I grew up when Soccer was becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and of course I played.
Growing up as a thin, short kid, soccer was the best choice until I realized that I was at the beach.
Destin, FL has some of the best beaches in the world, with crystal clear waters and a few waves from time to time.
As I got older, my friends and I traveled all over surfing, the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf.
In between trips, we all skateboarded.
A couple of friends had ramps in their backyards or we found drainage ditches, parking lots, anything made of concrete.
We skated everyday when the waves were flat.
Over the years, the skateboards disappeared and the surf trips are few and far between.
Now I coach Soccer, Baseball, and Football, well at least until my oldest son asked me to teach him how to skate.
It was about 4 years ago and we found a cheap board and a sidewalk, and 10 minutes later we found a whole new world.
Dylan is now 13 years old, he has skated in more than 50 skate parks in 8 states in the last 2 years.
We have contest almost every month, and some months, every weekend.
Dylan is considered a beginner, with sponsors from Fluid, Freestyle Watches, and he has his own page on the MonsterArmy.
com site.
The amazing thing that we found is the new world of competitive skateboarding.
The contest may be in Jacksonville, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Louisville, Los Angeles or any city across the US, and you find kids from all over the country traveling to compete in regional qualifiers for championship events held all over, from Minnesota to Fort Myers.
Skateboarding is becoming the fastest growing sport in the US.
It's already the 2nd largest sport in Brazil, and yes Brazilian kids are competing at events in the US all of the time.
Have you noticed that the ads you see on TV, or when you walk into Target, have gone from kids playing football or basketball to kids skating? One of the most common things that I have found at these events is the presence of "Skate Dads".
Usually, it's the same group of families that you would find at Baseball or Soccer tournaments.
Dad has a cooler full of Gatorade, snacks, extra clothes etc.
The only difference is, instead of bats, gloves, and cleats, its knee pads, helmets, extra boards and video cameras.
The "Skate Dad" may just be the new "Soccer Mom", but we will never be seen in a Minivan!