Assignment 5-1

Skateboarding has gained much popularity in recent years. A 2002 study by American Sports Data estimated there were 18.5 million skateboarders worldwide (Skateboarding, 2010). The sport has continued to grow in popularity with the development of new material and equipment as well as the creation of thousands of skate parks worldwide. The sport has been popularized in movies like “Gleaning the Cube”, “Grind” and “Lords of Dogtown”. “Transworld Skateboarder “ and “Thrasher” are two magazines devoted to the sport. Today the sport even hosts professional skaters with corporate sponsorships and June 21st each year is designated as “Go Skateboarding Day” by manufacturers and suppliers. There are several skateboarding video games available for X Box, Wii, Play Station and Nintendo game consoles.
The board itself has evolved tremendously since its early beginnings when skateboards were mostly homemade creations built from pieces of roller skates and wood. Skateboard manufacturers began using lightweight plastics in the 1970s along with purpose built wheels made of polypropylene. Later, aluminum and fiberglass were used for increased strength. These improvements made possible many new tricks for the skateboarder. The strength and abrasion resistance offered by the manufacturers allowed skaters to perform jumps, aerial maneuvers and to slide along curbs, handrails and such. As a certain degree of difficulty is mastered, the hardcore skater seeks new challenges. This quest resulted in the use of empty swimming pools with curved walls and bottoms to develop new tricks. There are now purpose built structures in skate parks worldwide specifically for skateboarders to hone their skills or emulate their favorite professional.
Skateboarders were initially seen as a nuisance riding their boards on public sidewalks and streets. Skateboarding was banned for a time in Norway for fear of injuries. Popularity eventually won favor as municipalities began constructing and maintaining skateboard parks to get them off the streets and sidewalks. It appears as if skateboarding will remain popular in near term.
References:
Skateboarding (2010). Wikipedia. Retreived June 21, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skateboarding