The number of girls taking up skateboarding has soared by a fifth – since Sky Brown swept to Olympic glory, new figures reveal. Ramp ace Sky Brown was just 13 when she clinched bronze at the 2020 Tokyo games, making her the youngest British Olympian of all time.
A study of 500 girls, aged 10-16, found 64 percent have now given the sport a go – and half of those say they were directly inspired by Sky.
There are an estimated 750,000 amateur and professional skaters in the UK, with data from Skateboard GB showing a 20 percent increase in the number of girls taking up the sport in the last three years.
And 21 percent went as far as to say they now consider themselves to be fully fledged “Skater Girls”.
Sky Brown, who has partnered with Samsung, which commissioned the research to encourage the nation to try something new, said: “One thing I love even more than skateboarding, is seeing others try it and love it for themselves.
“You have to have the right attitude, and never give up – it’s all about having guts. I can feel people in the UK getting behind our sport, and I can’t wait to see where we can take it together.”
The research found that, while 65 percent of young girls consider Sky Brown to be a role model for their generation, 14 percent of those who haven’t tried skating don’t know where to do it.
One in 10 of those who have picked up a board love the idea of being part of a scene or community, according to the OnePoll.com figures. And a quarter of kids who have tried it out have also shared a photo or video of themselves skating, online.
The study also polled 500 adults, aged 18-34, and found 78 percent admire the confidence displayed by skaters – although 52 percent would not feel confident about trying skateboarding for the first time.
More than four in 10 nervous adults (43 percent) would be scared of embarrassing themselves, while 32 percent have a fear of failure.
Meanwhile, 37 percent of those who lack confidence say it’s simply because they don’t know where to start, and 36 percent put it down to general low self-esteem.
However, 76 percent of the 10-16-year-olds polled like to try new things, with more than half of those eager to give something a go because they like challenging themselves.
And regardless of faith in their abilities, 50 percent of the adults polled would want to capture evidence of their efforts by taking pictures or videos on their smartphones.
People can book a spot at one of the “Drop in with Samsung Flip Park” experiences from today [December 1].
Spokeswoman Annika Bizon added: “Sport is incredible for many reasons – it teaches you so much about yourself.
“We’re guided by the “guts to try” and strive to break down barriers against all odds – something people would never get on a skateboard without having.
“We’re so excited to bring our partnership with Skateboard GB to life through the Samsung Flip Park, empowering the next generation to embody this fearless attitude.”
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