Competitive scooter riding is fast becoming one of the most popular sports with young people, and it’s considered one of the most exciting urban sports out there.
People just can’t seem to get enough of it, but what actually is scootering? Could you really take your love for the sport into the professional realm, and if so, where do you start?
If you’re new to the world of scootering, stick around to learn more about this freestyle urban sport, what it involves, and how to start!
What Is Scootering?
Many people wonder, is scootering a sport that is enjoyable? As a sport, scootering involves a little more than just riding around the city. Scootering is exciting, fun, and requires plenty of skill (and balance!) to get it right.
Scootering is a type of action sport that often involves performing stunts and tricks on a specific type of scooter – the kick scooter.
You may also hear scootering referred to as ‘freestyle scootering’ or even ‘scooter riding’.
There are plenty of maneuvers and tricks involved in this type of scootering, and people will often use their scooters on rails, ledges, ramps, and other obstacles to perform their tricks.
In other words, it’s not for the faint-hearted!
You’ll need exceptional balance (and bravery) to take on scootering as a sport.
Riders will often navigate tricky terrain while performing their stunts, some of the most common of which include grinds, barspins, and tailwhips.
If you’re struggling to imagine what scootering is like, you can think of it as BMXing – but with a scooter!
People of all ages can take part in scootering, however, it’s a predominantly young sport, with most participants being between 12-20 years old.
However, some riders start as young as 7, and work their way up the ranks!
Is Scootering A Difficult Sport?
Is scootering a sport that is hard to do? Like any sport, scootering takes a lot of time and dedication to master.
However, you’ll also need a few other qualities to help you hit the ground running, including great balance, strength, and agility.
Learning the basics, such as riding, turning, stopping, and even jumping, is pretty simple.
However, the challenge only increases from there.
You’ll need to put in plenty of practice (and even practice with others), to help you master the more complex maneuvers such as grinds and barspins.
Scootering also doesn’t come without its risks.
You’ll need to wear the correct safety equipment every time you ride and be prepared to fall off at least once.
It’s all part of the process! However, if you have dedication and perseverance, there’s no reason why you can’t go on to master the more difficult maneuvers and fall in love with scootering!
The History Of Freestyle Scootering
Scootering or freestyle scootering has become extremely popular in recent years, but where did it all begin? Let’s take a closer look at the history of freestyle scootering.
Compared to other, more established action sports like BMX and skateboarding, freestyle scootering is relatively new.
The first scooter came out in the 1930s, and while it wasn’t initially designed to be used for tricks and maneuvers, in the early 2000s, those who’d mastered the art of performing tricks on their scooters started to bring more attention to the possibility of the sport.
As more young people become interested, freestyle scootering officially became a pretty popular urban sport.
Companies soon started to catch on to the trend, with some well-known brands like Razor starting to produce more robust, high-quality scooters that could cope with performing tricks.
This caught attention, and soon, many keen riders established their own communities, and showed the world what could be done with a scooter!
Thanks to the rise of social media platforms like Youtube, these riders were able to document their skills with the world and soon enough, the frenzy spread.
The first ever freestyle scooter competition took place in California in 2003, and by 2007, the World Scooter Championships made their way to Australia.
It may not have been that long since freestyle scootering started entering the big leagues, but since then, the sport has only continued to evolve, with many more riders showing us just what can be achieved on a scooter!
What Are The World Scootering Championships?
The World Scootering Championships (WSC) has fast become the most popular competition for freestyle scooters, but what exactly is it, and what do its participants do?
The World Scootering Championships provides a place where disciplined riders can come together from all over the world and compete in a variety of competitions, usually held over a period of a few days.
As the word ‘championships’ suggests, riders are pushed to their limits and encouraged to show the world just how skilled and disciplined they really are.
You’ll see riders performing a number of urban obstacles including rails, ledges, and jumps, and on flat surfaces, they’ll still be able to show off their talents with a variety of extremely technical tricks.
A panel will assess their skills, and base their performance against a number of criteria to determine who comes out on top.
Factors include style, difficulty, and execution, and the competition will typically be divided into different categories including age and skill, which ensures all riders can compete against others with similar skill sets and have a fair chance of winning.
The International Scooter Association (ISA) organizes the championships and has been holding them annually since 2007.
With each year, awareness and popularity of the championships only continues to grow, and as a result, the championships have continued to evolve.
The event now features plenty of other activities such as autograph signings and the possibility of sponsorships for riders.
Final Thoughts
Yes, scootering is a sport – and an exciting one at that! Compared to other action sports, scootering is still in its infancy.
However, it’s continuing to boom in popularity, and it’s extremely accessible, so almost anyone can pick up a scooter and give it a go!
Just remember to wear your helmet, knee pads and shin pads before attempting any complex maneuvers… Scootering is a challenging, risky, but incredibly rewarding sport!
Hi! My name is Johnathan, and I am the creator of ScooterAdvice360.com. Having been riding motor scooters and bikes for over 20 years, I have picked up a few things! I ran my own scooter store in Florida, selling all manner of motor scooters, mobility scooters, hoverboards, e-scooters and accessories, from Forzas to Vipers, Hellcats to Vespas.
Here, at ScooterAdvice360.com, I want to ensure everyone has access to the information that they need to enjoy their bikes and scooters for longer.
