Thursday, May 3, 2007 1:15 AM CDT
Skateboarding sees revival locally and nationwide
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
The “g” at the end of the word “skating” isn’t the only thing 16-year-old James Lawrence has dropped.
He let go of his drinking habit six months ago, about the same time that he picked up skatin’ again, after a hiatus of several years.
“It’s a good, healthy source of adrenaline,” said Lawrence, a student at Mattoon High School.
And whether it’s from the influence of video games and extreme sports, or simply because it’s a fun alternative to even riskier behavior, skateboarding is becoming increasingly popular with local young people.
This apparently reflects a national trend as well.
The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association said in its 2006 Sports Participation Topline Report that skateboarding involvement increased 58.3 percent in the United States during the previous seven years. The number of skateboarders rose 7.5 percent between 2004 and 2005, from approximately 10.6 million to almost 11.4 million.
The SGMA said skateboarding is the second-ranked extreme sport nationwide. Only inline skating is more celebrated, with almost 16.5 million participants.
Skateboarding was the 10th most favored form of athletics for children in 2004, while 81 percent of skateboarders are ages 6 to 17, according to the SGMA. (Believe it or not, bowling was the top sport for kids in 2004, with more than 17 million participants.)
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reported a year ago that some Colorado elementary schools have inducted skateboarding into their physical education curriculum. Educators said the sport improves balance and core strength, as well as self-esteem, according to the AP.
The resurgence of skateboarding may be due in part to former skaters, like James Lawrence in Mattoon, who gave it up for a while but have recently returned to the half-pipe-shaped fold.
Lawrence said he has been skating since the age of 10, although took some time off for “a few years” during junior high.
“I really do think it’s coming back,” said Lawrence. “And I’m learning stuff that I couldn’t do before.”
He isn’t the only one who’s dusted off his skateboard.
Mattoon teen Troy Connelly, 14, got his first board from Wal-Mart at the age of 4. But he also quit for about two years.
“No one really skated anymore,” said Connelly, who took up the sport again recently. “It’s kind of coming back. It’s just now starting to come back.”
Charleston teen Nick Barnes, 17, has skated for about 10 years. He frequents the Charleston skateboard park that was renovated about six years ago. “The adrenaline rush, the feeling (when) you land something, it feels good,” he said.
But teenagers aren’t the only ones riding skateboards.
Mattoon resident Jason Hendrix, 20, said he’s skated “on and off” for about seven years. He too has noticed an increase of late in the number of skateboarders.
Hendrix speculated that video games, such as the series inspired by pro skater Tony Hawk, have played a role in cultivating the new generation of skateboarders.
“There are a lot more kids who skate now,” Hendrix said.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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 Nathaniel West (JG/T-C)
Charleston teen Nick Barnes practices his technique at the skateboard park in Charleston.
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