What to Know About Skateboarding Before Watching the Summer Olympics

Who else is excited about the debut of skateboarding at the Summer Olympic games?

Jessup is sponsoring nine skaters representing eight countries in the Olympics in Tokyo. As the official skateboard grip tape partner for USA Skateboarding, the governing body responsible for Team USA in the upcoming Olympics the team at Jessup’s is ready to tune in to watch these athletes perform in just a few short weeks.

What to Know About Olympic Skateboarding
If you are new to skateboarding or are thinking this will be an X-Games like experience, keep reading. First off, the Olympic games will have a totally different feel and style then the X-games. From the disciplines, judging, and tricks we are sharing what you can expect and what you should know about skateboarding before you tune in to the Summer Olympics.  

1. Skateboarding Disciplines

Watching Olympic skateboarding you’ll get to experience two types of skate- park and street.

The street skateboarding competition will mimic that of a street. It will feature stairs, handrails, benches, walls and slopes like you’d find on an actual street. Boarders will ride curbs and rails, performing tricks that involve leaping into the air without hands and grinding the board on the metal rails that encompass the street.

The park competition takes place in a hollowed out bowl-like course where boarders will perform twists and turns. The park courses will feature steep, nearly vertical, sides. Expect unbelievable height and midair tricks during this competition.

The street competition will be held on July 25-26 and the park event on August 4-5, 2021.

2. Judging

Judges will be focused on one athlete at a time and competitors will have three times runs to showcase their skills. The best score of the three will be posted. Scoring will be based on speed, difficulty, originality, timing, stability and overall performance flow.

3. Terminology

If you are new to skateboarding, expect to hear some new words during these competitions. Athletes will perform a variety of tricks. Some of the most well-known tricks and terms to listen for include:

● 540 Rodeo Flip: Popular in the park events, you can see the skater fly while grabbing the board with his feet without removing it.

● 900 Degrees Flip: World renowned skater Tony Hawk first showcased this at the X-Games and it is one of the most attempted tricks by professional skaters. This trick is two and a half skateboard and body rotations performed either frontside or backside. Keep an eye out for the 1260 degree flip which adds an additional flip into the trick.  

● Alley-Oop: This aerial trick involves the skater moving their body sideways in the opposite direction of the rotating movement.

4. Skateboarding Gear

When it comes to skateboarding you’ll notice the athletes have pretty similar gear, but unique to their styles. Boards can come in different sizes and styles depending on the athletes preference and what they are using it for, but all boards have the same basic elements and skaters wear the same safety gear.

Skateboard grip tape is one of the most important elements to a skater's board. Jessup Manufacturing has been focused on developing the strongest, safest skateboard grip tape for over over 50 years now so this is where our passion lies! You’ll see the boards gripped in a variety of colors, but black is the most popular option. Skateboard grip tape allows the skater to perform tricks without their feet slipping and falling off the board.

Helmets, elbow guards, and knee pads are also a must for skateboarders. No matter how long you practice or how confident you are in your skills, accidents will always happen- just as the pros. It is important to always wear your safety gear and Olympic athletes know that.

You also might hear the terms nose and tail. The nose refers to the front of the board and the tail the back.

Shop Skateboarding Grip Tape
If you are looking to outfit your own skateboard with the quality grip tape look no further then Jessup Manufacturing. Check out the limited release of ULTRA NBD, the world’s first griptape made with Nike Grind, recycled rubber scrap from Nike’s footwear manufacturing or one of our other grip tape varieties on our website.