Course:LIBR530/Youth Skateboarding

Photo of people skateboarding

The subject area of this guide is youth skateboarding. The intended target audience for this guide are caretakers and educators of youth interested in skateboarding in Vancouver, BC.

Introduction

Do you know a kid who wants to skateboard? Are you looking to understand more about skateboarding to help them get started?

This guide is designed for educators and caretakers of youth in Vancouver that want to start skateboarding. The free resources offered here are meant to cover a range of information you may want to know to support a young skateboarder.

Topics covered here range from research on the benefits and risks of skateboarding, inclusive histories of skateboarding, skateboarding media and culture, skateboarding how-to guides, and information about local skateboarding youth groups and skateparks.

Subject headings and call numbers

Search terms

In our initial search, we used the following search terms with Boolean operators to conduct searches using OPACs, web search engines, and the UBC Library Summons and Index and Databases search engines:

skateboarding

skateboarding AND youth

skateboarding AND subject guide

skateboarding AND youth AND Vancouver

skateboarding AND youth AND risk

skateboarding AND youth AND injury

pediatric

education

Subject headings

As we found resources that reflected the needs of our target audience, we were able to identify the following relevant library subject headings:

Skateboarding

Skateboarding — Periodicals

Skateboarding — Social aspects

Skateboarding — Juvenile literature

Skateboarding — Fiction

Skateboarding — History

Skateboarders

Skateboard parks — Social aspects

Women skateboarders — Biography

Call numbers

The following Dewey Decimal call numbers are used to organize resources about skateboarding:

688.6 to 688.7622 - Skateboarding – equipment technology

796.22 - Skateboarding

Databases and research on skateboarding

ERIC

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a free for public use database of education research and information supported by the Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education. You can search for peer-reviewed and open-access research articles on ERIC. While ERIC is a more general database, we recommend using the search terms listed above to find information about the educational value and applications of skateboarding.

Since our subject guide is intended for educators and parents of youth, ERIC can provide particularly useful resources about skateboarding and the benefits and risks for youth who are interested in the sport. We chose this resource because it is authoritative and free to use, with a particular focus on educators. However, we are mindful that not all articles found on ERIC are open-access. We accessed ERIC by searching “education” in the “Indexes and Databases” of the UBC Library website, but it can also be accessed directly via web search engine.

ProQuest

ProQuest is a general database of databases on subjects ranging from arts and humanities to health and medical sciences. While this database is a more general resource, we recommend using this with the search terms listed above to find research about youth skateboarding. For example, ProQuest can help you find research studies about the health and social benefits and risks associated with youth skateboarding. ProQuest can be accessed online through Vancouver Public Library.

We chose this resource because it is free and accessible through the Vancouver Public Library and it offers a range of historical and current resources, such as scholarly journal articles, newspapers, and magazines on your desired subject. Given the access ProQuest provides to academic research, this is also an authoritative resource.

USC Skate Studies

USC Skate Studies is a website hosted by the University of Southern California (USC) to disseminate research studies conducted about skateboarding in the US and Los Angeles by the USC Pullias Center for Higher Education and Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. The website offers open-access to their Beyond the Board research reports and related information such as, study overviews, research team biographies, and media coverage. Beyond the Board: Skateboarding, Schools, and Society is a report on skateboarders aged 13-25 in the US and how their skill sets impact their education and careers, with consideration on race and gender.

We chose this resource given its authority, currency, and accessibility. The resource is accessible to a variety of audiences because the report findings are presented in alternative formats such as videos, podcast episodes, and zines, which makes it suitable for both educators and caretakers. We initially found this resource through searching the “Articles/Databases” of the San Francisco Public Library OPAC, but were able to access it through searching the report title on a web search engine.

Skateboarding history and archives

Look Back Library

Founded by San Diego skateboarder Kevin Marks, Look Back Library (LBL) is a touring archive of skateboarding magazine collections housed in skateboard shops across North America and some locations in other continents. The library has 180 collections in total and the LBL website includes a map of all library locations. Each collection is tailored to the local community and is a great way to learn about local skateboard history and connect to skateboarders in one’s area. Antisocial Skateboard Shop in Vancouver is one LBL location.

We chose this resource because it can be accessed locally and free-of-charge. The library can be accessed in-person by visiting the Antisocial Skateboard Shop. It is a resource that is grounded in a relevant social and geographical context, and it provides opportunities for connections to the local skateboarding community and other resources.

Womxn Skateboard History

Founded and authored by woman skateboarder, researcher, and librarian Natalie Porter, Womxn Skateboard History is a website that offers an online archive of the history of women in skateboarding. In addition to biographical information about women skateboarders, the website also offers information about women-focused skate organizations, companies, groups, events, media, films, and zines.

We chose this resource because while skateboarding is generally dominated by men and boys, it is important to show the robust presence of women and girls in skateboarding and the empowering potential of the sport. This resource is free and authoritative, given the credibility of the author as a subject expert, and we chose it with the educators and caretakers of young women in mind. We accessed this resource through the San Diego State University subject guide on surfing and skating, but it can also be found through a simple web engine search of the website title.

Skateboarding media and culture

The Den

The Den is a free streaming platform created by and for skateboarders, available on mobile, desktop and smart TVs. Video media has been a way that skateboarders express themselves creatively and watching skate videos is a great way for people to learn about and engage with skate culture. The Den offers a collection of new and archival skateboard videos released by companies and independent filmmakers.

We chose this because it is an archive-adjacent resource that offers a free TV-like experience for people who do not know where to begin with skateboarding. It is both a historical and current resource. We found The Den through Thrasher Magazine.

Thrasher Magazine

Thrasher is the last major media outlet for the skateboarding industry. It has been dubbed “The Bible” because of its importance to skateboarding culture. While not representative of all of skateboarding, it offers news articles, interviews, and advertisements that have helped shape and maintain the culture of skateboarding throughout the years. Thrasher can be accessed online or in-print at Vancouver Public Library.

We chose this as a foundational text because of its importance to learning the culture of skateboarding. We accessed this resource through its pervasiveness in popular culture.

Skateboarding how-to guides

Sk8Wiki

Sk8Wiki is an interactive encyclopedia for skateboard tricks. Learning the names of skateboard tricks can be difficult for new skateboarders because there is no authoritative source and trick names are often debated. However, this resource provides all of the basic trick names and tutorials on how to try them, filtered by experience level. The website can be accessed in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

This resource was chosen because of its simplicity and breadth of knowledge. We especially valued the searchability of the website given the filters provided, the language accessible features, and the diversity of information formats provided, including video, animations, and text. We accessed this resource through searching for skateboarding how-to guides on a web search engine.

Transworld Skateboarding How To

Transworld Magazine offers a few how-to guides for beginner skateboarders. The guides offered range from buying guides and skateboard set-up tutorials to simple exercises for skateboarders. Transworld Skateboarding is a major skateboarding magazine that produces popular skateboard videos and promotes skateboard brands. The how-to guides are simple and practical with no preference given to particular brands.

We chose this resource because of its simplicity and straightforward interface. Since the publisher of the guide is a reputable skateboarding magazine, the resource is also authoritative and accurate. We accessed this resource through a web engine search of how-to guides on skateboarding.

Skateboarding in Vancouver

Local skateboarding groups and non-profits

Since there was no existing resource we could find of a compiled list of skateboarding groups in Vancouver, we consider this curation of organizations to be one resource in our subject guide.

Spectrum Skateboard Society

The Spectrum Skateboard Society is an organization that offers lessons and skateboard camps for neurodivergent children from the ages of 6-17. They have partnered with the Vancouver Park Board to offer lessons at city skateparks.

We chose this organization because active spaces for caretakers of children with diverse needs is important, and we want our resource guide to be inclusive. We found this group through the City of Vancouver skateparks website.

TAKEOVER

Takeover Skateboarding is a local Vancouver skateboarding collective that empowers BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and women in predominantly white and male-centred action sports, primarily skateboarding. Takeover hosts giveaway events for skateboards and snowboards, organizes women’s skate competitions, and hosts youth skateboard events with local nonprofits.

We chose this group because of its equity based approach to teaching young people about skateboarding. We learned about Takeover through the Antisocial Skateboard Shop Instagram page.

Nations Skate Youth

Nations Skate Youth is an Indigenous-led local nonprofit run by skateboarders based in BC. They organize youth skateboard events, host art workshops, and give skateboard lessons to Indigenous youth. The organization was created out of a lack of Indigenous-led skate communities in Vancouver.

We chose this organization to represent the diverse backgrounds of skateboarders in the city and to emphasize the importance of culturally inclusive recreational groups in Vancouver. We found Nations Skate Youth through the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition events board.

Vancouver Skateboard Coalition

Founded in 2003, Vancouver Skateboard Coalition (VSBC) is a group focused on advocating for the rights and spaces of skateboarders in Vancouver. They often partner with other local community organizations for different events but their mission is to be a unifying voice for skateboarders and advocate on behalf of the Vancouver skateboarding community to local government.

We chose this group because of its authority as a longstanding skateboarding organization in Vancouver and its focus on local policy. We envisioned this resource may be relevant to caretakers and educators who want to support young skateboarders on a policy level. We accessed information about VSBC through a web engine search of skateboarding groups in Vancouver.

Late Bloomers Skate Club

Late Bloomers Skate Club is an independent skateboarding group designed for adult learners. Its radical inclusive ethos gives adult learners a welcome space to socialize and learn, especially for BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and women. They have regular meetups to skateboard and to clean up skate parks.

We chose this group because learning to skateboard is a very intimidating process and a group like this may be helpful for adults wanting to learn alongside their children. We found this group through the Takeover Skateboarding Instagram page.

Skateboard parks

This page on the City of Vancouver website provides a list of skateboard parks in the city, managed by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. In addition to listing the addresses and features of Vancouver’s public skateboard parks, the web page also offers information about skateboarding lessons and drop-in schedules and fees.

We chose this resource to provide practical information about public places that educators and caretakers can bring youth for a visit to learn more about skateboarding and participate in the sport. This resource is authoritative as a government website and it is also relevant to the local context of our target audience. We accessed this resource through a web search engine using the search term “Vancouver skateparks”.

Additional subject guides

Surf and Skate Studies

A subject guide created by San Diego State University Library, compiling collections, websites, organizations related to surfing and skateboarding. Some of the resources offered in this guide were found here.

Contributors and course information

This guide is an annotated mini-subject guide assignment created for the course LIBR530: Information Services in Libraries, taught by Dr. Tess Prendergast of the Masters of Library and Information Sciences program at UBC. This guide was created in November 2025 for the 2025/26 Winter Session.

Contributors: Reginald Gobaleza and Rachel Lau

References

 Guidelines Create Your Wiki Page Past Projects Help and Resources 

Add a content here. You can also copy and paste content for each tabs from below:

• Guidelines tab
• Create Your Wiki Page tab
• Past Projects tab
• Help and Resources tab