Written by John Mark Adkison
I am going to confess something I’ve never really told anyone before: I have a whole lot of respect for skateboarders.
“But why skateboarders?” you might inquire.
“Well, it is quite simple,” I would reply. “Could you stand at the top of a 20-foot half-pipe only to step off the edge to guide a wooden board with wheels beneath your feet in hopes that you are able to get a firm footing on the board before you find yourself freefalling to certain agony? And could you stay on the board while it ascends the other slightly curved wall of the half-pipe, to launch off the opposite end and maneuver through the empty air as you spin the board between your feet? Would you have the cour- age to skate and jump over a whole staircase, grind along a metal bar or build up enough momentum to accomplish an ollie?”
And that right there is why I have so much respect for skateboarders, even for those minimally skilled enough to skateboard down the brick sidewalks on the front lawn. In order to skateboard,you have to combine agility, coordination, balance, momentum, clarity, patience and high amounts of self-confidence, and that’s just to keep the board moving easily along the sidewalk.
And that is why I think skateboarding should definitely be an event in the summer Olympics.
For the 2016 Summer Olympics,which will be hosted by the city of Rio de Janeiro, skateboarding and bicycle motocross freestyle are pushing to be part of the well-publicized events. The International Olympic Committee has put a limit of 28 games for the Summer Olympics, and that means there are two open spots for two sports to take.
The United Cyclists Inter- nationale, the world-governing organization for cycling, tried lobbying for BMX freestyle and skateboarding to be included in London’s 2012 games back in 2007, but failed since skate- boarding had no “recognized national entities or World Championships,”according to Sandrine Tonge, a spokesperson for the International Olympic Committee.
But Tonge said the IOC is interested in skateboarding because it would draw in younger viewers and keep the Olympics relevant for younger generations.
As I said before, I have a whole lot of respect for skateboarders, even when they nearly run me over from behind as I am just innocently walking to class, because they can do things I would never be able to do.
And I think their skill, dedication, confidence and sheer insanity should be enough to get them into the Olympics.
