Skateboarding heroes

Natasha: Bohdi and Jasmine love to skateboard.

Jasmine: I like the good community and I like making friends, but I also like how it's really fun.

Bohdi: I kind of got into it because, back in the day, my dad used to skate around a lot. Skateboarding's hard, but I reckon anyone that puts their mind to it, they can easily do it. 

Natasha: And you know what? Right now is an exciting time to be a skater.

Jasmine: I was very excited to watch the Olympics because there was skateboarding.

Natasha: But before we get to that, let's have a quick look back at the history of skateboarding.

The origins of skateboarding can actually be traced here, to surfers in the 1940s and '50s. They wanted a way to practise when there weren't waves, so someone had the bright idea of putting wheels on a wooden board, so you could surf, kind of, on land.

At first, people would ride around on footpaths and car parks. Then, in the '70s, there was a terrible drought in Southern California. People had to empty their swimming pools, which became the first-ever skating ramps.

From there, the sport took off.

'It takes an almost perfect sense of balance, strong nerves and a smooth, sloping surface. It might look easy, but it requires a great deal of strength and control.'

Boards became more sophisticated …

'Some kids think timber is the best and some kids think flex is the best.'

… and more skateparks started popping up.

Competitions got big, and pro skaters became superstars.

Beau: Now it's become a lot more mainstream, so a lot more people skateboard, as you can see here – how many people are actually using the skatepark themselves, whether they're on skateboards or scooters or BMXs, but you see a lot more skateboards. A lot more people are doing it, picking up, giving it a shot and loving it.

Natasha: But the biggest thing to happen in skating for a long time is the Olympics. Not every skater was thrilled about seeing their sport in such a mainstream competition. After all, skating has traditionally been seen as a sport for rebels and free spirits. But for a lot of skaters, it's really inspiring to see the best of the best compete in front of the world, including some of the youngest Olympians ever.

Jasmine: We've had two 13-year-olds on the podium and a 16-year-old, which … inspires me a lot because they're really young. And I'm 13 in three years, which is probably when the Olympics is going again. And they were competing against a 34-year-old.

Bohdi: It was really good to watch young people win medals.

Natasha: Sadly, not all of Australia's skateboarding team could make the Games this year. Back in May, two Aussies and a coach tested positive to Covid at an Olympic qualifying event in the US.

But for these guys, it's the chance of a lifetime, and for the rest of Australia's top skaters, well, there's always 2024, 2028 or even Brisbane 2032.

Beau: We had the right people in the right places, and I think in the future, we'll do it – we'll smash it.

Natasha: And who knows, maybe you'll see these guys up on the Olympic podium one day.

Bohdi: Yeah, I'm trying to work hard and get to the Olympics. Yeah.

Jasmine: In about, like, a few years. Maybe not the next Olympics, but maybe the one after.

© ABC