After spending years taking on activities looked upon as “indecent hobbies,” one Pleasant Valley student took his years of practice and passion to create a new value for sports.
Outstanding athlete and senior Nick Bruinsma found his love for skateboarding in sixth grade. He would get together with his friends at local parks to improve certain skills and compete amongst each other.
However, with the rising use of social media as a constant source to voice opinions, students find themselves set on the debate over which activities are truly considered a sport. Skateboarding is one of these many activities.
For life-long and committed skaters like Bruinsma, skateboarding is less about the competition and more about distinctiveness and passion. “I like the individuality of it and the fact that I am able to do what I want without having anyone telling me how I should be doing it,” said Bruisma.
Despite the fact that some think skateboarding doesn’t fit the description of a true sport, Bruinsma believes it requires the same mental fortitude as any other sport would. “Whether I’m biking, skateboarding or scootering, I am intrinsically motivating myself,” he said. “This is the mentality needed for any sport.”
Skateboarding will make its debut appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Although it is seen as a rebellious activity, due to its valiant turns and flips, skateboarding is finally on its way to the mainstream world of the Olympic Games. Karate, rock climbing and surfing are among the other extreme sports added to the agenda of the Summer Olympics.
Though these additions are a testament to the sporting taste of the current generation, these new incorporations mark a new era for the Olympic games, leaning into the developing culture of sports today.
Bruinsma incorporates his passion for these activities to many aspects of his life, one being the pictures and videos displayed on his social media. He enjoys posting videos in order to feel a sense of accomplishment and to show the public that participants, such as himself, have the skill and potential necessary to take on such extreme sports.
Whether or not these activities are considered true sports is indeterminate; it is doubtful that an answer will ever be formed. Even so, the world of sports is being revolutionized, especially for those athletes that partake in unusual hobbies.
Senior Adrian Swanson follows up on lots of sports and enjoys seeing the new activities that are making leaps forward into the world of sports on a global level. “These new activities, such as skateboarding, expose people to lesser known sports and give people who participate in those sports a chance to show their talent,” he said.
For students like Bruinsma, the recognition of these new activities in sports may be life-changing. Bruinsma hopes to not only prosper as an athlete, but to help the ever-changing culture of sports prosper as well. “I love the activities I take on,” Bruinsma added. “I will continue them as long as I can, regardless of what others believe.”
