Published on April 11th, 2019 | by Danielle

Old Dog, New Tricks: Why You’re Never Too Old For Skateboarding

As Millennials and Gen X-ers get older, many people think that old hobbies should get left behind in favor of more “mature” interests. Maturity and age supposedly come at the cost of interesting, fun, and healthy activities, but that’s just part of life, right? Not necessarily. Many skateboarding enthusiasts who grew up with the hobby are bringing it with them as they grow older, and many more adults are joining in even after their teen years.

Why Skateboarding?

Of all the hobbies and interests to take into adulthood, skateboarding is probably one of the healthiest you could choose. Skateboarding can be an excellent form of exercise and physical activity if you’ve noticed that it’s harder to stay active as an adult. Depending on how advanced you want to get with your skateboarding skills and tricks, it can either be a simple cardio workout or much more than that.

Additionally, skateboarding can act as a great alternative to a standard commute if you live close enough to the office. About 86% of U.S. workers commute by automobile, but this can be expensive and wasteful between car payments, insurance, gas, and more. Many adults, because of this, have turned to their old skateboarding hobby as a means of finding a more eco-friendly and affordable commute.

Never Too Old

Just because you didn’t skate as a teen or kid doesn’t mean that it’s too late to learn. Plenty of people have discovered skating later in life; in fact, there are plenty of skateboarding classes designed for adults who are latecomers to the hobby. This can help avoid some of the social anxiety around picking up a hobby largely dominated by younger groups. Instead of having to learn in a skate park surrounded by teens, people everywhere are signing up for skateboarding classes to help them learn the basics without embarrassment. The social side of learning a new hobby can be one of the main deterrents for those entering into an activity like skateboarding later in life, but these classes allow people to test out skating without fear.

Tips For Starting Out

If you want to get started skateboarding as an adult, look for groups or classes to learn from. This will help you have some resources to start out. Additionally, be aware of your physical limits; many skateboard tricks are designed for younger people, and might not always be realistic for the limitations of adults. Watch your joints and ankles in particular. More than 80% of ankle sprains are a result of inversion, or inward rolling, of the ankle, and this is an easy accident to make when first attempting new tricks.

Skateboarding is still just as popular a hobby as ever, with 16-million skateboarders in the U.S. and more than 20-million internationally. While many people think of skating as a younger hobby, there’s no hard rule stating that only teenagers are able to get on a skateboard. If skating seems like an interesting hobby, it’s never too late to try it out. You might just discover your new favorite pastime.