Are Skateboarders Athletes?
By Zach Wenger
Skateboarding
is not full of disrespectful punks, but very inspired athletes. Throughout a
countless number of falls, skaters get back up and shake off until they can get
that ‘clean’ ride away. Skaters push themselves to the limit keeping their
bodies in great shape, constantly having their legs and feet being pounded on
throughout the whole day making them hardworking athletes. They go through lots
of different injuries, and most will still get on a skateboard with a broken
wrist or even an arm.
Skateboarders
should be looked at as athlete, not shady people, for they just want to compete
like any other professional athlete but rely on themselves. This makes them
some of the most inspired athletes to compete on such a high level because any
mistake or fall could cause them to not even have a chance in participating in
another competition and diminish every chance to win because they are not part
of an official team.
The way
skateboarders practice is different from any other athlete, getting up at any
time and just get out and skate for most of the day. To become the best, they
need to master every trick going fast and on the flat ground in order to go
over to 10 stairs or giant gaps. Every day of skating can be dangerous while
sliding down rail, or flying downing sets of stairs, skaters will go through so
much and still keep skating.
Competitions
that skateboarders compete in can be just as, if not, even more intense than
some other professional sports games. How these will usually go, includes each
skater having their own ‘runs’ and some where all of them will be out at the
same time. In order to win these competitions each skater will get their own
number of points based on how hard the trick is they do, and how smooth they
land each trick. If they fall, they won’t be disqualified but lose some points.
All in all,
skateboarders are hard training athletes who strive to become better and
overcome their fears on a daily basis. Even though they might be annoying to
the people, we need to realize that they are only trying to get better and make
a living at what they do.
