The signs are everywhere, an ominous warning to riders of wheeled flat bottom boards: No skateboarding allowed. But on Saturday June 21, out went the warnings and in came a skateboarding free-for-all.
At noon in New York's skate park Brooklyn Banks, thousands of people armed with skateboards gathered for Wild in the Streets, a five-mile ride starting from Brooklyn Bridge through the streets of New York City. The event was part of a series of celebrations in the annual Go Skateboarding Day.
Originally initiated by the International Association of Skateboard Companies in 2004, Go Skateboarding Day was designed as a holiday for skateboarding. It received congressional support from California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) in 2007 as way to encourage youths to exercise outside and received Special Congressional Recognition in June 2007.
On June 18, 2007, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-CA) gave the day additional official recognition by passing a Congressional resolution praising its unique cultural influence in California.
The official website for Go Skateboarding Day describes it as a "day for anyone and everyone to take a break from everything, get together with family and friends and go skateboarding." The day was allegedly set for June 21 to correspond with the first day of summer.
According to event organizer and former skateboarder Angela Raymond, Wild in the Streets is deemed to be the largest in the nation.
"This is an annual national event to get skateboarders to come and show off some tricks," says Raymond.
Although mostly attracting mostly New Yorkers, Wild in the Streets drew participants nationwide, says Raymond.
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