The problem with skateboard contests…and why they might not stay a problem.

Skateboard contests have acted as a point of contention between skaters since I was old enough to read my first skate magazine. I grew up not liking contests and I would go as far as to say I never had any feeling towards them. They were not on our radar.

When one did arise, they meant little more than an opportunity to see a higher number of pictures of pros in a single magazine.The photographers could shoot more photos of skaters in one place and condense the coverage.

Among skaters, the detractors of contests usually evoke the argument of free-spirited and anti-authoritarian nature of skating, while others invoke the artistic side of skating which just like any expression of the self cannot be subject to a judge’s scorecard.

For all intents and purposes, skating can indeed be seen as its own little Trinity comprised of the Sport, the Art and the Symbol. It is a sport insofar as the body is in motion, an art in that it involves meaningful personal expression and a symbol of rebellion in that it was inherited through a legacy. Three parts coming together to create the One.

This balance remained stable for several decades, no force supplanting the other two. Without doubt, the self-regulated structure of skateboarding helped stabilize the harmony. (or harmonize the stability) The skateboard media would also have helped ward away any intruders through its extremely protective stance.

But since those days, we have seen a big landscape change. Two main things, in fact: there is more media and there is more money. The media doesn’t need to be regulated by skateboarders anymore, and the money can come from outside companies.

The question that now piques my interest is which are the parts of the Trinity that are the most weakened by the arrival of these new forces? Is it the contest circuit, the rebellious image or the personal expression?

I personally believe that once it is proven that contests can be a popular standalone televised entertainment, a page will have been turned. That is unless there exists a force that we know of today that will feel the pressing need to squeeze the other two parts back in.

Whether this change is regrettable or not is a different question altogether. But it is at the very least interesting to witness this shift in dynamics. If we go by the definition of “truth” that it is a message that has been repeated a sufficient number of times, then the truth of skateboarding could largely be contests. My 14 year old self was influenced into not liking contests just as easily as a kid today can be influenced into considering that there is nothing?but?contests. “That’s what skateboarding is”, they might say. “a contest and a winner on a podium.”

It would just be a textbook case of shift in ideology. Not to demonize unnecessarily the architects of this process, nor to give them premeditated designs but at the very least we will be able to say that the new media and the new money changed the landscape for good.

I feel it a safe enough bet to suppose that the change will not be sudden. For a time, there will be “traditional” skate art and media that resonates with that type of skater. The dirty, quirky, creative, daredevil, roots side of skating will (to a degree) be kept alive. How long and how much, only History will tell.

When all is said and done, the positives that emerge from these changes will probably mean a simpler life for all participants. Just like tennis, there will be no identity crisis as to what the game is supposed to represent. A simple and clear answer that we may all enjoy.

Serena Williams had a brilliant career not wondering about her style, her self-expression or whether she properly represented a rebellious frame of mind. She hit the ball, scored the points and inspired the next generation to do the same. She also came up in a competitive structure that would have no reason to exist if there wasn’t a winner at the end.

As we witness the expansion of national and world series of skate contests, we can rejoice in the knowledge that future generations of skaters will have it easier than we did. Less questions asked and more skating done.

Everyone a winner?