LA-SKATERS

Monica and Carl are teenagers from Los Angeles, the United States. They both love skateboarding and spend a lot of their free time on their boards. Read this interview with them and find out more about their passion for skateboarding.

When did you start skateboarding?

Monica: I started skateboarding when I was thirteen. When I was younger, I used to go roller skating a lot with my friends. Then one of my friends got a skateboard and let me try it. I fell off several times but loved it from the firstday. A couple of weeks later, I got my first skateboard. I haven’t given up roller skating, though. I still go sometimes.

Carl: I live in the city, and there’s a skate park near my house. I used to go to the park and watch the skateboarders, then my dad gave me a skateboard for my eleventh birthday in July, and I spent the summer skateboarding. I loved the sense of freedom and speed. I used to ride my bike a lot, but now I rarely use it.

Monica, is skateboarding an unusual sport for girls?

Monica: It’s more popular with boys than girls, but there are lots of girl skateboarders, too. It’s a sport for everyone. There are lots of people in their thirties and forties who started skateboarding as teenagers and are still doing it today.

Is skateboarding dangerous?

Carl: We all fall off our boards a lot, and sometimes you can hurt yourself, but most injuries are small, like cuts and bruises. Obviously, it’s a good idea to wear protective clothing like a helmet and it’s important to protect your hands and wrists too. Wrists are the part of the body that you’re most likely to injure when skateboarding because you put out your hands to protect yourself when you fall. I always wear wrist guards when I skate.

Are there skateboarding competitions?

Monica: Yes, there are. They usually take place in skate parks, and judges give skaters points for their jumps and tricks. In the United States and Europe, some skaters are professional and make a living by taking part in skating competitions.

Carl: There was a campaign to get skateboarding included in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but unfortunately, it wasn’t successful. But who knows? Skateboarding might be in the 2020 Games!

Tell me about Go Skateboarding Day.

Monica: Go Skateboarding Day started in 2004 when skateboarders in the United States decided it would be good to have a day that celebrates skateboarding. It is on the 21st of June every year. You can check it out online. It’s a day when there are events for skateboarders like competitions, parties and barbecues, and some people just go out and skate with their friends.

What about fashion? Is there a skater look?

Carl: Fashions change, but at the moment, the fashion is for skaters to wear tight jeans or black trousers and a hooded top, T-shirt or chequered shirt. Baseball caps and woollen hats called ‘beanies’ are popular, too.

Monica: A lot of skateboarders, both boys and girls, have long hair, too, but skaters can wear what they want. For me, love of the sport is more important than someone’s clothes.