A skate contest or skateboarding contest or skateboarding competition is a competition between people

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

, usually on a designated course or ramp, typically decided by judges' scoring.

History

The first skate contest took place in 1963 in

Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area; ...

, sponsored by Makaha and held at the Pier Avenue Junior High School. In April 26 & 27, 1975,

The Zephyr Boys The Zephyr Competition Team (or Z-Boys) were a group of American skateboarders in the mid-1970s from Santa Monica and Venice, California. Originally consisting of 12 members, the Z-boys were originally sponsored by the Jeff Ho Surfboards and Ze ...

impress the crowd at the Bahne-Cadillac National Championships held as part of the Del Mar Ocean Festival. Coverage from this skate contest propelled the

Z-Boys The Zephyr Competition Team (or Z-Boys) were a group of American skateboarders in the mid-1970s from Santa Monica and Venice, California. Originally consisting of 12 members, the Z-boys were originally sponsored by the Jeff Ho Surfboards and Ze ...

as first skate celebrities. The unique and aggressive style of the Z-Boys caused a major sensation and controversy at the competition. In 1982, Tony Hawk won his first skateboard contest at the

Del Mar Skate Ranch The Del Mar Skate Ranch, also known as the DMSR, was an American skatepark in Del Mar, California, which opened August 1978 and was demolished July 1987. History DMSR was designed by IPS (Inouye’s Pool Service) staffers Tom Inouye, Chris Strop ...

. In 1983,

Tommy Guerrero Thomas Marc Guerrero (born September 9, 1966) is an American musician, composer, and professional skateboarder. He is a former member of the Bones Brigade, a prominent skateboarding team of the 1980s that also included Tony Hawk and Steve Caba ...

won the first street-style skateboard contest at

Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond District, San Francisco, Richmond and Sunset District, San Francisco, Sunset districts on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California, United States. It is the Lis ...

, in San Francisco. The first Tampa Pro competition took place in 1995 and was won by

Mike Vallely Mike Vallely ( ; born 1970), also known as Mike V, is an American professional skateboarder and musician. From 2013 to 2025, he was the lead vocalist of the hardcore punk band Black Flag. Vallely was the second-longest-serving member of the ban ...

. The first

X Games The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and aired on ESPN networks and ABC. In late 2022, ESPN sold the long-running property to MSP Sports Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Mo ...

contest took place in 1995. The first

Street League Skateboarding Street League Skateboarding (SLS) is an international skateboarding tournament series. The league features professional street skateboarders competing for the largest monetary prize in the history of skateboarding, and was founded by professiona ...

contest took place in 2010. Skateboarding made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2021 Summer Olympics.

Photos of skate contests

File:People watch the Battle of the Beach 2 - Far Rockaway Skatepark - September - 2019.jpg File:Andre Beverly rolls away after landing a trick at LES skatepark.jpg File:Kevin Godette backside crooked grind at the LES skatepark3.jpg File:Andre Beverly with the frontside crooked grind.jpg File:Jiro Platt celebrates winning the Battle of the Beach 2 - 2019.jpg File:180 in an orange shirt at Far Rockaway Skatepark - 2019.jpg File:Skate Contest at the Pablo Ramirez foundation Skate With Your Mom event at Washington Skatepark in Park Slope.jpg File:Donny Barley, Kava Garcia Vasquez, and Loren Michelle.jpg File:Skate Contest Prize Skate4Changes.jpg File:Skate for Changes Skate Contest Prize.jpg File:SkateForChanges.jpg File:Wil540 judges a skate contest.jpg

References

{{skateboarding Skateboarding competitions