The thing about skateboarding is that its not really a sport. There are no rules, boundaries, coaches, teammates; any of the things that people would associate with traditional sports. The biggest difference between skating and sports is that skateboarding is constantly changing, evolving where other sports stay basically the same through the ages. True, there are competitions for skating (like the X-games), but most skaters aren't really concerned with having their skating judged and being better than the other guys. Skating is more of a personal thing. It is an outlet for creativity, a way to have fun, not a competition. It can be frustrating, you have to work at it and practice a lot and there is some pain involved but those who skate will tell you it is completely worth it.

Skating basically was started by a group of surfers in the ‘70s who wanted to be able to practice their surfing moves when they couldn't surf. So they took these boards with wheels, went to an emptied-out backyard swimming pool and practiced. The more they skated, the more they discovered new tricks. This caught on and soon skateboard companies were started and competitions were held. Professional skaters like Tony Hawk and Steve Alba became icons for skater kids all around the country. As the ‘80s came to a close, so did the majority of vert (vertical-ramps and pools) competition as street skating gained popularity. Basically, the same kids that idolized the professional vert skaters developed a new style of skating that took place on streets, curbs and stairs (because they didn't have ramps and all that).

Ironically, this screwed over most of the same skaters that these kids idolized because soon the focus of skateboarding was taken off vert skating and vert competition and went to street skating and street skating videos. Although street skating was a great change for skaters, the general public wasn't too thrilled about it. Skaters soon got a bad reputation with the people who owned the property the skaters skated on. This is why you see so many “no skateboarding” signs around. Street skaters now face the challenge of trying to skate at their favorite spots with the constant threat of being kicked out by business owners or security guards, or getting fined by police (or "public safety officers"). Because of this, skaters have worked together with their cities to build skateparks – a place where skaters can go skate and have fun without being harassed.

Portland has one of the best and most famous skateparks around, the Burnside Skate Park. As skaters get forced into parks, skating is evolving once again as street skating and vert skating are coming together and mixing more and more. So just go out and skate.