Skateboarding has come a long way since Tony Hawk spun his way into living rooms around the world with an historic 900-degree manoeuvre in late 1999.
It's now an Olympic sport and the Australian Skateboarding Federation has brought the country's best skaters to Canberra this week for a development camp ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games.
National coach Renton Millar said it was incredible to see the hobby he began 32 years ago progress to the biggest stage in world sport.
"Skateboarding is such an amazing thing that eventually the masses were going to catch onto it and it was going to have some mainstream appeal," Millar said.
"A high performance approach to skateboarding has never really happened before and it's an incredible opportunity for these kids
"It's come at the perfect time for them and there's a lot of anticipation ahead of the Olympics but I don't think it will change skating.
"If you want to be a punk rock dude that still goes to skate parks and does crazy things or a kid who breaks every rule in the book, then that's still that option which I is cool.
"I don't think the Olympics it takes away from our culture because at the end of the day you can still jump a fence and go skate a pool or a street spot and that's always going to be there."
The X-Games has been the most prestigious event in skateboarding over the years and Millar said the jury was still out whether the Olympics will become the pinnacle of the sport.
"In some people's minds the Olympics will become the pinnacle but a lot of people will also still see the peak as someone skating in a video or riding a curb that was never built to be skated," Millar said.
"There are so many different forms and the the Olympics is just one of them, but it will be the biggest stage because everyone is going to be watching."
Rising star Poppy Starr Olsen is considered a gold medal chance in Japan after the 17-year-old won the first Olympic-sanctioned skating competition in China last month.
"Skateboarding has sent me all over the world but mainly to America and now it's in the Olympics which is really cool, it's going to be awesome," Olsen said.
"I've been skating for eight years and I like that it's dangerous and not like anything else and the people are amazing."
There will be two disciplines at the Olympics with park consisting of small ramps and obstacles, and street which is rails and stairs.
Canberra 12-year-old Ethan Copeland has been skating for six years and has his sights firmly set on an Olympic berth in Tokyo.
"I play AFL and do some surfing and snowboard but skating is definitely number one and I just love it because you can be really creative and do whatever you want," Copeland said.
"It's been a great camp, everyone gets along and you skate better when you're having a good time, it's been lots of fun."
