Innoskate

About Innoskate

Skateboarders and the Smithsonian? In 2013, that unlikely pairing launched a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and leaders of the international skate community. Grounded in the belief that invention and innovation happen every day—often in unexpected places—Innoskate celebrates  invention and creativity in skate culture and shares that history with diverse public audiences. Innoskate research and public festivals spark the imaginations of young people through skate demonstrations, discussions with skaters and inventors, films, hands-on invention educational activities, art collaborations, and the acquisition of skate objects for the national collections of the Smithsonian. Collectively, these activities reveal the creative thinkers in the skateboarding community who push boundaries, solve problems, and advance their community through invention.

The inaugural Innoskate festival took place on June 21-22, 2013 in Washington, DC, to mark the 10th anniversary of global Go Skateboarding Day. With the Washington Monument as a dramatic backdrop for a specially-built skate ramp installed in front of the National Museum of American History, skateboarding’s pioneers—including Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Patti McGee, Cindy Whitehead, and Paul Schmitt—shared their insights about skate history, invention, and innovation with 30,000 museum visitors from around the world. The success of this initial Innoskate event inspired new collaborations and additional Innoskate festivals. In 2014 Innoskate came to the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL, and the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle. In 2015, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate in Greenville, SC, and at the ESPN X Games in Austin hosted Innoskate events. What's next? Keep reading!

2013 - Washington DC

2014 - Lakeland FL

Innoskate festivals in 2014 featured a bi-coastal celebration of innovation in skate culture with integrated events at the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL (June 20-21, 2014) and at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle (August 16, 2014). Though joined in spirit and content, the programs at each venue reflected the specific interests of each museum and its community.  

The Innoskate festival held at the Polk Museum of Art demonstrated the power of the connection between innovation and skateboarding to capture the public’s imagination. The entire staff of the Polk Museum—especially its Director Claire Orologas—and the City of Lakeland were imaginative and generous collaborators who created a fantastic event. With their insight and support, the discussion panels and activities in Lakeland helped us appreciate the importance of artistic creativity in skate culture and revealed how the innovations of Florida skaters have impacted skate’s history. In doing so, the Polk Museum demonstrated its commitment to Lakeland and the region to serve as a welcoming, innovative, and dynamic gathering place where ideas about the human experience can be explored through works of art. 

Skate culture is a strong and integral part of Lakeland’s community and the Innoskate weekend got off to a great start as the city issued a proclamation declaring Lakeland a skate-friendly city. The event began with a Friday evening Welcome and Kick-off Party at the Polk Museum of Art, which had transformed its parking lot into a skatepark complete with skatable artworks and live music. On Saturday, Innoskate began the day at the new, city-built Lakeland Skatepark. A public skate session and opening remarks were followed by panel sessions discussing technological innovations in skateboards with Florida native Paul Schmitt, and the contributions to the history of skateboarding made by Florida’s innovative skaters Elissa Steamer, Mike Frazier, Nick Halkias, and Tim Payne. The morning’s festivities concluded with a best trick contest. 

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the open skate for all Innoskate participants and attendees from the Lakeland Skatepark back to the Polk Museum of Art—including a police escort who closed the roads for the skaters. 

Back at the Polk Museum of Art, the afternoon panel session featured Florida native Rodney Mullen and local artist and skater Chad Cardoza who shared their insights into the relationship between art, creativity, and innovation. Inside the Polk Museum. Guests were treated to the All Decked Out exhibition of skate art and hands-on art activities. Public skating continued throughout the day, complimented by food trucks and live music. It was a truly epic event.  

Panel Discussion: Innovation and Progression of the Board

2014 - Seattle WA

Innoskate festivals in 2014 featured a bi-coastal celebration of innovation in skate culture with integrated events at the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL (June 20-21, 2014) and at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) in Seattle (August 16, 2014). Though joined in spirit and content, the programs at each venue reflected the specific interests of each museum and its community.  

Innoskate at the Museum of History and Industry approached the exploration of history, invention, and skateboarding from a distinctly “Seattle” perspective and reflected the city’s well-earned reputation for innovation, civic-mindedness, and social action. Under a clear blue sky on a warm August day, with the Space Needle watching over the festivities, the public was treated to a free skate clinic at the museum as advanced skaters tested their skills on obstacles in the adjacent Lake Union Park. Seattle skate legend Marshall Reid took spectators on a journey through the past as he discussed evolutions and innovations in the history of the skateboard as Seattle skaters performed tricks from earlier eras.

Discussion panels inside the museum featured conversations with local innovators about skateboarding as a way to promote female leadership and empowerment; the intersection of local Native American culture, art, and skateboarding; and the importance of terrain in the creation of Seattle’s citywide skatepark system. A skate fashion show for children, skate art projects facilitated by members of the Tulalip Tribe, Seattle skate history and skatepark design exhibitions, and other presentations offered a full range of activities for visitors. This incredible event concluded with a best trick contest using the back stairs of the museum on the edge of Lake Union. Many thanks to MOHAI program coordinators Julia Swann, Tara McCauley, and the entire staff of the museum for their efforts in developing a program that highlighted the unique qualities of Seattle and its skate community.

Panel Discussion: Innovation and Progression of the Board and the History of Skateboarding in Seattle

Seattle skate leader Marshall Reid took spectators on a journey through the past, discussing evolutions and innovations in the history of the skateboard as Kristin Ebeling and other Seattle skaters performed tricks from earlier eras. A featured program at every Innoskate festival, this panel focused on how skaters spark innovations in skateboard design though their drive and determination to invent new tricks, navigate a variety of terrain and environments, and continually push the boundaries of skateboarding. Marshall focused especially on the many influential Seattle skaters who have made contributions to the skate community nationwide. 

Panel Discussion: Innovations in Seattle Community Activism—Community Organization in Seattle, Gender Empowerment to Promote Positive Change

In this panel, Nancy Chang and Kristin Ebeling of the Skate Like a Girl organization (SLAG), discussed the power of skateboarding to effect social change. SLAG is a unique organization that provides an innovative educational approach to female empowerment and leadership while promoting women’s skateboarding. SLAG seeks to create a collective of girls and women who strive for social justice through skateboarding and other activities. Nancy and Kristin discussed social challenges facing young women and SLAG’s efforts to provide the tools and confidence necessary to combat them. They also talked about their own experiences in meeting the challenge of being women skaters in male-dominated skate culture. The panel concluded by considering the special and distinct aspects of Seattle’s culture that made the city receptive to such a grassroots organization. 

Panel Discussion: Intersections and Innovation in Skateboarding and Native American Art

Louie Gong (Nooksack) is Canadian artist, activist, and educator who merges traditional Coast Salish art with influences from the urban environment to make strong statements about identity. Louie is a self-taught artist who began in making art in 2008. He is known for his hand-drawn custom shoes (Converse and Vans), skate decks, and for contributing murals to local skateparks.

In this conversation, Louie shared his perspective and ideas on creativity, artistic expression, innovation, and the role of community in both Native American and skateboard culture. In what ways are the creative and inventive processes in art and skating similar? In what ways are they different? The discussion concluded by considering how art serves as a connection point between Native American and skateboarding culture. 

Panel Discussion: Innovations in the Use of Terrain and Skatepark Design—The Importance and Influence of Where Skaters Skate

2015 - X Games

ESPN’s invitation to showcase Innoskate panels and activities at the X Games connected the Innoskate team with skateboarding’s most accomplished athletes and shared ideas about innovation and creativity with the more than 100,000 people who attended this massive festival. Audiences were highly engaged and appreciated hearing legends and current pro skaters, including Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Alexis Sablone, and Paul Rodriguez, offer their views about invention and innovation in skateboarding. Holding the discussions at the X Games Vert Ramp competition venue and the NextX activity center provided dramatic backdrops for these conversations.  

Panel Discussion and Skate Demo: Innovation and Progression of the Board

2015 - Greenville SC

2016 - Cambridge MA

Skateboarding and the Smithsonian? The Lemelson Center’s traveling program celebrating inventive creativity in skate culture has been to five spots around the country. On October 29, Innoskate comes to Cambridge to spark imaginations through skate demonstrations, discussions with skaters and inventors, hands-on invention educational activities, and other fun activities. 

Innoskate is a unique and successful collaboration between the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and the skateboard community grounded in the belief that invention and innovation happen every day, often in unexpected places. Innoskate public festivals celebrate invention and creativity through the sharing of skate culture’s widespread innovative spirit and history with diverse public audiences. These popular public festivals spark the imaginations of young people through skate demonstrations, presentations and discussions with skaters and inventors, films, invention and STEAM educational activities, art collaborations, and acquisition of skate objects for the national collections.

Innoskate 2016 features a new collaboration with the Lemelson-MIT program to create a festival at the Lynch Family Skatepark in Cambridge. This event will draw upon the collective energy and expertise of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, the Lemelson-MIT program, MIT faculty and staff, and other community partners to create an entertaining and educational program for the public. Innoskate 2016 will kick-off Friday, October 28 with a special evening event featuring skateboarding legend Rodney Mullen; artist, photographer, and filmmaker Steven Sebring; and MIT inventors and scientists to explore the intersections of art, technology, creativity, and innovation. On Saturday, October 29 at the Lynch Family Skatepark discussions and activities will explore the history and technological evolution of the skateboard (how skaters and innovators work together to push the boundaries of skating), an exploration of cognitive science and how the brain learns and remembers how to perform skate tricks, and a special session will explore the creation of the Lynch Family Skatepark highlighting how the park helps preserve the environmental stability of the Charles River while also providing a community center for self-expression. Participants will also enjoy additional hands-on educational activities, demonstrations, art projects, public skating, and a best trick contest.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, October 28 – MIT Stata Center

5:30 p.m.             Intersections of Innovation

In this MIT Master Class, legendary skateboarder Rodney Mullen and innovative filmmaker/photographer Steven Sebring discuss their collaboration, Liminal, and how, by fusing together their passion and creativity, they ended up pushing the boundries of their respective disciplines. Joining them in the conversation will be Allan Adams, Physics and Comparative Media Studies and Writing, MIT; Anette (Peko) Hosoi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Associate Department Head of Operations, MIT; and Josh Friedberg, Secretary General, International Skateboarding Federation.

Saturday, October 29 – Lynch Family Skate Park

11:00 am              Open Skating / Skate Clinic

12 noon                Welcome Remarks / Donation of Objects to the National Collections

12:30 p.m.           Panel 1 – 50 Years of Skateboard Innovation and Invention

Skateboard innovator and manufacturer “Professor” Paul Schmitt will perform his popular panel that explores how skaters spark innovations in skateboard design though their drive and determination to invent new tricks, navigate a variety of terrain and environments, and to continually push the boundaries of skateboarding. This panel highlights the critical role of the skater as the primary innovator responsible for instigating advances in deck design and the use of new materials in the skateboard, wheels, and trucks in order to realize a creative vision. He will be joined by Dr. Christina Chase, Co-Director of STE@M (Sports Technology Education @ MIT); Ryan Clements, The Boardr; and Betsy Gordon, National Museum of the American Indian, as well as professional skateboarders and 3D printing experts from Formlabs. 

1:15 p.m.             Open Skate hosted by The Boardr

1:45 p.m.             Panel 2 – Innovation, Collaboration and Community: The Creation of the Lynch Family Skate Park

This panel, featuring Renata Von Tscharner from the Charles River Conservancy; Steve Van Doren of Vans; Josh Friedberg, Secretary General, International Skateboarding Federation; and Jeff Brodie, Deputy Director, Lemelson Center, will explore the creation of the Lynch Family Skatepark and how collaborative problem solving can be a success through shared vision.

2:15 p.m.             Open Skate hosted by The Boardr

2:45 p.m.             Panel 3 – The Skateboarder’s Brain: Creativity and Learning in Skateboarding

This final panel discussion will explore the physiological and external associative proccesses of invention--what happens in our brains when creativity and invention are taking place? How does the brain learn, remember, and replicate all of the movements required to skateboard? Speakers include Rodney Mullen, skateboard legend; Chris Leppla, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT; and Jeff Brodie, Deputy Director, Lemelson Center.

3:30 p.m.             Best Trick Contest hosted by The Boardr open to skaters with a signed waiver (download waiver)

4:00 p.m.             Closing Remarks 

All Day                Educational Activities

• Spark!Lab hands-on activities - Invent Your Own Skate Park, Invent Your Own Skate Wheel
• Formlabs 3D printing demonstration; design your own skate park with 3D printed materials, and 3D printed skateboard components
• Tech Imaging demonstration of high speed image capture of skateboarders
• Lemelson-MIT Program hands-on activity exploring the physics of optics

Other Innoskate Programs

Dude! I'm in a Museum!
Innoskate presentation at the American Alliance of Museums National Meeting, May 19, 2014

The American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & Museum Expo is the largest gathering of museum professionals in the world. More than 4,500 museum professionals gather each year to hear diverse perspectives on a wide range of topics, to connect with colleagues from across the country and around the world, and to engage in meaningful dialogue with peers from diverse backgrounds and from museums of all types.

The Innoskate planning team was honored to be selected to present at the AAM meeting in Seattle, Washington, May 18-21, 2014. Jeffrey Brodie of the Lemelson Center; Betsy Gordon of the National Museum of the American Indian; Julia Swann of the Museum of History and Industry; Josh Friedberg, International Association of Skateboard Companies; and Ryan Clements, TheBoardr, shared their experiences in building a successful collaboration among the Smithsonian, the skateboard community, and other partnering museums. The panelists discussed their efforts to create innovative models to work with external partners, engage diverse cultures, and share cultural authority to present history. 

The American Alliance of Museums published highlights of the Innoskate presentation in the September/October issue of Museum, the AAM's bi-monthly magazine addressing the issues and challenges that face museums today. (Read the full article . . .)

Innoskate Global Innovators Congress at the International Association of Skateboard Companies Summit, May 14, 2015

The first Innoskate Global Innovators Congress, a plenary session held during the International Association of Skateboard Companies’ 8th Annual Summit, assembled a distinguished international group of innovators who are using skateboarding as a tool to promote positive social change in communities worldwide.

The Congress provided a unique opportunity to hear from some of the most inspiring and passionate skateboard activists from around the globe: Oliver Percovich from Skateistan, Miles Jackson from Cuba Skate, Israel Dejene from Megabi Skate in Ethiopia, Vinicius Tinoco from Next Up Foundation, and professional skateboarder Chico Brenes from Central Skate Camp and Central Skateshop in Nicaragua.

The session was moderated by Jeffrey Brodie, Deputy Director of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Betsy Gordon, Project Manager at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and Josh Friedberg, Executive Director Emeritus of IASC.

Innoskate at the Smithsonian / United States Patent and Trademark Office Innovation Festival, September 18-19, 2015

In 2014, the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) joined together to engage the public, scholars, thought leaders, inventors, and innovators in a dialog about the critical role that invention and innovation play in our society. 

In 2015, the Smithsonian and the USPTO collaboration produced the Innovation Festival at the National Museum of American History, celebrating invention, creativity, imagination, and innovation. Highlights of the festival included innovation and invention programs, hands-on activities, expert talks and demonstrations, and opportunities for the public to meet, learn, and exchange ideas with inventors and innovators while exploring their own creative abilities.

The Innoskate program team was excited to join innovators from around the country to demonstrate how today’s inventors are creating the world of our future. Inventor "Professor" Paul Schmitt, IASC Executive Director Josh Friedberg, and Lemelson Center Deputy Director Jeffrey Brodie discussed the role of invention and innovation in skate culture and displayed 20 skateboards that document the evolution and innovation in the technology of the skateboard over the past 50 years. More than 20,000 museum visitors attended the festival. 

The Future of Innoskate

Building on our past accomplishments, Innoskate is poised to move into the future with an expanded national outreach and research program that will explore the history of skateboarding, invention, and creativity in distinctly new and innovative ways. Specifically, Innoskate will:

• Use skateboarding as an interdisciplinary lens for exploring history, invention, and innovation.
• Demonstrate how skateboarding integrates traditional STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) with art, music, fashion, and culture. 
• Make invention and innovation accessible to new audiences through unexpected subject matter.
• Demonstrate similarities between skater/inventors and inventors from other disciplines who exemplify flexibility, resilience, risk-taking, creativity, and collaboration as essential characteristics of successful inventors.
• Document, record, and share the history of skate and innovation with diverse audiences through the collection of objects, archival materials, and oral histories.
• Promote community collaboration and civic dialogue among local skate communities, local museums, and local government entities.
• Use skate as a lens for understanding how technology and inventions are shared across cultures (domestically and internationally).
• Explore how innovators use skateboarding as a tool for social change worldwide.
• Encourage young people to appreciate invention in their everyday lives and challenge common assumptions about who and what invention and inventors look like. 

To achieve these objectives, Innoskate is now considering a multifaceted array of activities:

• Innoskate Festival traveling tour to 12 US cities
• Innoskate Festivals at Street League events, X Games, and 2020 Olympics
• Innoskate Legacy Project – collect/record oral histories with skate’s leading figures
• Innoskate Global Innovators Congress at the Smithsonian in a multi-day Innoskate festival featuring international participants
• Innoskate traveling exhibition
• Expand the breadth of Innoskate topics for inclusion at Innoskate Festival events—particularly the integration of music, physical health, and international cultures. Previous topics include:
  • Invention and Innovation in the skate deck
  • Innovative minds (invention of tricks and the creative process)
  • Skate as an international tool for social change
  • Innovations in art and skate
  • Innovation in Native American communities and skate
  • Impact and influence of local skate innovations
  • Terrain—design, construction, and invention of skateparks
  • Skate, civic discourse, and community change
  • Impact of skate technology, fashion, and culture on broader popular culture
• Innoskate mobile app as a central information hub and repository for crowd-sourced skateboard information and history
• Innoskate STEAM education curriculum
• Spark!Lab education materials and hands-on invention activities
• Innoskate book, journal publications, and conference presentations
• Community action forum to facilitate community dialogue about skate in local communities

Smithsonian Skateboarding Collection

Helmets: Many of the tricks and stunts that skaters practice and execute are dangerous to perform without protective gear. Helmets also became much more than protective gear with designs that reveal the skaters personality or make public statements.

• Judi Oyama’s Fly Away skate helmet from the 1980s
• George Orton’s custom shark painted helmet, used to set the world record, Sept. 15, 1996, at a speed of 61.87 mph—smashing the old record by 7 mph
• George Orton’s custom street luge helmet

Skateboards: Skateboards come in many different shapes and sizes. The collection of skateboards donated to the museum shows the evolution of the skateboard from a simple board with wheels to a thoughtfully-crafted piece of equipment that is often also a work of art.

• Patti McGee’s Hobie Super Surfer, 1965
• Jack Smith’s board used to ride across the US in 1976
• Robin Logan’s Logan Earth Ski pro-model, 1975
• Laura Thornhill’s Logan Earth Ski pro-model, circa 1976-77
• Tony Hawk’s first board, given to him by his brother, Steve, in 1977. It is a 1975 Bahne skateboard made out of fiberglass and modified by Steve Hawk.
• Julian Stranger deck from REAL skateboards. The graphic features a Jewish star and Nazi swastika and says “NEVER FORGET 6,000,000 DEAD,” about 1995. Only 125 were produced. Donated by Nick Halkias.
• George Orton’s 39-inch carbon fiber composite board with free-floating Randell skateboard trucks and x-skate wheels, used to set the world record Sept.15 1996, at a speed of 61.87 mph
• Deck used by Mimi Knoop when she earned her first X-Games medal in 2004
• Rodney Mullen’s board that he rode at the Smithsonian in 2012
• Dwindle and Cindy Whitehead’s “Girl is NOT a 4 Letter Word” prototype board featuring original artwork by Cindy Whitehead
• Custom Roger Bros. Street luge used by George Orton in both the X Games and Gravity Games
• Honeycomb pool board designed by George Powell
• Santa Cruz board used by Tim Brauch
• Mark Lake pro model
• Powell Quicksilver used by Stacy Peralta
• NASH Goofy Foot Sidewalk Surfer
• Brauch urethane wheels (Santa Monica Airlines)
• Mark Lake pro model deck
• Skate deck belonging to Frank Brauch
• Nightmare skate deck used by Mark Lake
• Tim Brauch’s first pro board by SMA
• Tim Bauch memorial board made by Santa Cruz
• Lane Segerstrom speed record longboard
• Shaggo skateboard

Rails and boards: Many skate tricks are performed on rails or boards. These objects can vary in size, shape and material.

• Paul Schmitt donated a number of rails and boards:
  • Schmitt Stix rails, his first commercial product
  • 1978 Formica, fiberglass, and wood (Formica to slide and fiberglass for strength)
  • 1979 Hand Cut UHMW plastic rails
  • 1980 Extruded UHMW Plastic Rails Half Round, which eliminated hang ups
  • 1983 ATV Board built in a small workshop in Tampa Florida
  • 1986 Wider Rails, which had a round edge and a grab lip
  • 1986 Paul Schmitt’s Yardstick Complete
  • 1987 Chris Miller Model First Double Kick Board built in high production factory
  • 1988 Skinny Rails
  • 1989 T lock rails with Hidden Bolts

Medals: As skateboarding became a more organized sport, tournaments emerged and skaters could show the public their skills and talents.

• X Games medals won by George Orton

Bibs: At skate tournaments, contestants wore bibs—numbers that distinguished them as they competed for the championship.

• Cindy Whitehead’s Gold Cup Contest bib
• George Orton’s X-Games bibs

Apparel: Although clothing tailored to skateboard culture is now available commercially around the nation, many skaters made political, artistic, or personal statements with their apparel.

• Mimi Knoop’s Alliance T-shirt worn during the 2006 Women’s vert contest at the X-Games
• Original graphic T-shirt from DEL MAR Skatepark featuring the Pushead’s art, which was his first “published” work
• Cindy Whitehead’s Sims Team Jersey, padded Molly skate shorts, and Puma tennis shoes
• Bates racing leathers used by George Orton in the X Games and Gravity Games

Archival Material: As skateboarding became a more organized sport, several publications emerged to document the latest news and trends. In addition, nationally recognized publications featured the skateboarders and the sport.

• National Skateboard Review, 1976-1977
• The first second and third issues of TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine, uncirculated and in mint condition. These magazines were donated by Nick Halkias.
• New York Times and Los Angeles Times articles on the Alliance from 2006. The New York Times article helped the Alliance gain the attention of John Skipper, president of ESPN and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.

Miscellaneous: There are many different types of objects that make up a holistic skateboarding collection. Not all of these objects fall within the typical categories people associate with skateboarding, but they are very important to the sport and culture.

• Set of master keys to the Skatepark of Tampa circa 1994. Donated by Nick Halkias.
• Skate cards used by Cindy Whitehead
• Skate wrench used by Cindy Whitehead

Resources and Media

Multimedia

YouTube Playlist

2013 Flickr Album

Podcast: Patti McGee and Di Dootson Rose, Pioneering Skateboarders

Podcast: Jacob Rosenberg Turns the Camera on Skateboarders

Podcast: Robin Logan and Cindy Whitehead, Pioneering Skateboarders

Video: Rodney Mullen Skates through the Invention Process

Blogs

Joining the Boys' Club: Cindy Whitehead and Skateboarding

A Unique Way to See the World: Skateboarders and Inventors

Dude! Tony Hawk Skates into History

Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen, Skateboard Legends...and Inventors?

Innoskate Team and Partners

Innoskate Project Team:

• Jeffrey L. Brodie, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
• Josh Friedberg, Founder, Know Projects, Emeritus Executive Director, International Association of Skateboard Companies
• Ryan Clements, Principal, The Boardr
• Betsy Gordon, Project Manager, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution

Special thanks to all staff members of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (current and former) who have made continued contributions to the success of the program.

Special thanks to Rob Meronek and The Boardr Boys for their expertise in executing and coordinating the Innoskate events.

Special thanks to Miki Vuckovich, Executive Director, Tony Hawk Foundation.

Special thanks to Claire Orologas and the staff of the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida.

Special thanks to Julia Swann and the staff of the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington.

Special thanks to Nancy Halverson and the staff of The Childen’s Museum of the Upstate in Greenville, South Carolina.

Special thanks to Tim Reid and Valerie Ryan at ESPN’s X Games.

Special thanks to Nike, Michelin, and the Lemelson Foundation for their critical financial support.

Special thanks to California Skateparks for building the first mini ramp ever on the terrace of the National Museum of American History.