Reports
The below reports share data from interviews with over 120 skateboarders and skate advocates in East Los Angeles (CA), Gallup (NM), Detroit (MI), Houston (TX), New York (NY), Johnson City (TN) and the Boston area (MA), and from a national survey of skateboarders that attracted 5,000 respondents from across the US. The audience for the reports is broader than skateboarding and action sports communities. Our intention is to highlight the unique perspectives of skateboarders in ways that resonate with academic, policymaker, and practitioner audiences.
JUNE 7, 2019
This white paper provides context for the Beyond the Board: Skateboarding, Schools, and Society study. We offer a snapshot of skateboarders across the United States; situate in the study in relation to prior scholarship on skateboarding; and provide an overview of current organizations, businesses, cultural events, and creative projects that embed principles of skateboarding into existing social structures and institutions. Through this overview, we aim to provide a mechanism for thinking about how skateboarding and skateboarders interface with society.
FEBRUARY 26, 2020
This report shares findings from the two-year Beyond the Board study. The report outlines challenges skaters face as well as resources and opportunities that exist for skaters. Key findings (1) highlight the role that skateboarding plays in building community and fostering positive mental health; (2) explore the nuances of race and gender for skaters who identify with historically marginalized identities; and (3) document a wide range of skills that young people attribute to having learned through skateboarding.