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I sold a lot of bicycles during my teenage years and we had a sideline in skateboards. Sometimes teenagers would buy their own bicycles with their own money ea

I sold a lot of bicycles during my teenage years and we had a sideline in skateboards. Sometimes teenagers would buy their own bicycles with their own money earned through doing actual work. However when it came to BMX and skateboard sales it would always be a parent that would be paying, with the child being one of those that has to walk three metres behind their mummy in a very teenage way. None of the skate/BMX crew had any money themselves and most were not that employable even in sales assistant roles (such as mine). I also found it funny how important it was for BMX/skater types to get 'sponsored'. Someone might give them a T-shirt once and they then think they are 'ambassador to the brand' or some such nonsense. In their quest for validation on small wheels they ended up just trundling up and down the same ramps in the officially mandated skatepark and that was about it. So this is the problem with the 'future of skateboarding' - the people that skateboard are skint and there just is not going to be a time when every town has a skateboarding shop. It is a sport where the boards/wheels bearings and T-shirts can be sold entirely online.

watwut 9y ago
Skaboarding is not cheap sport. Skateboards break often if you do tricks on them and shoes get destroyed often. You need parent to pay, because you are unlikely to earn that much. The other thing is, as much as people make fun of those seeking validation, the fact is, everyone needs validation and attention. The big difference is that some people are getting it easily, for example because they are good in more popular sport or can be funny or something. So you know, if they can get that need filled by going up and down ramp, then good for them. It is actually healthy way to deal with that need (the us vs them culture that tends to arise is other issue).
- lloeki 9y ago
  > The other thing is, as much as people make fun of those seeking validation, the fact is, everyone needs validation and attention The irony is that one of the most valuable lessons that skateboarding teaches you is: You learn to not give a shit, and that's where all the power, like, really lies. - Nora Vasconcellos You will fail, you will slam, you will look ridiculous. Get over it, deal with it. What other people think of you doesn't matter.
  - watwut 9y ago
    That does not mean you dont need validation etc. It means that your need to be validate does not interfer anymore with trying to learn new tricks in public. Which I fully agree is a good thing.
ry_ry 9y ago
Shoes and decks are consumables - getting a sponsorship, even if it's the occasional freebie from a local shop is a huge enabler for cash-poor skaters. The benefits are there for the brands too - don't underestimate the community aspect of nich sorta like skateboarding. skaters are essentially brand advocates/ambassadors irrespective of whether they were given the kit for free! Besides, if you snap a board or pop some bearings early in a session being able to wander over to a local store and pick a replacement is a big deal. Back in the day I'd happily have paid the bricks & mortar premium if it meant rescuing a day skating from an early trip home!

watwut 9y ago

Skaboarding is not cheap sport. Skateboards break often if you do tricks on them and shoes get destroyed often. You need parent to pay, because you are unlikely to earn that much. The other thing is, as much as people make fun of those seeking validation, the fact is, everyone needs validation and attention. The big difference is that some people are getting it easily, for example because they are good in more popular sport or can be funny or something. So you know, if they can get that need filled by going up and down ramp, then good for them. It is actually healthy way to deal with that need (the us vs them culture that tends to arise is other issue).

lloeki 9y ago
> The other thing is, as much as people make fun of those seeking validation, the fact is, everyone needs validation and attention The irony is that one of the most valuable lessons that skateboarding teaches you is: You learn to not give a shit, and that's where all the power, like, really lies. - Nora Vasconcellos You will fail, you will slam, you will look ridiculous. Get over it, deal with it. What other people think of you doesn't matter.
- watwut 9y ago
  That does not mean you dont need validation etc. It means that your need to be validate does not interfer anymore with trying to learn new tricks in public. Which I fully agree is a good thing.

ry_ry 9y ago

Shoes and decks are consumables - getting a sponsorship, even if it's the occasional freebie from a local shop is a huge enabler for cash-poor skaters. The benefits are there for the brands too - don't underestimate the community aspect of nich sorta like skateboarding. skaters are essentially brand advocates/ambassadors irrespective of whether they were given the kit for free! Besides, if you snap a board or pop some bearings early in a session being able to wander over to a local store and pick a replacement is a big deal. Back in the day I'd happily have paid the bricks & mortar premium if it meant rescuing a day skating from an early trip home!