From toys to extreme sports: How scooters are becoming Millennials’ new dream

Traditional skateboarders have always laughed at scooters, but will a new generation of riders bring new prospects to the sport?

The Dynamic Extreme Park in Gateshead is the largest indoor extreme sports ground in Newcastle and the gathering place of new generation of trendsetters. Here, all kinds of skateboarders from the northeast of England flock to the park every day, forming a totally different culture and atmosphere from the outside world. They perform various tricks to try to shred the city of Newcastle.

In fact, skateboarders are not the only ones occupying the park. For the younger generation after the millennium, scooter have surpassed traditional skateboarding to some extent – as can be seen from the Dynamic Park, more people come here to play scooters than skateboards, most of them are children aged 15 or 16.

“Over the years, there have been fewer skateboarders.” Jacob Steadman, 15, said he was already an experienced veteran with 7 months’ experience. He came to the extreme sports park every day for four or five days to play the scooter. “Here we are the majority, and scooters are more than skateboarders. Because scooters are mainly for younger children, while skateboards are for older people. “

Although scooter is defined as extreme sport, it is safer for children. Compared with skateboard, scooter can be controlled by hand, which ensures the safety of children engaged in this sport. Thomas Francis, 12-and-a-half-year-old, who has been on a scooter for a year and a half, said: “its danger depends on what you do. If you put on a helmet and knee protector, it will be much safer, but it will still be dangerous.” Thomas’s parents are very supportive of his scooter playing. His parents drive him from home for 40 minutes in the morning and pick him up in the evening.

According to data from Google Trends, in the past 5 years, the search volume for scooters in the UK is significantly higher than that in the US. In Britain, football is the mainstream sport, but scooters attract more and more young friends. When asked if Jacob wanted to be a professional skateboarder, he said almost without hesitation, “absolutely, that’s my dream, to participate in X game.”

Skateboarding, as an extreme sport, has become a formal event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The skateboarding representing the trend subculture originated from the street has been recognized by the mainstream world. The scooter, originated from children’s toys, strives to stand firm on this road, and the scooter also represents the extreme sports dream of the millennial children.