I hate to use those two terms, but which do you prefer the fingerboarding scene/community be? More popular and widely known/accepted? This has it's pro's mostly because anyone who sees fingerboarding and doesn't actually board themselves just assumes- tech decks, toys, immature, childish, lame, waste of time, etc. But then it loses it's integrity it seems. Personally, I like the way it is now, not too under the table, but not crazy popular. Fingerboarding is still definitely not a "mainstream" hobby/sport/whatever-you-wanna-lable-it. So which would you rather it be?

I dont really give a shit.. I just fingerboard.

I'd have to say underground. This is about the only american forum at this point and we have less than 3000 members. At that's in multiple countries. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't grown more in the past few years. But I guess it's getting to a point where fingerboarding isn't online anymore.

Mainstream, because more parks and more socially accepted

But....

Underground, because less woodflipfingerswagdecks companies

GrantHarris wrote:

I'd have to say underground. This is about the only american forum at this point and we have less than 3000 members. At that's in multiple countries. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't grown more in the past few years. But I guess it's getting to a point where fingerboarding isn't online anymore.

The forum is technically british

But same same..

Yeah.. But the only forum americans frequent. Either way two countries mainly and still under 3k people. Fingerboarding isn't too big lol.
I mean I'm on a car forum local to my city only with 4k members. There may be parts of the world getting mainstream though. I don't know too much about the german scene, but it seems poppin?

Well its more mainstream than it was back in the early 2000's.

Back then there wasn't youtube.

There wasn't even a Rendezvous in the USA yet.

And like 90% of all the companies that we see today didn't exist either.

So fingerboarding has definitely grown in the last decade.

I don't think it will be super super popular where all of a sudden your brother, sister, mom and dad will all be doing it.

I just think fingerboarding is one of those special interests that only some people have.

Also its not like something like going to the movies or eating out for dinner, which anybody can do and requires no effort. Fingerboarding is a skill set and not everyone chooses to want to do it. Its not necessarily easy either, because it requires lots of investment in learning how to do the tricks. It took me a few years to perfect my kickflips.

Fingerboarding is just something special that we do.

Pureskate wrote:

Well its more mainstream than it was back in the early 2000's.

Back then there wasn't youtube.

There wasn't even a Rendezvous in the USA yet.

And like 90% of all the companies that we see today didn't exist either.

So fingerboarding has definitely grown in the last decade.

I don't think it will be super super popular where all of a sudden your brother, sister, mom and dad will all be doing it.

I just think fingerboarding is one of those special interests that only some people have.

Also its not like something like going to the movies or eating out for dinner, which anybody can do and requires no effort. Fingerboarding is a skill set and not everyone chooses to want to do it. Its not necessarily easy either, because it requires lots of investment in learning how to do the tricks. It took me a few years to perfect my kickflips.

Fingerboarding is just something special that we do.

how early are you talking because youtube was made in 2005 and rendezvous 1 was in 2007.

Well Mikes channel wasn't created until March 2006 and how many people knew about the Rendezvous 1 event when it was first started....... probably not many.

In the german forum are ~20000+ members but nothing happen, it seems to be dead and also on the events last year were less people than one or two years ago
in my opinion fingerboarding isn't on the level where it was four or three years ago and it became less popular but there are ups and downs and now we have to wait for the next hype

but I woldn't make a difference between underground or mainstream because both doesn't exicist. it's one scene which need actually some more support to survive

Pureskate wrote:

Well Mikes channel wasn't created until March 2006 and how many people knew about the Rendezvous 1 event when it was first started....... probably not many.

mike had videos before his youtube channel was created, and vous 1-4 was invite only.

yeah its very underground and I would never want Hollywood and the media to get its hands upon it and twist it around because everyone seems to learn from television and media now days..

It does need support I just dont want it blowing up into something so huge the whole concept is lost and degenerated...

like skateboarding.. I went to the park the other day and kids don't even have fun anymore they were all trying one trick in the same spot over and over getting frustrated... when skateboarding was a newer thing people were just happy to be rolling around on a piece of wood with rollerskate wheels.. anyway off topic but its relevant because I don't want to see it degenerate like that....

Why can't fingerboarding just be normal? I'd prefer fingerboarding to be more popular that it is now, possibly at the level of when I got into it circa 2000. I had just as much fun, using cheap Tech Decks and books, binders and anything I could create using household items. Fingerboarding is very accessible, it just needs a movement to gain popularity.

It would be cool to have more recognition but only if it had significant input from established fingerboarders themselves. With the world's communication methods evolving, I expect fingerboarding vines to become more popular, perhaps even with a dedicated site/service for them (inb4 this idea is taken).

It seems like there's a lot of mixed opinions going around. Which was what I was expecting. I guess the only thing I care about is how other people who don't fingerboard view it.

urbanjump wrote:

It seems like there's a lot of mixed opinions going around. Which was what I was expecting. I guess the only thing I care about is how other people who don't fingerboard view it.

you should never care about vain things like that.. if you have to be "kool" or look kool to be accepted by society because you feel insecure about being individual and expressing yourself.. well then.. whatever

No no no. Not what im saying. I got a tattoo that says "you are your own" because I dont live worrying what others think. What im saying is that other people always dont give fingerboarding a second look without totally just thinking it's just playing with toys and is super lame. When it is really takes time, skill, and is super fun. More people would fingerboard if they knew that.

ahhh I see.. the next problem is people are dumb.. haha

I think it will grow into the right spot and not be diluted by dumb shit..

people dont give you the time of day, we fall into the guys that dress up and act like knights in armor category. the second you have justin bieber fingerboarding everyone will think its cool. i personally dont give 2 shits what people think about it , i like it and thats all that matters.am i going to say hi my name is keelan and i fingerboard to the first time i meet new people . hell no . but who does do that ? if people dont understand what or why you like this then there not your friends.

Red Wolf FBS wrote:

people dont give you the time of day, we fall into the guys that dress up and act like knights in armor category. the second you have justin bieber fingerboarding everyone will think its cool. i personally dont give 2 shits what people think about it , i like it and thats all that matters.am i going to say hi my name is keelan and i fingerboard to the first time i meet new people . hell no . but who does do that ? if people dont understand what or why you like this then there not your friends.

I agree exactly with you mang! Well put!

Yeah, nicely said. I do parkour as well and it's kind of in the same boat as fingerboarding. It isn't that it isnt accepted. It just gets a bit frustrating when people aren't educated on it, so they just flat out dont understand.

Well let me ask you guys........ Is skateboarding Mainstream???

Like I said in the first comment, I hate to use the words "underground" and "mainstream"
but in a sense, a part of skateboarding is yeah...... Just like with everything there is that inside niche of people who are like "OG" haha or just get it, and have that perspective, style, etc. But yeah, I would say parts of skateboarding are "mainstream"

here is the thing with something going mainstream imo. IF there is money to be made and I mean in the millions then yes someone will take it and make it mainstream in the shitty kinda way we all hate.Right now fbing is kinda calm but look at when teckdeck first came out, its baisically what got all of us into fbing in one way or another and people all had them in early 2000s now my walmart and most I visit don't even carry them cause the fad came and went and there is no money in it at that level for now anyway.not to say we are a dying breed but it is for now a rare select hobby off shoot of skateboarding and im cool with it my wife thinks it is a bit weird why I pay 75 dollars for tiny trucks but understands it makes me happy and that's all that should matter fuck the rest . ok im done...haha

I'm not afraid to be that weird kid who plays with the tiny skateboard during class even if I am probably the only one in a school of 3000 people.

I don't really care where the scene goes because I'm going to be going to college in a year and a half and I'm sure that someone at Purdue also fingerboards and I'm sure a Purdue university meet up of some sort could be arranged, especially since I might be living in this massive co op that could host a meetup.

But yeah, I like having a scene over the internet than rather it being so popular.

And besides, it would be really strange if half of a class in high school was sitting there flicking skateboards around on their desk while we are supposed to be working.

The real problem is a lack of decent, reliable distributors of decent products. The uk has two fbuk (which gets a lot of hate, but has great customer service, pricing and stock) and The Norwood Project which is much more scene friendly. Both have issues, however. But there are also a lot, like loads, of little companies and this business model makes it a difficult scene to get into.

I have only been fingerboarding a short while and it feels like I have had to put in an inordinate amount of time to find decent products that aren't prohibitively expensive (a lot is word of mouth through forums, which is how I found blosom). It's just not a hugely accessible hobby.

A good setup can cost £30 and up, which unless you already understand the value is stupid money. The cheaper alternatives are no way in the same league and anyone using a TD could be easily forgiven for writing fingerboarding off entirely. So price is another issue.

As an older rider (29), I would like to see fingerboarding gain more popularity because it's kinda humiliating having teenagers take the piss if I ride in public!