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Skateboarding is back in the UK and this time, after a couple of false starts since it first emerged in the USA in the 50s, it looks like it is finally here to stay. It is bigger and badder than ever before and has spread its influence, not only into sports stores because of the range of skateboarding equipment available but into UK fashion, music and language. Local councils across the length and breadth of the British Isles are bowing to the growing pressure for more suitable skate parks to be provided and the number of kids taking up street sports is growing. Since ESPN and other sports channels have become more widely available in the UK, it has fueled their interest further.

The main difference between the skateboards that first hit the UK and those being used now is the level of skill that the riders aspire to from watching professionals taking part in the X-Games and other extreme skateboarding championships around the world. We are finally catching up. Awesome! Ask any self-respecting teen who Tony Hawks is and they won’t say he is the bloke off the insurance advert but more a modern god of professional extreme sports. Among the hottest selling games for the various types of gaming consoles are those by the man himself and other titles that involve skateboarding. His range of skateboarding equipment is, not surprisingly, highly sought after by skateboarders and those who use aggressive skates, too.

Aggressive skating is also taking the UK by storm. The days of those dodgy roller skates with four wheels that you had to fasten red straps over your trainers or pumps, as they were then, are long gone. They were replaced by roller boots. Those were big in the 70’s and 80’s when roller discos and ankle warmers were all the rage. Roller blades then began to become popular. These were recreational inline skates that have retained a similar style ever since. Now, aggressive skates are also popular for those who want to perform tricks. What has changed dramatically is the aggressive style of skating and the ever daring tricks that the professional skaters pull off.

The essentials of skateboarding equipment are now more widely available than ever before. Prices have dropped to the point that boards, helmets, pads, aggressive skates and other accessories are within the budget of UK teens. It is not just the skateboarding equipment that is on the shopping list but also the clothing and music. No self-respecting boarder or skater would be without their cargo pants and beanies and Linkin Park and Avril Lavigne are sure to be on their mp3 player. While most of the skate boarding and aggressive skating scene in the UK was imported from the States, our teens can be proud to know that they started the baggy clothing scene and it traveled Stateside.