Tattoos, Piercings, and Vandalism are often what many people associate with Skateboarding.

Although some of these characteristics are true, there are many skaters that prove these details to be false. What many people don’t know is how much these “delinquent” skaters help with the community.

To name only a few, there is the Tony Hawk Foundation that funds the building of skate parks to give kids a safe place to skate, Mike Smith is often found speaking at schools and has two nonprofit organizations to help the community and to get kids involved in helping, and Rob Dyrdek who established SLS (Street League Skateboarding) a foundation that is a nonprofit program that gives kids not only a safe place to skate and live out their passion but also raise awareness of positive benefits that could be rewarded to skaters around the world.

Skaters are very misunderstood, in the eyes of many parents picking up a skateboard is like a jail sentence and in law enforcement agencies eyes they are often viewed as troublemakers.

Yes, the evidence is there that some skateboarders have been caught trespassing, doing graffiti art, or picking fights, but without the skate parks or the big names creating organizations to inspire the kids to do good with their talents or helping fund skate parks to keep our kids off the streets, we would have more to worry about.

But as the parks grow, so does the awareness for the organizations, so that our community can become more accepting of the sport and the people in it.

Everybody fits in with the sport, whether you’re male or female, tall or short, thin or a bit bigger, pierced or unpierced, and poor or rich. Many cultures are involved with skateboarding as well, it gives many minors an escape from the troubles in their lives and even helps the adults.

It’s an art, a passion, a lifestyle, but most of all it’s a misunderstood sport.

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