Skateboarding is an incredibly popular activity that children and adults from all walks of life participate in. It's funny, actually, when you think about it - because skateboarders have often had a polarizing effect on society. The impetus for skateboarding was born in California approximately fifty years ago - as die hard wave surfers were looking for an alternative when the waves weren't cooperating.

Now, considering California is the home of sand and surf, it makes sense that people would be drawn to the water. But, people trying to surf on the sidewalk; on hard concrete? Now that makes no sense whatsoever. Thus began its migration into counterculture.

Now, fast-forward a few years, and where is skateboarding now? Not only is it more popular than ever before, but skateboarders also enjoy an almost unreal stature in the world. Whereas before, people may look down upon boarders as fringe members of society, today, the people who perform these unreal and incredible tricks are a hybrid combination of athletes, businesspeople, role models and icons. Someone like Tony Hawk, who is generally considered to be the greatest skateboarder of all time, has transcended across multiple social platforms to become a celebrity - and perhaps more importantly, a brand.

The great thing about skateboarding is that, even if it originated on the beaches of the west coast of the United States of America, today it knows no borders and has no bounds. Children, adults, men and women all over the world are skateboarding for a variety of reasons.