History made with first-ever U.S. Skateboarding Olympic team presented at L.A. Live
On Monday, the first-ever Olympic skateboarding team was presented where the sport originated in Southern California.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Olympic history was made on Monday. The first-ever U.S. Skateboarding Olympic team was presented at L.A. Live. Skateboarding will make its debut at the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo this summer.
"It's the first time a culture-based sport will be in the summer Olympic games," said Josh Friedberg, ceo of the U.S.A. Skateboard Olympic team. "We believe that skateboarding can make the Olympic movement better because it brings with it much more than just winning."
The U.S. team is made up of 12 members that will form four groups - two groups of men and women for park skateboarding and two groups of men and women for street skateboarding. Friedberg said this is still surreal.
"It hadn't hit me what we were really working on until the day before yesterday when we were breaking down the pallets that had all of the Olympic team gear on them. And I started to kind of to realize like 'Hey, this is real' for the first time," said Friedberg.
Among the twelve skateboarders heading to the Olympics is Heimana Reynolds, a 22-year-old man from Hawaii who said skateboarding means everything to him and his family.
"I'm just really excited for the experience. I get to go to the Olympics. I get to represent my country. I get to represent it in a way that I love to do," said Reynolds.
With skateboarding making its debut in the Olympics for the first time, many look back at its history as it originated in Southern California, and how far it's come.
"Personally me, I thought that it would never be where it is today," said Heimana "We've made it to the Olympics and knowing that ... almost kind of shoved it in their faces that this is a real job and I want to do this for the rest of my life and I'm grateful."
The summer Olympics is scheduled to begin in late July.
"The chance to be here and just share this with the world is so meaningful to me," said Friedberg.
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