Skateboarding is Not a Sport.

Skateboarding is very similar to the work of an artist. Here's how it changed my life and a highlight video.

I like to talk about skateboarding. You will never see an empty skatepark. It’s a great place for kids and adults to go who maybe don't feel they 'fit in' with other groups of people. That was me when I started.

Ryno Skateboard Glory Days - Video

I found skateboarding at a young age, around 10 years old. You can watch me in this video above doing a skidding kick-turn in the freestyle bowl of the famous Del Mar Skate Ranch in 1986. The effect skateboarding has had on my life cannot be overstated. Skating is connected to my identity as a creative person. It is pure creativity in action and very similar to how artists work. I approach much of what I do in life with a skater's mentality.

Perhaps it's hard to see it's power? The recent Olympic commercialization of skating has definitely obscured it's true purpose.  It's most definitely not a sport. Trying to make it one is a crime. True skaters accept everyone, regardless of where they come from or their skill. Like artists, there is no competition between skaters. There is no 'correct' way to do what you do. There are no points to be scored. There is no timer, or clock, because it's not a game. It’s never finished. You can do it with others, but it's not team thing. No one is made to sit on the bench. There’s not ‘half-way’ doing it. You have to put you body into it--it's not safe. You can get hurt. Style is involved. It feels incredible to roll. I feels even better to land and roll away from a difficult trick you never imagined yourself doing. You get to believe in yourself on your own terms. It's pure play, infused with life enriching lessons about failure and redemption. The successes and failures are yours alone. When others notice your triumphs, you get to feel adoration. It's very much like making art.