Gnarly Skateboarders

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

The opening is enough to make anyone wonder why you would try these skateboarding stunts. Falling forty-five feet to the ground would probably be fatal for most, but Jake Brown survived his fall in the Big Air competition. The sport did not start with people flying through the air—they were originally firmly on the ground with their wooden boards with roller-skate wheels. Skateboards have changed and so have the tricks. Skaters started flying into the air. Street skating is also different as those who rode the boards looked at obstacles as challenges to try to jump over spin around and more. The Ollie was the first key trick for street skaters. Now there are competitions for Vert, Street, and Big Air styles of skateboarding. Kids looking at the pictures will see that these competitors wear helmets, knee pads, arms pads and sometimes gloves for added protection. The final text page shows a skateboarder with all the recommended gear. That is followed by a glossary and references to a few books and a web site and a short index. Part of the "X-Moves" series. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot