The Potential for High School Skateboarding Teams
Compiled by a StoreYourBoard Skating Enthusiast
Did you know that skateboarding is very close to becoming a recognized high school sport? The National High School Skateboarding Association, launched in 2007, is working to make skateboarding a team sport in high schools across the country. Many see this step as fundamental in making skateboarding a mainstream rather than counterculture sport.
The first season of team high school skateboarding, in 2007, was known as the California High School Skateboarding Club. Though it began small, it received widespread attention. This club was soon contacted by people all over the country who wanted to begin similar skateboarding teams at high schools nationwide. For the 2008 season, more than 20 high school teams signed up to compete throughout Southern California, and the name was changed to the National High School Skateboarding Association to reflect the national attention the movement had already received.
In 2009, there were over 45 teams competing in three regions: North, Central, and South Los Angeles. Though the movement is still centralized in California, not surprising considering the lengthy history of skateboarding there, the movement is poised to explode throughout the nation in the coming years. Soon you may see a competitive skateboarding team at a high school in your town.
The current competitive skateboarding season includes two competitions in the regular season, with the winners advancing to additional competitions at the semi-final level. The top individuals at the end of the season can potentially win an invitation to compete in the X Games, one of the sportÕs most prestigious competitions. NHSSA provides a valuable platform for young skateboarders looking to get their talents seen by big names.
The mission of the National High School Skateboard Association, or NHSSA, is to provide an environment for high school skateboarders to showcase their skating talents while still in school. The NHSSA believes that young skateboarders, like all other young athletes, need an outlet to compete and reach their full potential. The NHSSA supports skateboarders who want to take their abilities to the next level professionally, those who want to have a career in the skateboard industry, and those who simply enjoy skateboarding as a hobby.
Though this movement has received widespread attention, it is actually not the first attempt at competitive high school skateboarding teams. In fact, the idea goes as far back as the 1970s, the era of team skateboarding. In this era, skateboarders would often affiliate themselves with their local surf/skate shop, forming teams that would travel throughout California, competing for bragging rights. Though most of the competitors were high school students, teams were affiliated not with high schools but with skate shops.
With the National High School Skateboarding Association, it is clear that skateboarding is here to stay. This popular sport is on the cusp of becoming widely recognized as a high school sport. In future decades, it may become possible for teens across the nation to join a competitive high school skateboarding team. Still, the prospect of team skateboarding is not attractive to some young skateboarders, particularly those who skate with an individualist spirit and resist becoming part of an organized group, instead preferring skateboarding to remain counterculture.