An introduction to Skateboarding at Midland’s RTD Skatepark
After making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, skateboarding is making a comeback.
Skateboarding is an easy sport.
“A skater catches your eye. If they could see past the bloody, sweaty skateboarder they are and see resilience instead. Robert Bremerman of RTD Skatepark stated, “They are overcoming something in their minds, in their fears, and to rise above that, that’s American life.”
This piece of “American life” has a wooden board, wheels, and an open area, but beneath that is something deeper.
“I met all of my pals here. That’s how I got my knowledge. I think I’ve learnt the most and advanced the most in this park. The skateboarder Gabriel Tavarez from Midland stated, “This is just one of my favorite spots.”
Since 2014, many skaters in the Permian Basin have called RTD Skatepark home.
“For the past ten years, Rock the Desert has been cool enough to welcome us and has always offered free space to hang out. Being a parent is truly what I want to do. Make a secure environment,” Bremerman advised.
Athletes can now feel at ease falling and getting back up at the skatepark, even in difficult situations or following an injury.
“I’ve been wondering, ‘Should I even keep skateboarding?'” I’m completely immersed. My people live there. That’s where my emotions are. It truly is a part of me,” Tavarez remarked.
Professional skateboarding is returning to the Olympics this summer, this time in Paris, France, so these athletes will get to have a glimpse of themselves on the international scene.
“Those who were older and more experienced kind of shunned it, but these days it’s accepted as a sport and as something that’s actually challenging and labor-intensive. Not something that pricks accomplish on their own “Tavarez said.
Some people could be motivated to give the sport a try by the games. Bremerman made a few recommendations.
“You are a poser because of fear, I constantly say. Fear’s wall is two inches high. Go over it. So simply get going. Just get going. Bremerman advised finding a board and getting started.
In the 1950s, as surf culture was beginning to take off in the US, skateboarding emerged as a new and exciting activity. It was then associated with the ideas of freedom, revolt, and thrill-seeking, and it was a part of the 1980s underground and alternative culture. As the twenty-first century got underway, the sport kept growing and became more accessible, becoming extremely popular with younger audiences.
The two most popular and spectacular skateboarding disciplines, park and street, will pit the best skateboarders in the world against one another at the Olympics. Athletes have to perform their best stunts, satisfying requirements for maneuver range, difficulty level, and speed.
Preliminary and final rounds make up the tournaments.
Athletes use the course’s variety, which includes bowls and several bends, to gain momentum and execute feats in midair during the park competition.
Skateboarders are evaluated based on their ability to use the whole surface and all obstacles, as well as the height and speed at which they execute tricks during jumps.
Street competitions are held on a straight, “street-like” circuit that is equipped with rails, steps, and other features to replicate the urban settings in which skateboarding first gained popularity. In addition to executing a variety of tricks, competitors are evaluated on how well they manage their board over their two 45-second runs and five tricks.
Skateboarding will return to the Olympic program in Paris in 2024, this time at the iconic Place de La Concorde in the center of the French city,
