"Skateboarding is more popular than ever. In the last five years, and especially, since the twenty twenty Olympics, where skateboarding debuted as an official sport, skateboarding has gone mainstream, and it will keep getting bigger and bigger. The sport was put on the map in the late seventies when legendary skater Rodney Mullen created one of the most famous skateboarding tricks, the ground Ollie, and became popularized in the early eighties when Thrasher magazine, with its counterculture vibe, was established, and, then, in nineteen eighty two, a little known skater named Tony Hawk came onto the scene at just fourteen years old, changing the face of the sport forever. Since then, skateboarding has gained traction, but was always portrayed from a one dimensional perspective, when in reality, the sport and the stories of prominent skaters are extremely diverse. Enter The Skateboard Life. Through sixty five dynamic profiles of skaters and over a hundred striking images, Dr. Neftalie Williams reveals how skateboarding has permeated every inch of our global culture, Media, Art, Fashion, Music, Business, and Education. From the legends, Tony Hawk and Paul Rodriguez, to the Olympians, Nyjah Huston and Sky Brown, to the artists, Mark McKee, most celebrated skateboarding artist of all time, to the activists, Briana King, Vogue model, artist skater, and women's and queer skateboarding advocate. Never before has this mega roster of skaters been featured together. In addition to the profiles, there will be interstitials that include famous skate parks around the world and the coolest looking boards. The Skateboard Life will appeal to skaters of all levels, dreamers, beginners, and experts alike"-- Provided by publisher.