Essay about Skateboarding and 360 Flip

Skateboarding
About.com found skateboarding to be the third most popular sport among teenagers after football and basketball in a U.S. survey. Although skateboarding is popular, it can be very risky. Frequent and risky skateboarding techniques can be dangerous to one’s physical well-being. As the tricks and techniques of skateboarding get more complicated, danger level increases and the number and type of injuries by participants are increased; therefore, there is a need for safety equipment and rules. As the complexity of tricks increases so does the danger levels, shown through the fact that simple tricks have a lower danger level and complicated tricks have a higher danger level.
When the trick is simple the danger level is lessened, as shown in tricks such as the ollie, kickturn, and manual. The Ollie is the basis for all flatland and park tricks, which is why most skateboarders start to learn it before anything else. It is basically when the skateboarder jumps with the skateboard attached to his or her feet. “Basically, the trick involves snapping the tail of the skateboard down while sliding the front foot up along the skateboard and jumping” (Cave Ollie). The Ollie is relatively safe and can be practiced at home. The kickturn is another basic
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skateboarding trick. “Kickturning is when you balance on your back wheels for a moment, and swing the front of your board to a new direction” (Cave Kickturns). “A manual is a skateboarding trick where, while rolling, the front wheels of the skateboard are lifted off the ground, but the tail does not touch the ground. This is called a manual or manualing. A manual is similar to a wheelie in other wheeled sports” (Cave Kickturns). A manual is another basic skateboarding trick with minimum complexity and thus, minimum danger. Complicated tricks are accompanied with higher danger levels, and therefore dangerous skateboarding tricks to learn includes the complicated tricks such as the 360 flip (also known as the tre-flip), the coffin trick, and the rocket air. The 360 flip is a trick rated highly on the danger scale. “The 360 Flip (also known as a "tre-flip") is a skateboarding trick that looks similar to a kickflip, except that the board spins on two axis. That means that the 360 flip will flip like in a kickflip, but also spin 360 degrees like a 360 shuvit” (Cave 360 Flip Trick). The high difficulty and the danger levels for this trick are also shown through the following quote. The most difficult skateboarding trick out there has been performed by very few. It is the Triple 360 Flip. This is a very intense move that takes a great deal of time and skill to master. Today there are only a handful of people that can successfully complete the Triple 360 Flip. It continues to be one of the tricks that people strive to master. There are lots of injuries and accidents that result from all of their efforts though. Most people will give up before they learn it though. For those that continue to strive towards that goal,
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they will have plenty to be proud of when they do successfully learn how to perform the Triple 360 Flip (Pauls 2-3). The coffin trick also has high difficulty and danger levels. Some people may consider this stunt one of the more aptly names hard skateboard tricks. That’s because the rider suddenly changes his position from riding in an upright, front-facing position to lying flat on his back. Was it mentioned that the position is changed while the skateboard is still moving? (Mousseau 8).
As for the trick called rocket air: “Professionals are often seen performing this and other hard skateboard tricks. It must be admitted that this one is really thrilling to watch, because the rider’s goal is to have the skateboard in as vertical a position as possible while the rider and board are up in the air” (Mousseau 9). Notice that professionals attempt this trick, as this is a very complex maneuver and highly

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