od/events/a/GoSkateDay.htm |archive-date = January 16, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url = http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2007/06/11/361140/121178/en/United-States-Government-Goes-Skateboarding.html |title = United States Government Goes Skateboarding |publisher = International Association of Skateboard Companies |via = GlobeNewswire, Inc. |date = June 11, 2007 |access-date = December 8, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150610220152/http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2007/06/11/361140/121178/en/United-States-Government-Goes-Skateboarding.html |archive-date = June 10, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://business.transworld.net/100295/news/just-one-board-makes-its-mark-on-go-skateboarding-day/ |title = Just One Board Makes Its Mark On Go Skateboarding Day |author = Kelli Hargrove |publisher = Transworld Business |date = June 13, 2012 |access-date = December 12, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120627045436/http://business.transworld.net/100295/news/just-one-board-makes-its-mark-on-go-skateboarding-day/ |archive-date = June 27, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref>
According to market research firm American Sports Data the number of skateboarders worldwide increased by more than 60 percent between 1999 and 2002—from 7.8 million to 12.5 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Globe International Headquarters|url=http://www.australiandesignreview.com/interiors/2183-globe-international-headquarters|work=Australian Design Review|publisher=Niche Media|access-date=May 25, 2013|author=Domingo Antonio Robledo|date=June 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911040010/http://www.australiandesignreview.com/interiors/2183-globe-international-headquarters|archive-date=September 11, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

Many cities also began implementing recreation plans and statutes during this time period, as part of their vision for local parks and communities to make public lands more available, in particular, for skateboarding, inviting skateboarders to come in off of the city streets and into organized skateboarding activity areas.<ref name="Architecture"/> By 2006, there were over 2,400 skateparks worldwide and the design of skateparks themselves had made a transition, as skaters turned designers.<ref name="jump"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1220532-1,00.html |title = It's All in the Swoop |author = Richard Lacayo |magazine = Time Magazine |date = July 30, 2006 |access-date = December 3, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121106002431/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1220532-1,00.html |archive-date = November 6, 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="C4WDefault-5726471">{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=316.0085&URL=CH0316/SEC0085.HTM |title=The 1999 Florida Statutes 316.0085 Skateboarding; inline skating; freestyle bicycling; definitions; liability. |work=leg.state.fl.us |date=c. 1999 |access-date=December 1, 2012 |author=The Florida Legislature (1999) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406003947/http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=View%20Statutes&SubMenu=1&App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=316.0085&URL=CH0316%2FSEC0085.HTM |archive-date=April 6, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cprs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=261&catid=82&Itemid=56&phpMyAdmin=58b368d4cb5b69c1b7d216ab094e3960 |title=Issues Facing California's Skate Parks |last1=Childs |first1=Marti |last2=March |first2=Jeff |publisher=California Park & Recreation Society |date=Spring 2002 |volume=58 |issue=2 |page=32 |access-date=December 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407073207/http://www.cprs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=261&catid=82&Itemid=56&phpMyAdmin=58b368d4cb5b69c1b7d216ab094e3960 |archive-date=April 7, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url = https://archive.org/details/skateboardingins0000wixo |url-access = registration |page = [https://archive.org/details/skateboardingins0000wixo/page/9 9] |quote = skateboarding curriculum. |title = Skateboarding Instruction, Programming and Park Design |author = Ben Wixon |publisher = Human Kinetics |year = 2009 |isbn = 9780736074261 |access-date = December 2, 2012 }}</ref> Many new places to skateboard designed specifically for street skaters, such as [[the Buszy]] in [[Milton Keynes]], UK, and the Safe Spot Skate Spot program, first initiated by professional skateboarder [[Rob Dyrdek]] throughout many cities, allowed for the creation of smaller alternative safe skate plazas to be built at a lower cost.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url = http://skateboarding.transworld.net/1000157925/news/kansas-citys-first-safe-spot-skate-spot/ |title = Kansas City's First Safe Spot Skate Spot |author = Blair Alley |magazine = Transworld Skateboarding |date= May 15, 2012 |access-date = December 3, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130529130146/http://skateboarding.transworld.net/1000157925/news/kansas-citys-first-safe-spot-skate-spot/ |archive-date = May 29, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref> One of the largest locations ever built to skateboard in the world, [[Skateboarding in China|SMP Skatepark]] in China, at 12,000 square meters in size, was built complete with a 5,000-seat stadium.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?skateboarding_with_chinese_characteristics_12079.aspx |title = Skateboarding with Chinese Characteristics |author = Jonathan Chow |date = June 20, 2008 |work = University of Southern California |access-date = November 2, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140407084431/http://uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?skateboarding_with_chinese_characteristics_12079.aspx |archive-date = April 7, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2009, [[Skatelab]] opened the Skateboarding Hall of Fame & Skateboard Museum. Nominees are chosen by the IASC.<ref name="Six">{{cite web|title=Six added to Skateboarding Hall of Fame|work=ESPN Action|date =November 2, 2010|url=https://www.espn.com/action/skateboarding/news/story?id=5749227|access-date=October 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101102222614/http://sports.espn.go.com/action/skateboarding/news/story?id=5749227|archive-date=November 2, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web  |url =http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2008-05-30/sports/039.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919002415/http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2008-05-30/sports/039.html|url-status=dead|archive-date =September 19, 2015|title =Hawk, other skateboarding legends slated to attend book signing at Skatelab|first=Thomas|last=Gase|publisher =Simi Valley Acorn  |date =May 5, 2008|access-date =December 22, 2012}}</ref>

===2010s{{ndash}}present===
[[File:Freeride Skateboarding & Downhill Slides.webm|thumb|right|upright=1.0|Downhill skateboarding (video) (2012)]]
Efforts have been taken to improve recognition of the cultural heritage as well as the positive effects of encouraging skateboarding within designated spaces. In 2015, the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], hosted an event at which skateboarders accompanied by music did tricks on a ramp constructed for a festival of [[Culture of the United States|American culture]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Finding a Line: Skateboarding, Music, and Media with Jason Moran and The Bandwagon|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/XPAEJ|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=[[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]]|date=September 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926111844/http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/XPAEJ|archive-date=September 26, 2015|access-date=October 15, 2018}}</ref> The event was the climax of a ten-day project that transformed a federal institution formerly off-limits to the skateboarding community into a platform for that community to show its relevance through shared cultural action in a cultural common space.

By raising £790,000, the [[Long Live Southbank]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.llsb.com|title=Long Live Southbank|website=www.llsb.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726165207/http://www.llsb.com/|archive-date=July 26, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> initiative managed in 2017 to curb the destruction of a forty year old spot in London, the [[Southbank Centre|Southbank Undercroft]], a popular skate park, due to urban planning, a salvaging operation whose effect extends beyond skateboarding.<ref name="Architecture"/> The presence of a designated skating area within this public space keeps the space under nearly constant watch and drives [[Homelessness in England|homeless people]] away, increasing the feeling of safety in and near the space.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/07/skaters-make-cities-safer-fight-save-southbank-centre-skatepark|title=How skaters make cities safer – and the fight to save the Southbank skate spot|last=Rinvolucri|first=Bruno|date=2017-08-07|work=The Guardian|access-date=2018-01-14|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115001521/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/07/skaters-make-cities-safer-fight-save-southbank-centre-skatepark|archive-date=January 15, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The activity attracts artists such as photographers and film makers, as well as a significant number of tourists, which in turn drives economic activity in the neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRO1vhjx_uY|title=How Skaters Make Cities Safer|website=YouTube|date=January 2, 2018 |access-date=2018-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817111044/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRO1vhjx_uY&gl=US&hl=en&has_verified=1&bpctr=9999999999|archive-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Recently, [[barefoot]] skating has been experiencing a revival. Many skaters ride barefoot, particularly in summer and in warmer countries, such as [[South Africa]], [[Australia]], [[Spain]] and [[South America]]. The plastic [[penny board]] is intended to be ridden barefoot, as is the surfboard-inspired [[hamboard]].

[[Electric skateboard]]s became popular during the 2010s, as did [[self-balancing unicycle]]s in a board format. The sport of skateboarding made its [[Olympic Games|Olympics]] debut at the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] in [[Tokyo]], with both men's and women's events. Competitions took place during July and August 2021 in two disciplines: street and park (see [[Skateboarding at the 2020 Summer Olympics]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Skateboarding |url=https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/skateboarding/ |website=Tokyo 2020|access-date=21 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820112434/https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/skateboarding/ |archive-date=20 August 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<gallery mode="height=&quot;120px&quot;">
File:Merza.jpg|Skateboarder at [[Skateistan]] in [[Kabul]], [[Afghanistan]] (2011)
File:1 bowl skate boarding.JPG|A skateboarder in mid flight performing a trick in Australia (2012)
File:Iso-Vilunen Skatepark (20767168976).jpg|The Iso-Vilunen Skatepark in [[Kaukajärvi (district)|Kaukajärvi]], [[Tampere]], [[Finland]] (2015)
File:Nicholas Deconie frontside five-0 at Millennium Skate Park, Owl's Head Park.jpg|Nicholas Deconie frontside five-0 at [[Millennium Skate Park]] in [[Brooklyn|Brooklyn, New York]] (2019)
File:Skaters await their turn during the best trick contest.jpg|Skaters await their turn during the best trick contest at the [[Coleman Playground|Coleman Playground Skatepark]] in [[Manhattan|Manhattan, New York]] (2019).
File:Luiz Francisco em Tóquio 2021.jpg|Brazil's [[Luiz Francisco]] competing in the [[2020 Summer Olympics]] final at the [[Ariake Urban Sports Park]] in [[Tokyo]] on August 5, 2021
File:Venice_Beach_Skateboarding.jpg|A skateboarder at [[Venice, Los Angeles|Venice Beach]] (2022)
</gallery>

==Trick skating==
{{Main|Skateboarding trick}}
With the evolution of [[skatepark]]s and ramp skating, the skateboard began to change. Early skate tricks had consisted mainly of two-dimensional [[Freestyle skateboarding tricks|freestyle maneuvers]] like riding on only two wheels ("wheelie" or "manual"), spinning only on the back wheels (a "pivot"), high jumping over a bar and landing on the board again, also known as a "hippie jump", long jumping from one board to another, (often over small barrels or fearless teenagers), or slalom. Another popular trick was the [[Bertlemann slide]], named after Larry Bertelemann's surfing maneuvers.

In 1976, skateboarding was transformed by the invention of the [[Ollie (skateboarding)|ollie]] by [[Alan Gelfand|Alan "Ollie" Gelfand]].<ref name="Architecture"/> It remained largely a unique Florida trick until the summer of 1978, when Gelfand made his first visit to California. Gelfand and his revolutionary maneuvers caught the attention of the West Coast skaters and the media where it began to spread worldwide. The ollie was adapted to flat ground by [[Rodney Mullen]] in 1982. Mullen also invented the "Magic Flip", which was later renamed the [[kickflip]], as well as many other tricks including the [[360 Kickflip]], which is a 360 pop [[shove-it]] and a kickflip in the same motion. The flat ground ollie forms the basis of many street skating tricks, allowing skateboarders to perform tricks in mid-air without any more equipment than the skateboard itself. A recent development in the world of trick skating is the [[1080 (skateboarding)|1080]], which was first ever landed by [[Tom Schaar]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skateboarding.com.au/news/12-year-old-lands-first-ever-1080-skateboard/|title=12 year old lands the first ever 1080 on a skateboard|date=July 3, 2012|publisher=Skateboarding.com.au|access-date=October 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215175336/http://www.skateboarding.com.au/news/12-year-old-lands-first-ever-1080-skateboard/|archive-date=December 15, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Video/tom-schaar-first-ever-1080-video-021243187489113 |date=March 30, 2012 |title=12-year-old skateboarder nails first ever 1080 |format=video |publisher=Red Bull |access-date=April 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501095403/http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Video/tom-schaar-first-ever-1080-video-021243187489113 |archive-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Culture==
{{See also|Skate punk|Punk fashion|Category:Skateboarding videos|Skate video}}
[[File:Tony Hawk at the California Hall of Fame Induction Event - 2019.ogg|thumb|[[Tony Hawk]] speaking about the importance of skateboarding in people's lives at the [[California Hall of Fame]] induction ceremony in 2019 (video)]]

=== Film ===
Skateboarding was popularized by the 1986 skateboarding cult classic ''[[Thrashin' (film)|Thrashin'<nowiki/>]]''. Directed by [[David Winters (choreographer)|David Winters]] and starring [[Josh Brolin]], it features appearances from many famous skaters such as [[Tony Alva]], [[Tony Hawk]], [[Christian Hosoi]] and [[Steve Caballero]]. ''Thrashin'<nowiki/>'' also had a direct impact on ''[[Lords of Dogtown]]'', as [[Catherine Hardwicke]], who directed ''Lords of Dogtown'', was hired by Winters to work on ''Thrashin{{'}}'' as a [[production designer]] where she met, worked with and befriended many famous skaters including the real Alva, Hawk, Hosoi and Caballero.<ref name="Architecture"/>

Skateboarding was, at first, tied to the culture of [[surfing]]. As skateboarding spread across the United States to places unfamiliar with surfing or surfer culture, it developed an image of its own. For example, the classic film short ''[[Video Days]]'' (1991) portrayed skateboarders as "reckless rebels".<ref name="Architecture"/>

California duo [[Jan and Dean]] recorded the song "[[Sidewalk Surfin']]" in 1964, which is the [[Beach Boys]] song "[[Catch a Wave]]" with new lyrics associated with skateboarding instead of surfing.

=== Skate parks ===
[[File:Skate park.webp|thumb|Kids playing on [[Freestyle scootering|scooters]] at a [[skatepark]]]]
Certain cities still oppose the building of [[Skatepark|skate parks]] in their neighborhoods, for fear of increased crime and drugs in the area. The rift between the old image of skateboarding and a newer one is quite visible: magazines such as ''[[Thrasher (magazine)|Thrasher]]'' portray skateboarding as dirty, rebellious, and still firmly tied to [[Punk subculture|punk]], while other publications, ''[[Transworld Skateboarding]]'' as an example, paint a more diverse and controlled picture of skateboarding. As more professional skaters use [[hip hop]], [[reggae]], or [[hard rock]] music accompaniment in their videos, many urban youths, hip hop fans, reggae fans, and hard rock fans are also drawn to skateboarding, further diluting the sport's punk image.

Group spirit supposedly influences the members of this community. In presentations of this sort, showcasing of criminal tendencies is absent, and no attempt is made to tie extreme sports to any kind of illegal activity. Female based skateboarding groups also exist, such as [[Brujas (skate crew)|Brujas]] which is based in [[New York City]]. Many women use their participation in skate crews to perform an alternative form of femininity.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kelly|first=Deirdre|date=August 2005|title=Skater girlhood and emphasized femininity: 'you can't land an ollie properly in heels'|journal=Gender and Education|volume=17|issue=3|pages=229–248|doi=10.1080/09540250500145163|s2cid=145298518}}</ref> These female skate crews offer a safe haven for women and girls in cities, where they can skate and bond without male expectations or competition.

=== Video ===
The increasing availability of technology is apparent within the skateboarding community. Many skateboarders record and edit videos of themselves and friends skateboarding. However, part of this culture is to not merely replicate but to innovate; emphasis is placed on finding new places and landing new tricks.

=== Video games ===
Skateboarding video games have also become very popular in skateboarding culture.<ref name="Clayton">{{Cite web |last=Clayton |first=Natalie |date=2021-05-27 |title=Skateboarding games are back, here's why they're better than ever |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/skateboarding-games-are-back-heres-why-theyre-better-than-ever/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817143832/https://www.pcgamer.com/skateboarding-games-are-back-heres-why-theyre-better-than-ever/ |archive-date=2022-08-17 |access-date=2023-11-13 |website=PC Gamer |language=en}}</ref> Some of the most popular are the [[Tony Hawk (series)|''Tony Hawk'' series]] and ''[[Skate (2007 video game)|Skate]]'' series for various consoles (including hand-held) and personal computer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.surfertoday.com/skateboarding/the-best-skateboarding-games-of-all-time|title = The best skateboarding games of all time}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/best-skateboard-video-games|title=The Best (And Worst) Skateboard Video Games, According to Skaters|date=June 28, 2020}}</ref>

===Skate shoe===
{{Further|Skate shoe}}
Because early skateboarders were surfers trying to emulate the sport of surfing, many rode [[barefoot]], which led to foot injuries.<ref name="Fitzpatrick" /> This led to the need for a shoe that was specifically designed and marketed for skateboarding, such as the Randy "720", manufactured by the Randolph Rubber Company, and [[Vans]] sneakers, which eventually became cultural iconic signifiers for skateboarders during the 1970s and '80s as skateboarding became more widespread.<ref name="Wave" /><ref name="Popular">{{cite web |url = http://www.highsnobiety.com/2012/10/25/most-popular-and-era-defining-skateshoes-of-the-last-30-years-part-2/ |title = Most Popular and Era-Defining Skateshoes Of the Last 30 Years Part 2 |author = Fritz Radtke |date = October 25, 2012 |work = Highsnob |access-date = November 10, 2012 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130615190431/http://www.highsnobiety.com/2012/10/25/most-popular-and-era-defining-skateshoes-of-the-last-30-years-part-2/ |archive-date = June 15, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-9209--.html | title= Vans strides back to O.C. | access-date= October 29, 2012 | author= Hang Nguyen | work= Orange County Register | date= June 1, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150318173737/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-9209--.html | archive-date= March 18, 2015 | url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://archive.mensjournal.com/jimmy-van-doren-skating%E2%80%99s-accidental-hero | title= Jimmy Van Doren: Skating's Accidental Hero | access-date= November 13, 2012 | author= David Browne | work= Men's Journal | year= 2012 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131016124830/http://archive.mensjournal.com/jimmy-van-doren-skating%E2%80%99s-accidental-hero | archive-date= October 16, 2013 | df= mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://skateboarddirectory.com/articles/480439_microsoft_video_games_and.html| title= Microsoft, Video Games, and Vans Skateparks| access-date= October 28, 2012| author= Josh Rabinowitz| work= SkateboardDirectory| date= November 23, 2002| url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121027222841/http://skateboarddirectory.com/articles/480439_microsoft_video_games_and.html| archive-date= October 27, 2012| df= mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url= http://skateboarddirectory.com/articles/483254_vans_second_quarter_sales.html | title= Vans Second Quarter Sales and Earnings | access-date= October 28, 2012 | author= Vans Inc. | work= SkateboardDirectory | date= December 26, 2003 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121027191512/http://skateboarddirectory.com/articles/483254_vans_second_quarter_sales.html | archive-date= October 27, 2012 | df= mdy-all }}</ref> One of the early leading trends associated with the [[Subculture|sub-culture]] of skateboarding itself was the sticky-soled slip-on [[skate shoe]], most popularized by [[Sean Penn]]'s skateboarding character from the 1982 film ''[[Fast Times at Ridgemont High]]''.<ref name="Architecture" /><ref name="Wave" />

While the skate shoes design afforded better connection and traction with the deck, skateboarders themselves could often be identified when wearing the shoes, with Tony Hawk once saying, "If you were wearing Vans shoes in 86, you were a skateboarder".<ref name="Stalefish"/> Because of its connection with skateboarding, Vans financed the legendary skateboarding documentary ''[[Dogtown and Z-Boys]]'' and was the first sneaker company to endorse a professional skateboarder, [[Stacy Peralta]]. Vans has a long history of being a major sponsor of many skateboarding competitions and events throughout skateboarding history as well, including the [[Warped Tour|Vans Warped Tour]] and the Vans Triple Crown Series.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref name="Wave"/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000027743/other/xbox-sponsors-vans-triple-crown/|title = Xbox sponsors vans triple crown |date = July 23, 2001 |work = Transworld Snowboarding |access-date= October 28, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-best-skateboarders-to-compete-in-southern-california-october-6-8th-vans-to-host-premier-event-in-the-sport-73449707.html| title= World's Best Skateboarders to Compete in Southern California| access-date= October 29, 2012| author= Vans| work= PRNewswire| year= 2000| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131114181536/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/worlds-best-skateboarders-to-compete-in-southern-california-october-6-8th-vans-to-host-premier-event-in-the-sport-73449707.html| archive-date= November 14, 2013| url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="shoes">{{cite web |url = http://www.skateboardermag.com/features/15thngshoes/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110127072958/http://www.skateboardermag.com/features/15thngshoes/ |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 27, 2011 |title = 15 Things You Didn't Know About Skate Shoes |author = Adam Salo |date = January 5, 2006 |work = GrindMedia |access-date = November 2, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Footwear">{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yuMdRAAACAAJ |title = Made for Skate:The Illustrated History of Skateboard Footwear |author1 = Jurgen Blumlein |author2 = Daniel Schmid |author3 = Dirk Vogel |publisher = Gingko Press |date = July 1, 2010 |isbn = 9781584233978 |access-date = November 2, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150319224353/http://books.google.com/books/about/Made_for_Skate.html?id=yuMdRAAACAAJ |archive-date = March 19, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url = http://www.ladolcetati.com/sneakers.html|title = The Heads Behind The Shoes|author = Tatiana Simonian|magazine = Anthem Magazine|year = 2005|access-date = November 13, 2012|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100625041009/http://www.ladolcetati.com/sneakers.html|archive-date = June 25, 2010|df = mdy-all}}</ref>

As it eventually became more apparent that skateboarding had a particular identity with a style of shoe, other brands of shoe companies began to specifically design skate shoes for functionality and style to further enhance the experience and culture of skateboarding including such brands as; [[Converse (shoe company)|Converse]], [[Nike Skateboarding|Nike]], [[DC Shoes]], [[Globe International|Globe]], [[Adidas]], [[Zoo York (company)|Zoo York]] and [[World Industries]]. Many professional skateboarders are designed a pro-model skate shoe, with their name on it, once they have received a [[skateboarding sponsorship]] after becoming notable skateboarders. Some shoe companies involved with skateboarding, like [[Sole Technology]], an American footwear company that makes the [[Etnies]] skate shoe brand, further distinguish themselves in the market by collaborating with local cities to open public [[skateparks]], such as the [[etnies Skatepark]] in [[Lake Forest, California|Lake Forest]], California.<ref name="shoes"/><ref name="Footwear"/><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sitedesigngroup.com/projects/details/lake-forest |title = Etnies Skatepark Of Lake Forest Aerial |work=Site Design Group|access-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003012253/http://www.sitedesigngroup.com/projects/details/lake-forest|archive-date=October 3, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Street">{{Cite book|last=Davis|first=James|title=Skateboarding is not a Crime: 50 years of Street Culture|publisher=Firefly Books|year=2004|pages=[https://archive.org/details/skateboardingisn00davi/page/67 67]|url=https://archive.org/details/skateboardingisn00davi|url-access=registration|isbn=9781554070015|access-date=November 14, 2015}}</ref>

===Skateboard deck===
{{Further|Skateboard deck}}
Individuality and a self-expressed casual style have always been cultural values for skateboarders, as uniforms and jerseys are not typically worn.<ref name="Ethnographic">{{cite web |url = http://thesportjournal.org/article/ethnographic-study-skateboarding-culture |title = An Ethnographic Study of the Skateboarding Culture |author = Linda Moore |date = October 2009 |work = The Sport Journal |access-date = November 12, 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091012182157/http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/ethnographic-study-skateboarding-culture |archive-date = October 12, 2009 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Skateboarding Aesthetic - Skater Style|url=https://lolipoper.com/skateboarding-aesthetic/|website=Lolipoper Magazine}}</ref> This type of personal style for skateboarders is often reflected in the graphical designs illustrated on the bottom of the deck of skateboards, since its initial conception in the mid-seventies, when Wes Humpston and Jim Muri first began doing design work for Dogtown Skateboards out of their garage by hand, creating the very first iconic skateboard-deck art with the design of the "Dogtown Cross".<ref>{{cite magazine |url = http://juicemagazine.com/home/dogtown-chronicles-wes-humpston// |title = Dog Town Chronicles:Wes Humpston |author = Ari Marsh |magazine = Juice Magazine |date = December 1, 2005 |access-date = November 17, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131222034636/http://juicemagazine.com/home/dogtown-chronicles-wes-humpston/ |archive-date = December 22, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABBvb7X3SWk |title = Walrus TV: Wes Humpston Interview from "The Run Up" |author = Walrus TV |website = [[YouTube]] |date = December 2, 2009 |access-date = November 17, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150604103925/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABBvb7X3SWk |archive-date = June 4, 2015 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125382730236838863.html#slide/1|title = Skateboarding's History in Graphics|author = V.Courtlandt Johnson|date = September 25, 2009|work = [[the Wall Street Journal]]|access-date = November 17, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100102062550/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125382730236838863.html#slide/1|archive-date = January 2, 2010|url-status = live}}</ref>

Prior to the mid-seventies many early skateboards were originally based upon the concept of “Sidewalk Surfing” and were tied to the [[surf culture]], skateboards were surfboard like in appearance with little to no graphics located under the bottom of the skateboard-deck.<ref name="Architecture"/> Some of the early manufactured skateboards such as "Roller Derby", the "Duraflex Surfer" and the "Banana board" are characteristic. Some skateboards during that time were manufactured with company logo's or stickers across the top of the deck of the skateboard, as [[griptape]] was not initially used for construction. But as skateboarding progressed and evolved, and as artists began to design and add influence to the artwork of skateboards, designs and themes began to change.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.noupe.com/design/art-on-board-skateboarding-and-the-artistic-sub-culture.html |title = Art on Board: Skateboarding and the Artistic Sub-Culture |author = Kendra Gaines |publisher = Noupe |date = June 14, 2012 |access-date = December 8, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121219112727/http://www.noupe.com/design/art-on-board-skateboarding-and-the-artistic-sub-culture.html |archive-date = December 19, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref>

There were several artistic skateboarding pioneers that had an influence on the culture of skateboarding during the 1980s, that transformed skateboard-deck art like Jim Phillips, whose edgy comic-book style "Screaming Hand", not only became the main logo for [[Santa Cruz Skateboards]], but eventually transcended into tattoos of the same image for thousands of people and vinyl collectible figurines over the years.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/05.21.98/nhs-9820.html |title = Extreme Success |author = Mary Spicuzza |newspaper = Metro Santa Cruz |date = May 1998 |access-date = November 18, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121005061002/http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/05.21.98/nhs-9820.html |archive-date = October 5, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.skateboardermag.com/features/phillips-qa/ |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131105102612/http://www.skateboardermag.com/features/phillips-qa/ |url-status = dead |archive-date = November 5, 2013 |title = Jim Phillips Q/A |date = June 1, 2006 |work = [[Skateboarder Magazine]] |access-date = November 18, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_20377882/wild-aggressive-artwork-jimbo-phillips-carries-well-known|title = The wild, aggressive artwork of Jimbo Phillips carries on a well-known Santa Cruz dynasty|author = Wallace Baine|newspaper = Santa Cruz Sentinel|date = April 12, 2012|access-date = November 18, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120829211403/http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_20377882/wild-aggressive-artwork-jimbo-phillips-carries-well-known|archive-date = August 29, 2012|url-status = live}}</ref> Artist Vernon Courtlandt Johnson is said to have used his artwork of skeletons and skulls, for [[Powell Peralta]], during the same time that the music genres of [[punk rock]] and [[new wave music]] were beginning to mesh with the culture of skateboarding.<ref name="Wave"/><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.espn.com/action/skateboarding/news/story?id=6220433|title = VCJ rejoins Powell-Peralta|author = Jeff DiNunzio|publisher = ESPN Action Sports|date = March 24, 2011|access-date = November 24, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110528124122/http://sports.espn.go.com/action/skateboarding/news/story?id=6220433|archive-date = May 28, 2011|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=z30T4ogfo3EC&q=most+famous+skateboard+deck+art&pg=PT28|title = The World of Skateboarding|author = Brian Wingate|publisher = Rosen Publishing group|year = 2003|isbn = 9780823936489|access-date = November 28, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140709024038/http://books.google.com/books?id=z30T4ogfo3EC&pg=PT28&dq=most+famous+skateboard+deck+art&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QXm2UN-7O8m3iwKxwoGwBA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw|archive-date = July 9, 2014|url-status = live}}</ref> Some other notable skateboard artists that made contributions to the culture of skateboarding also include Andy Jenkins, [[Todd Bratrud]], [[Neil Blender]], [[Marc McKee]], [[Tod Swank]], [[Mark Gonzales]], [[Lance Mountain]], [[Natas Kaupas]] and [[Jim Evans (artist)|Jim Evans]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://blog.istia.tv/2011/03/skateboard-in-hat.html |title = The skateboard in the hat |author = Xavier Lannes |publisher = I Skate Therefore I Am |date = March 14, 2011 |access-date = December 8, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131107061654/http://blog.istia.tv/2011/03/skateboard-in-hat.html |archive-date = November 7, 2013 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.espn.com/action/skateboarding/news/story?id=4330040 |title = Indisposable: "The Disposable Skateboard Bible" |author = Josh Brooks |publisher = ESPN Action Sports |date = November 4, 2009 |access-date = December 8, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121104182951/http://espn.go.com/action/skateboarding/news/story?id=4330040 |archive-date = November 4, 2012 |url-status = live }}</ref>

Over the years skateboard-deck art has continued to influence and expand the culture of skateboarding, as many people began collecting skateboards based on their artistic value and nostalgia. Productions of limited editions with particular designs and types of collectible prints that can be hung on the wall, have been created by such famous artists as [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Keith Haring]].<ref name="Architecture"/> Most professional skateboarders today have their own signature skateboard decks, with their favorite artistic designs printed on them using [[computer graphics]].<ref>{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=47WXJ609j0MC&q=powell+peralta+history&pg=PA6|title = To the Limit Skateboarding|author = Andy Horsley|publisher = Rosen Publishing group|year = 2012|isbn = 9781448870295|access-date = November 28, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150319234110/http://books.google.com/books?id=47WXJ609j0MC&pg=PA6&dq=powell+peralta+history&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xHG2UPT9Nc_piQKI14DgCg&ved=0CDwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=powell%20peralta%20history&f=false|archive-date = March 19, 2015|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="Workshop">{{cite web | last = Fleming | first = Robin | title = Keith Haring x Alien Workshop | publisher = ESPN Action Sports | date = August 14, 2012 | url = https://www.espn.com/action/skateboarding/story/_/id/8290604/alien-workshop-releases-keith-haring-series | access-date = November 28, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151117015252/http://espn.go.com/action/skateboarding/story/_/id/8290604/alien-workshop-releases-keith-haring-series | archive-date = November 17, 2015 | url-status = live }}</ref>

===High value and collectible skateboards===
In January 2019, [[Sotheby's]] in New York auctioned<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sothebys.com/buy/011b12b0-9c13-4731-bfa1-697e16b21f45|title=Sotheby's Supreme Skateboard Auction|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507084716/https://www.sothebys.com/buy/011b12b0-9c13-4731-bfa1-697e16b21f45|archive-date=May 7, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> the full set of the 248 skateboard deck designs ever sold by [[Supreme (brand)|Supreme]], collected by Ryan Fuller. The full set sold for $800,000 to 17 year old Carson Guo from Vancouver<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/news/supreme-skate-decks-800k-interview-2840618/|title=Meet the Teen Collector Who Just Spent $800,000 on a Collection of Supreme Skate Decks|last=Berlinger|first=Max|date=2019-02-12|website=Robb Report|language=en|access-date=2019-03-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212224507/https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/news/supreme-skate-decks-800k-interview-2840618/|archive-date=February 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> who plans to exhibit them in a local gallery.

New York based SHUT Skateboards had a goldplated skateboard for sale at $15,000 in 2014, then the most expensive skateboard in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thrillist.com/gear/gold-plated-skateboard-from-shut-costs-15-000|title=Ollie Like A Baller On Your Very Own Gold Skateboard|last=McGauley|first=Joe|date=2014-04-29|website=Thrillist|access-date=2019-03-13}}</ref>

In 2019, artist [[Adrian Wilson (artist)|Adrian Wilson]] created the SUPREME Mundi, a cross between an artist palette and a skateboard as a commentary on the record bids at auction of the Supreme decks and the restored ''[[Salvator Mundi (Leonardo)|Salvator Mundi]]'' which was sold by a New York art gallery for $20,000<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/market/supreme-artist-palette-skateboard-1486516|title=This Artist Just Sold the 'World's Most Expensive Skateboard'—Called 'Supreme Mundi'—for $20,000|date=2019-03-12|website=artnet News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331012539/https://news.artnet.com/market/supreme-artist-palette-skateboard-1486516|archive-date=March 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Safety==
Skateboards, along with other small-wheeled transportation such as in-line skates and scooters, suffer a safety problem: riders may easily be thrown from small cracks and outcroppings in pavement, especially where the cracks run across the direction of travel. Hitting such an irregularity is the major cause of falls and injuries.<ref name="Fountain-1996" /> The risk may be reduced at higher travel speeds.

Severe injuries are relatively rare.<ref name="Keilani-2010">{{Cite journal  | last1 = Keilani | first1 = M. | last2 = Krall | first2 = C. | last3 = Lipowec | first3 = L. | last4 = Posch | first4 = M. | last5 = Komanadj | first5 = TS. | last6 = Crevenna | first6 = R. | title = Skateboarding injuries in Vienna: location, frequency, and severity. | journal = PM&R | volume = 2 | issue = 7 | pages = 619–24 |date=Jul 2010 | doi = 10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.04.022 | pmid = 20659717 | s2cid = 23388180 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Commonly, a skateboarder who falls suffers from [[Abrasion (medical)|scrapes]], [[lacerations|cuts]], [[bruise]]s, and [[sprain]]s.<ref name="Keilani-2010" /> Among injuries reported to a hospital, about half involve broken bones, usually the long bones in the leg or arm.<ref name="Fountain-1996">{{Cite journal  | last1 = Fountain | first1 = JL. | last2 = Meyers | first2 = MC. | title = Skateboarding injuries. | journal = Sports Med | volume = 22 | issue = 6 | pages = 360–6 |date=Dec 1996 | doi =  10.2165/00007256-199622060-00004| pmid = 8969014 | s2cid = 43292625 }}</ref> One third of skateboarders with reported injuries are very new to the sport, having started skating within one week of the injury.<ref name="Fountain-1996" /> Although less common, involving 3.5–9 percent of reported injuries, [[traumatic head injuries]] and death are possible severe outcomes.<ref name="Fountain-1996" />

Skating as a form of transportation exposes the skateboarder to the dangers of other traffic. Skateboarders on the street may be hit by other vehicles or may fall into vehicular traffic.

Skateboarders also occasionally pose a risk to other pedestrians and traffic. If the skateboarder falls, the skateboard may roll or fly into another person. A skateboarder who collides with a person who is walking or biking may injure or, rarely, kill that person.<ref name="White 2011 a887">{{cite web | last=White | first=Kimberly | title=Woman killed after collision with skateboarder had been hit by one 15 years prior | website=Santa Cruz Sentinel | date=July 8, 2011 | url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2011/07/08/woman-killed-after-collision-with-skateboarder-had-been-hit-by-one-15-years-prior/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516123357/https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2011/07/08/woman-killed-after-collision-with-skateboarder-had-been-hit-by-one-15-years-prior/ | archive-date=May 16, 2022 | url-status=live | access-date=August 14, 2023}}</ref>

Many jurisdictions require skateboarders to wear [[bicycle helmet]]s to reduce the risk of head injuries and death. Other protective gear, such as [[wrist guard]]s, also reduce injury. Some medical researchers have proposed restricting skateboarding to designated, specially designed areas, to reduce the number and severity of injuries, and to eliminate injuries caused by motor vehicles or to other pedestrians.<ref name="Fountain-1996" />

The use, ownership and sale of skateboards were forbidden in [[Norway]] from 1978 to 1989 because of the high number of injuries caused by boards. The ban led skateboarders to construct ramps in the forest and other secluded areas to avoid the police. There was, however, one legal skatepark in the country in [[Frogner Park]] in Oslo.<ref>{{cite news|title=The secret skateboarders who defied Norway's 11-year ban|work=BBC News|date=April 18, 2016|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36077122|access-date=19 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821055648/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36077122|archive-date=August 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Forsman |first1=L. |last2=Eriksson |first2=A. |title=Skateboarding injuries of today |date=June 26, 2001 |journal=British Journal of Sports Medicine |publisher=BMJ Publishing Group |volume=35 |issue=5 |pages=325–328 |url=http://bjsportmed.com/content/35/5/325.full |doi=10.1136/bjsm.35.5.325 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120134908/http://bjsportmed.com/content/35/5/325.full |archive-date=January 20, 2013 |df=mdy-all |pmc=1724407 |pmid=11579065}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19780914&id=sAAkAAAAIBAJ&pg=5528,6154421 |title=Norway to Ban Skateboards |date=September 14, 1978 |newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |access-date=October 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117033315/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19780914&id=sAAkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hGcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5528,6154421 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Other uses and styles==
{{For|styles of skateboarding|Skateboarding styles}}

===Transportation===
The use of skateboards solely as a form of transportation is often associated with the [[Longboard (skateboard)|longboard]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://longboardgirlscrew.com/2011/12/board_shapes_and_its_uses/|title=Board shapes and its uses » Blog Archive » Longboard Girls Crew|website=longboardgirlscrew.com|access-date=2016-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229115412/http://longboardgirlscrew.com/2011/12/board_shapes_and_its_uses/|archive-date=December 29, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Depending on local laws, using skateboards as a form of transportation outside residential areas may or may not be legal.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20110430/PC1602/304309937|title=Skateboarders face legal roadblocks|last=Behre|first=Robert|date=March 23, 2012|newspaper=The Post and Courier|access-date=October 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120134856/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20110430/PC1602/304309937|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Backers cite portability, exercise, and environmental friendliness as some of the benefits of skateboarding as an alternative to automobiles.

===Military===
[[File:USMC with a skateboard.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|Soldier carrying a skateboard during a military exercise in [[Oakland, California]] (March 1999)]]
The [[United States Marine Corps]] tested the usefulness of commercial off-the-shelf skateboards during [[Urban warfare|urban combat]] [[military exercise]]s in the late 1990s in a program called Urban Warrior '99. Their special purpose was "for maneuvering inside buildings in order to detect [[tripwire]]s and [[sniper]] fire".<ref>{{cite web|title=URBAN WARRIOR '99|url=http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/DVIC_View/Still_Details.cfm?SDAN=DMSD0002959&JPGPath=/Assets/2000/Marines/DM-SD-00-02959.JPG|work=DefenseImagery.mil|publisher=Defense Visual Information (DVI) Directorate|access-date=September 14, 2012|author=LCPL CHRISTOPHER L. VALLEE|date=March 16, 1999|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217092906/http://www.dodmedia.osd.mil/DVIC_View/Still_Details.cfm?SDAN=DMSD0002959&JPGPath=%2FAssets%2F2000%2FMarines%2FDM-SD-00-02959.JPG|archive-date=February 17, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Role of Experimentation in Building Future Naval Forces|url=http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309088739|work=The National Academies Press|publisher=National Academy of Sciences|access-date=September 14, 2012|author=Naval Studies Board|year=2004|doi = 10.17226/11125|isbn = 978-0-309-08873-2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130121931/http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309088739|archive-date=November 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Trampboarding===
Trampboarding is a variant of skateboarding that uses a board without the trucks and the wheels on a [[trampoline]]. Using the bounce of the trampoline gives height to perform tricks, whereas in skateboarding one needs to make the height by performing an [[Ollie (skateboarding)|ollie]]. Trampboarding is seen on [[YouTube]] in numerous videos.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Company |first=The Trampskate |title=The Trampskate Company - Home |url=https://trampolineskateboarding.com/ |access-date=2022-09-06 |website=The Trampskate Company |language=en-PH}}</ref>

===Swing boarding===
Swing boarding is the activity where a skateboard deck is suspended from a pivot point above the rider which allows the rider to swing about that pivot point. The board swings in an arc which is a similar movement to riding a half pipe. The incorporation of a harness and frame allows the rider to perform turns and spins all while flying through the air.

==Controversy==
Skateboarding damages urban terrain features such as curbs, benches, and ledges when skateboarders perform "[[Grind (skateboarding)|grinds]]" and other tricks on these surfaces.<ref name=Atlantic>(1) {{cite news |last=Abbate |first=Vince |date=June 28, 2007 |title=The trucks stop here |url=http://www.newsreview.com/chico/trucks-stop-here/content?oid=345188 |newspaper=Chico News & Review |publisher=Chici Community publishing, INC |access-date=December 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217195001/http://www.newsreview.com/chico/trucks-stop-here/content?oid=345188 |archive-date=December 17, 2012 |url-status=dead }}.<br />(2) {{cite journal |last=Heywood |first=Will |date=2011 |title=Navigating the New Fortress |journal=Urban Action |publisher=Department of Urban Studies and Planning at San Francisco State University |pages=19–33 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427155805/https://sites7.sfsu.edu/sites/sites7.sfsu.edu.dusp/files/UrbanAction_2011_0.pdf |archive-date=April 27, 2014 |url=https://sites7.sfsu.edu/sites/sites7.sfsu.edu.dusp/files/UrbanAction_2011_0.pdf }}<br />(3) {{cite web|first=Robert|last=Rosenberger|date=June 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701135734/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/how-cities-use-design-to-drive-homeless-people-away/373067/|archive-date=July 1, 2014|title=How Cities Use Design to Drive Homeless People Away: Saying "you're not welcome here"—with spikes|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/how-cities-use-design-to-drive-homeless-people-away/373067/|work=The Atlantic|publisher=The Atlantic Monthly Group|access-date=April 23, 2017|quote=An example of an everyday technology that's used to forbid certain activities is “skateboard deterrents,” that is, those little studs added to handrails and ledges.  These devices, sometimes also called “skatestoppers” or “pig ears,” prevent skateboarders from performing sliding—or “grinding”—tricks across horizontal edges. A small skateboard deterrence industry has developed, with vendors with names like “stopagrind.com” and “grindtoahault.com.”}}<br />(4) {{cite news|last=Kelly|first=John|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/its-a-grind-the-birth-of-those-metal-ledge-guards-designed-to-deter-skateboarders/2020/05/23/ea2b2fc0-9b95-11ea-ad09-8da7ec214672_story.html|title=It's a grind: The birth of those metal ledge guards designed to deter skateboarders|department=Local|date=May 23, 2020|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=June 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524183249/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/its-a-grind-the-birth-of-those-metal-ledge-guards-designed-to-deter-skateboarders/2020/05/23/ea2b2fc0-9b95-11ea-ad09-8da7ec214672_story.html|archive-date=May 24, 2020|url-status=dead}}.</ref> Private industry has responded to this problem by using [[Anti-skate device|skate deterrent devices]], such as the [[Skatestopper]], in efforts to prevent further damage and to reduce skateboarding on these surfaces.<ref name=Atlantic/>

The enactment of ordinances and the posting of signs stating "Skateboarding is not allowed" have also become common methods to discourage skateboarding in public areas in many cities, to protect pedestrians and property.<ref name="Architecture"/><ref name=Costello>{{cite news |url = http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/skateboarding-is-not-a-sport/content?oid=44507 |title = Skateboarding is not a sport: Skateboarding the Sacramento streets takes skill, balance and nerve. Just don't call it a sport. |first = Becca |last = Costello |newspaper = Sacramento News & Review |date = November 10, 2005 |access-date = December 10, 2012 |quote = Despite stickers, posters and T-shirts stating the contrary, it turns out that skateboarding is, in fact, a crime. “In the downtown district, you can skateboard as transportation,” Rafter explained. “Anything other than all four wheels on the ground and getting to where you're going, they have a problem with.”<br />Illegal skating includes jumping over cracks or obstacles on the sidewalk (rather than stopping, picking up one's board and walking around the obstacle), turning, riding over certain public property and any stopping maneuver that could be considered a trick. A ticket for skateboarding is a traffic violation, but skaters are more commonly cited for vandalism or trespassing—misdemeanors that stay on a skater's record and usually carry a fine or a sentence of 40 hours of community service, or both. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170706113036/https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/skateboarding-is-not-a-sport/content?oid=44507 |archive-date = July 6, 2017 |url-status = live }}</ref> In the area of street skating, tickets and arrest from police for [[trespass]]ing and [[vandalism]] are not uncommon.<ref name=Costello/>

Skateboarding has become an important problem in [[Freedom Plaza]], a National Park within the [[Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=skateboarding/><ref name="Historic Site">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107000905/http://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/PA%20AVE%20NHS%202007.pdf|archive-date=January 7, 2017|url=http://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/PA%20AVE%20NHS%202007.pdf|title=Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site|work=[[National Register of Historic Places]] Registration Form: [[National Park Service]]: [[United States Department of the Interior]]|pages=191–192|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|publisher=[[Government of the District of Columbia]] Planning Office|access-date=March 29, 2017}}</ref> The Plaza has become a popular location for skateboarding, although the activity is illegal and has resulted in police actions.<ref name=skateboarding>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Penn/PAAV_Management_Plan_5-14-2014.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304004018/https://www.nps.gov/nationalmallplan/Documents/Penn/PAAV_Management_Plan_5-14-2014.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2017|access-date=March 29, 2017|date=April 2014|title=Skateboarding|pages=24–25|work=Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site Management Plan: Visitor Information, Education and Enjoyment|publisher=[[National Mall and Memorial Parks]]: [[National Park Service]]: [[United States Department of the Interior]]|location=Washington, D.C.|quote=Skateboarding damages stonework, walls, steps, and sculpture in some areas and presents a persistent law enforcement and management challenge. Damaged areas include stone facing on memorials, benches, and other surfaces. Moreover, popular websites advertise the attractiveness of these areas for skateboarding, which indicates the large scope of this challenge.  .... Actions: .... In park areas replace and maintain “No Skateboarding” signs that have been vandalized.}}</ref><ref>(1) {{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622142001/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/city-desk/blog/20783039/park-police-disperse-dozens-of-skaters-at-freedom-plaza|archive-date=June 22, 2016|url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/city-desk/blog/20783039/park-police-disperse-dozens-of-skaters-at-freedom-plaza|title=Park Police Disperse Scores of Skaters at Freedom Plaza|work=Washington City Paper|first=Andrew|last=Giambrone|date=June 21, 2016|access-date=March 29, 2017}}<br />(2) {{cite news|first=Michelle|last=Goldchain|url=https://ggwash.org/view/68468/why-is-pennsylvania-avenues-freedom-plaza-such-a-failure|title=Why is Pennsylvania Avenue's Freedom Plaza such a failure?|date=July 31, 2018|access-date=October 30, 2018|work=Greater Greater Washington|language=en|quote=One group of people do use Freedom Plaza regularly: skateboarders. The open hardscape and railings of Freedom Plaza make an excellent and popular skate park, though skating there is not actually allowed and Park Police regularly chase skaters from the park.<br />Scott Brown said, “They came from all over the country to wreck our plaza, which they nearly did, and all those inscriptions on the floor and everything else, that's ruined by roller skating.”|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816052723/https://ggwash.org/view/68468/why-is-pennsylvania-avenues-freedom-plaza-such-a-failure|archive-date=August 16, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Plaza contains copies of portions of [[L'Enfant Plan|Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the nation's capital city]] that have been inscribed in the park's raised marble surface.<ref name="Historic Site"/> A 2016 [[National Park Service]] management plan for the Historic Site states that skateboarding has damaged stonework, sculptures, walls, benches, steps, and other surfaces in some areas of the Plaza.<ref name=skateboarding/> The management plan further states that skateboarding presents a persistent law enforcement and management challenge, as popular websites advertise the Plaza's attractiveness for the activity.<ref name=skateboarding/> The plan notes that vandals have removed "No Skateboarding" signs and recommends the replacement of those signs.<ref name=skateboarding/>

A professional skateboarder promoted on [[Facebook]] the use of governmental sites for the prohibited activity during the [[United States federal government shutdown of 2013|2013 federal government shutdown]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303492504579118220560115320|title=Skateboarders See a (Kick) Flip Side to the Government Closing: With Washington Plazas Empty and Patrols Down, a Banned Sport Is Suddenly On|format=video|last=Williamson|first=Elizabeth|date=October 11, 2013|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]], U.S. Edition|access-date=March 30, 2017|quote=One positive thing about the gov't shutdown  – spots at gov't buildings are now skateable – Darren Harper, Pro Skateboarder, via [[Facebook]].|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331115615/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303492504579118220560115320|archive-date=March 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Anti-skate device]]s
* [[List of professional skateboarders]]
* [[List of skateboarding companies]]
* [[Carveboarding]] (or Surfskating)

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General references ==
* Borden, Iain (2019). ''Skateboarding and the city: a complete history''. London; New York: Bloomsbury Academic. {{ISBN|978-1-4725-8345-1}}.
* Brannon, Brian, and Bryce Kanights (2001). ''Thrasher: Insane Terrain''. New York: Universe Pub. {{ISBN|9780789305367}}. {{oclc|781625890}}.
* Hawk, Tony, and Mortimer, Sean (2000). ''Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder''. New York: HarperCollins.
* Hocking, Justin, Jeffrey Knutson and Jared Maher (eds.) (2004). ''Life and Limb: Skateboarders Write from the Deep End''. New York: Soft Skull Press.
* Mullen, Rodney and Mortimer, Sean (2003). ''The Mutt''.
* {{cite book | last = Weyland | first = Jocko | title = The Answer Is Never: A Skateboarder's History of the World | publisher = Grove Press | year = 2002 | isbn = 9780802139450 | url = https://archive.org/details/answerisnever00jock/page/21 | url-access = registration | access-date = November 10, 2012 }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Skateboarding}}

{{Skateboarding}}
{{Extreme Sports}}
{{Summer Olympic sports}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Skateboarding| ]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Culture of California]]
[[Category:Individual sports]]
[[Category:Roller sports]]
[[Category:Sports originating in the United States]]
[[Category:Summer Olympic sports]]
[[Category:Transport culture]]
[[Category:Youth culture]]
[[Category:Youth culture in the United States]]