Skateboarding continues to evolve into a competitive sport

Large and colorful uniforms, impressive figures, relaxed atmosphere

Skateboarding continues to evolve into a competitive sport

Large and colorful uniforms, impressive figures, relaxed atmosphere... While remaining faithful to its outrageous style, skateboarding had made a successful debut at the Olympic Games in 2021. "Tokyo was a magnificent experience, if I could, I would do it again", says Madeleine Larcheron, the youngest of the tricolor delegation in Japan (she was then 15 years old). She and the French skaters will have the opportunity to taste the Olympic atmosphere again, at home, in Paris, in 2024. But before that, the race for qualification is accelerating with the world championships, in Chardja (Emirates Arab States), from January 29 to February 12.

This event could already be decisive since many points, essential in this discipline for a participation in the Olympic Games, will be distributed: the winners of each event - street and park, men and women - will leave with 80,000 points, the second with 64,000 points and third with 54,400 points. By way of comparison, a victory at the French championships brings in only 3,000 points. "If I make a top 3, I'm almost certain to qualify for the Games," said Vincent Milou, fourth in Tokyo in street and currently sixth in the World Olympic Skateboarding Ranking (OWSR).

To establish this ranking, which will be stopped on June 24, 2024, several competitions – spread over five levels – are taken into account and earn a number of points indexed to their importance, the world championships being the most prestigious events. Eighty athletes (twenty per event) will ultimately win the precious sesame.

"Skateboarding is like getting on your bike and going for a ride"

"I have very good memories of the Games in 2021, it made me want to go to Paris even more," says Vincent Milou. However, even within the community, the arrival of skateboarding on the Olympic program was far from unanimous. "As it's a very free discipline, it was weird to be at the Games, because you don't feel like you're doing sports," explains the 26-year-old Landais. Skateboarding is like taking your bike and riding around town. For some, the artistry of skateboarding makes scoring so subjective that competing becomes absurd.

Considered as a separate culture, skateboarding is different from a traditional sport where training, supervision, precise organization and competitions punctuate daily life. "It's a practice that has evolved a lot in the street, in connection with other urban practices such as graffiti and music, with a strong gang phenomenon", explains Alexis Jauzion, head coach of the Team French skateboarding. So, priority to the very essence of skateboarding or to the visibility of competitions? For Greg Poissonnier, the two are compatible. "In Tokyo, I saw some good skateboarding that wasn't tampered with. Discipline was respected and the skaters were happy to be there,” says the communication manager of the skateboard commission.

If the Olympics allowed skateboarders to make a name for themselves with the general public and put the discipline at the heart of sports news, they are not a definitive guarantee of credibility in the discipline. “Recognition in the skateboarding world comes through the image we project and the skateboarding we produce, especially through the photos and videos we take for our sponsors,” explains Vincent Milou. This artistic part, far from pure sporting performance, is the one that occupies him the most.

Concrete effects of the Games

"When enough people in the industry know you, the brands that sponsor you give you a model in your name, and that's when you're really recognized as a pro," explains the Tarnosian. Thus, many skaters have turned professional without competing, such as the American Stefan Janoski, who gave his name to a model of Nike shoes.

It happens that some skaters who compete are not yet professional. This is the case of Madeleine Larcheron, 13ᵉ in the park in Tokyo, who continues to go to high school every day and skate in her free time. "It's an exhausting sport that tires our bodies, we can get injured very quickly, so I prefer to keep an exit door," explains the 17-year-old Landaise, who says she does not do any physical or mental preparation. "It's always been fun with my friends and family, so I never got my head around it, even before the Olympics or there, for the world championships. »

If they still claim their freedom, skateboarders seem to be gradually falling into line. "There are concrete effects of the entry of skateboarding into the Olympics", observes Greg Poissonnier. Start with a change of approach. “Preparation and recovery are much more considered than before, there is more extensive medical monitoring. “In the France team, everyone is free to manage their career as they see fit and there are no regular training sessions, just occasional meetings and internships.

"As long as it's fun, it's fine"

The means now allocated to skateboarding, as an Olympic sport, allow the federation to set up a detection of young talents, to train instructors and to build better and more equipment, which also promotes the installation of clubs . The number of licensees has more than doubled since 2020, despite Covid-19, rising from 3,000 to more than 7,500. discover all the other facets of skateboarding, that's good too", assures Greg Poissonnier.

Skateboarding is developing and getting structured all over the world. “The Brazilians are competitors at heart, the Americans have a very solid team, the Japanese are creating war machines, details Alexis Jauzion. The state of mind evolves but as long as there is pleasure, it is fine. "Proof that skateboarders now take themselves seriously, Vincent Milou is looking for nothing other than the gold medal in Paris in 2024. "I want to go there to win, that's my goal. I put the bar higher, I do more preparation, he explains. Inevitably, there is more pressure, even if it is positive. »

After the Tokyo Games, which proved that skateboarding and competition were compatible, will the Paris Games show that pleasure and pressure can coexist?