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Writer's pictureSurf Skate Science

Surfing and Skateboarding Return to the Olympics - Here's how you can use these competitions to teach STEAM

Updated: Jul 21


As the countdown to the next Olympic Games begins, the excitement surrounding the return of surfing and skateboarding is clear. These dynamic and individualistic sports are carving out their own space, showcasing not only athletic skills but also creativity and personal style.


(photo: @stokedcom )


Overcoming Challenges: Stories of Resilience

We all know that being a skateboarder means learning how to get up when you fall. Skateboarding naturally teaches resilience, but skaters and surfers from third-world countries have to take that resilience to a whole new level to compete. Skateboarders and surfers from continents like Africa and India face unique challenges in their journey to the Olympics. The financial burden of traveling to qualification events, securing sponsorships, and accessing training facilities can be daunting. However, the global skate and surf community has rallied to support these athletes.


Stories of skaters from Mozambique, who overcame numerous hurdles to compete internationally, highlight the resilience and determination within these communities. Watching athletes from diverse backgrounds compete in these sports also gives a unique opportunity to discuss subjects like geography, cultures, and more. Seeing young skaters and surfers competing inspires kids to imagine themselves taking on these same challenges and achieving their own goals.


(Photo @maputoskate )


Surfing and Skateboarding: By the Numbers

Since their Olympic debut, both sports have seen significant increases in participation. Globally, there are an estimated 125 million skateboarders and 35 million surfers. Countries not typically known for these sports, like Mozambique in Africa, are now producing athletes who compete on the world stage, showcasing the global reach and appeal of these activities.


Action Sports and Vital Skills

However, compared to many other Olympic sports, surfing and skateboarding have a relatively low-cost entry level, making them accessible to a wider range of participants. This accessibility, combined with the benefits and skills these sports teach, makes them particularly valuable for not just physical activity but for education as well.


Like standing on one leg, skateboarding and surfing require focus, patience, and persistence. These sports teach valuable lessons in overcoming barriers, as falling is a natural part of the process. Our programs help youth develop resilience, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills through these action sports.


Did you know that and estimated 66% of students are disengaged in a traditional classroom? Their natural desire to learn gets crushed by an outdated system that’s not meeting their needs. Action sports can be a great tool to re-engage these students by making learning dynamic and relevant to their interests.


Skateboarding and surfing build critical thinking skills and improve the ability to build relationships. For many, these sports are an outlet for stress and a space to feel safer and included. They foster community, mental health, and collaboration skills among youth, allowing them to connect with those who may be different from them.


Each of our projects values community involvement. Our programs give back by getting involved in local initiatives, creating mentorship opportunities, and providing leadership training. We invest in the future of the kids we work with by exposing them to various careers, offering apprenticeships, and teaching job skills.


Skateboarders and surfers look at things a little differently. Take a staircase, for instance… Most people see a way to get from one level of a building to another. But a skater sees nothing but potential for tricks and creativity. This mindset can change how others see skateboarders and surfers and their contributions to communities.


(Surf Skate Science heads on a Create-A-Skate Field Trip to @ProfessorSchmitt )


More than just a sport

At Surf Skate Science, we believe in helping students identify their skills and passions, turning these into valued skills, and applying them in ways that contribute to society. Educators can learn from the environment of a skatepark or surf spot to foster creativity, resilience, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, negotiation, and emotional intelligence in the classroom.


Here are some vital skills needed for the next century that action sports teach:


  • Creativity and Innovation: Skateparks and skateboards are bursting with physics, geometry, science, engineering and math. Plus, Skateboarding doesn’t have any rules or limitations. The way you do tricks and the style you showcase matters a lot more than the tricks themselves. Creativity rules skateboarding. It’s all about expressing yourself and testing fresh ways to have fun with your board.


  • Resilience and Complex Problem Solving: Falling and failing in action sports and life is inevitable. Skaters know how to fall smart, get back up and try again. A skater knows that when things go wrong, they cope by rolling, sliding and using their pads to distribute the energy of the crash. There is always a lesson to apply to the next hundred tries it takes to master a trick.


  • Cognitive Flexibility: These unstructured, creative outlets encourage adaptability and quick thinking.


  • Critical Thinking: Action Sports are unstructured, athletic and creative outlets for body and soul. For example. skaters take and make all kinds of terrain and turn it into a canvas for creative movement.


  • Decision Making and Negotiation: Experienced skaters and surfers become skilled diplomats who know their place in the skatepark and the line up.....and the world. Just watch any group of skaters lined up around a bowl or surfers waiting to catch a wave. They (mostly) wordlessly know: a) when it is their turn, b) whether the kid riding got more air than his last run and if the trick merits a board clap or cheer and c) how many tricks or waves they can get before annoying the group.


  • Emotional Intelligence: Through action sports, you’ll meet people from all ages, ethnicity and social status. They encourage strong independent thinking and the drive needed to take on challenge after challenge. For example, skateboarders learn to find and make their own lines amid the beautiful chaos of a busy skatepark.



Inspiring the Next Generation through STEM

The resurgence of surfing and skateboarding in the Olympics provides a unique opportunity to inspire young minds in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).


These sports are rich with educational potential:


  • Physics of Skateboarding: Understanding concepts like gravity, momentum, and centrifugal force can be illustrated through the tricks and stunts performed on a skateboard.


  • Engineering a Surfboard or Skateboard: The design and construction of boards offer hands-on lessons in materials science and engineering principles.


  • Architecture of Skatepark Design: The planning and building of skateparks can teach geometry, physics, and urban planning.


  • Marine Ecology and Water Quality: Surfing provides a gateway to learning about ocean ecosystems, water quality, and environmental stewardship.


  • Chemistry of Concrete and Saltwater: The materials used in building skateparks and the chemical properties of seawater are rich areas for exploration.



Hands-On Learning Activities at Home

Here are some exciting, hands-on activities that can bring these STEM concepts to life at home:


  • Build a Mini Skatepark: Use old cereal boxes and other household materials to design and construct a miniature skatepark. This activity teaches principles of architecture and engineering.


  • Centrifugal Force Demonstration: Search for Tony Hawk's 360 loop video "Lizzie Armanto Makes History At Tony Hawk's Loop." Then, fill a bucket with water and spin it over your head without spilling to demonstrate centrifugal force. This simple experiment illustrates how Lizzie stays in the loop, showing a fundamental physics concept in action.


  • Design a Mini Surfboard: Research how a surfboard is shaped and the way it functions. Carve a small piece of insulation foam into a surfboard shape using sandpaper. Then, test your board by filling up a bin with water and making some waves. This project introduces the basics of material science and engineering design.


  • Measure Salinity: Learn how salinity affects marine life and how a surfboard floats on the water. Collect local saltwater and measure its salinity using a hydrometer or a simple evaporation method. Experiment with different salt levels by creating your own saltwater if you don't live near the ocean. This experiment connects chemistry with environmental science.



Programs that Make a Difference

STEM programs like Surf Skate Science are making waves by offering free resources and activities that blend the excitement of surfing and skateboarding with STEM education.


Our partnerships with organizations such as Cemex and Skate 4 Concrete provide insights into careers in the concrete field, while our Everglades Explorers series with the Everglades Foundation and Marine Science Series with the Guy Harvey Foundation offer in-depth explorations of environmental science and ecology. These programs are designed to spark curiosity and innovation in young minds, providing hands-on learning opportunities that are both fun and educational.



Free Ways to Learn

Surf Skate Science provides a wealth of free resources on our website. Whether you're interested in building a mini skatepark, understanding the physics of skateboarding, or exploring marine science, we offer activities and lessons that make STEM accessible and engaging. By integrating the dynamic world of surfing and skateboarding into education, we can inspire the next generation of thinkers, creators, and innovators.


Where and When to Watch

Don't miss the excitement of skateboarding and surfing competitions at this year's Olympic Games.




Join us in riding the wave of excitement and learning something new along the way! For more information and free STEM resources, visit Surf Skate Science.

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