To just about everybody, skateboarding means something totally different. Just take the time to think about it, you could mean technical tricks that are performed in the driveway or riding along a vert ramp, bombing a hill with some deep curves or riding a longboard skateboard across your college campus, skate park or slalom and just about anything else that you like to do while you are on your board with the wheels being nailed right to the bottom.

There is one thing that you should consider, it’s all right. There are a lot of people out there that will throw out the phrase “skateboarding is all about expression” and with certainty they probably mean it. However, for them this may be true, but the term that fills in the blank for all of us is different.

If you ever take the time to catch out any skateboarding forums, you will find everyone has their very own opinion on skateboarding. For some, skateboarding is similar to a religion. To these people, they feel that they get the same thing from skateboarding as others get from faith. Even though many of us would say that this skateboarder has it all wrong, we can’t because that may be what skateboarding truly feels like to this person.

There are some people out there that say skateboarding is all about creation and discovery and other people say that it is a way to channel your rage and anger into something that is constructive. However, for others still, skateboarding is all about motivating and pushing yourself, forcing yourself to grow or maybe it is about risk and danger. Out of all the different opinions that are read online in these forums, there was only one that had any real true meaning.

One skateboarder said that skateboarding is all about freedom. The freedom that you feel when you are skateboarding is like no other, it doesn’t matter if you are alone at night on a deserted sidewalk through town or making your way through a busy city park, just the sound portrayed by the wheels is enough to let you know at that very moment, nothing else matters.

For other skateboarders, it’s all about friends. The people that stand behind you and push you and encourage you at everything, this is a place to be for many. As you can see each and every individual skater has her or his own drive or purpose. Just take the time to think about it, and the next time that you get the chance to see someone skate with an attitude or in a way that isn’t yours. Even though they may skate differently, they are still skaters and they are still part of your family. Whether they are four years old or forty years old, it doesn’t matter, hating doesn’t get you anywhere.

For a very long time now, skaters have all shared one hallmark and that has been their defense of their own and their inclusiveness.