| Extreme Sports are the latest craze in our culture | | | | blades with smaller thicker wheels and have an |
| and kids as young as four and five years old are | | | | added feature called a grind plate to help them do |
| fascinated with it. As a parent of a 16 year old | | | | tricks like sliding down rails. I know, it makes my |
| who has been skateboarding and surfing since he | | | | skin crawl just thinking about it! The idea is to be |
| was seven, I can tell you that it does make you | | | | able to do a lot of the same tricks performed by |
| nervous when they do the crazy tricks. Some | | | | skateboarders. |
| people hate extreme sports and some people | | | | Skateboarding is thought of as the original |
| think they are a blessing, let's take a closer look. | | | | extreme sport beginning in the 1960s when |
| The positive side of kids being involved in | | | | surfers put wheels on short boards to give them |
| extreme sports in that they are out getting | | | | a way to cross train when the surf wasn't up. |
| exercise and the television in your living room is | | | | These early skateboarders are probably amazed |
| starting to collect dust, plus your electric bill is | | | | at the way the sport has developed with the |
| lower. You have probably been hoping for this to | | | | huge half pipes and long rails that you see |
| happen for awhile but you aren't sure about the | | | | skateboarders riding today. It just makes me |
| choice of sports. Although skateboarding is | | | | cringe to watch as they slide down a handrail |
| probably the first of the extreme sports, it is only | | | | while standing on a skateboard but incredibly my |
| the beginning. Some of the others that kids are | | | | son has done it for over nine years and never |
| really getting into these days include BMX biking | | | | broken a bone. |
| and trickblading. | | | | If you are like me, the first time that you watch |
| BMX bikes are like a regular bike on steroids, they | | | | your child go sailing through the air on a jump or |
| are built heavy and tough to be able to take the | | | | paddling out in eight foot surf you will feel like |
| punishment of all the jumps and tricks, plus they | | | | your heart is going to pound out of your chest |
| have special pegs for the feet and padding to | | | | and you will be cringing every time they fall but as |
| protect the biker where they are most likely to | | | | long as they have the right safety gear and are |
| come in contact with the bike. These bikes are | | | | always with a buddy they will be fine, injuries are |
| designed mainly for tricks and racing and are | | | | far more common in traditional sports. Encourage |
| mostly used on dirt tracks and courses. | | | | your kids, these days it's hard to get them to like |
| Trickbladers use the same parks as | | | | anything. |
| skateboarders and wear specially designed roller | | | | |