Scotty Brooke, 17, of McHenry has scars on his elbows and shins that he has collected from falls while skateboarding in different skate parks around the county. One scab he reopened while skateboarding at the McHenry Zone Skate Park in Knox Park. The blood is just a necessary evil that Brooke brushes off in his 10 years of skateboarding.

What makes extreme sports such as skateboarding and wakeboarding appealing to youngsters is that they are not team sports, Brooke said. A person doesn’t have to be on an organized team, and there is a lot of individualism.

Brooke will jump off ramps, over table tops and around the bowls that look like empty swimming pools. He works on kickflips as he prepares for a contest in Grayslake this month. Youngsters have become interested in skateboarding as it grows in popularity with the influence of skateboarders such as Tony Hawk and the video games they produce.

“Skateboarding is really unique,” Brooke said. “There are no rules, you can do what you want; there is no right or wrong. Skateboarding is whatever you make it. If you want to be competitive or if you just want to have fun with your friends, ... it’s whatever you make it.”

Riding along at the skate park are youngsters on their bikes, making jumps, taking the turns on the curves and popping wheelies.

Cody Connerty, 15, of Johnsburg works up a sweat as he rides his 25-pound FBM bike. The bike is about 2 1⁄2 feet tall and has one gear. He found he liked biking better than skateboarding.

He isn’t bothered by the many scars on his arms from falling while trying tricks.

“If we fall, we get back up and try again,” Cody said. “If we fall down and get a gash on our knees, we’ll get up and forget about it and start riding again.”

Rob Mutert, the owner of WARP Skatepark in Lake in the Hills, said there has been a massive growth in popularity of skateboarding. New youngsters regularly are trying skateboarding.

“You don’t need to spend a lot of money,” Mutert said.

After the initial investment of equipment, street skating “doesn’t cost you anything except flesh and blood.”

Municipalities such as Cary, Crystal Lake, McHenry, Spring Grove and Lake in the Hills all have skate parks. Mutert said towns have understood the popularity, and youngsters are lucky to have free skate parks.

Boarding isn’t limited to the streets and skate parks. Wakeboarding continues to grow in popularity as people take flips and 360s to the water.

The sport attracts people as young as 4 to people in the mid-60s, said Kevin Johnson, the assistant pro shop manager at Munson Ski and Marine in Lakemoor. Johnson has been wakeboarding for seven years and teaches lesson for the store.

“It’s something not everyone else is doing; it’s not the norm,” Johnson said. “It’s not an organized sport. You don’t have to be at practice every day at 3 p.m. What appeals to everyone ... is you’re on a boat.”

Wakeboarders use the wakes created by the boats as ramps to launch themselves for their tricks. Advanced riders will do 360-degree flips all while holding onto the tow rope from the boat. They can get 10 feet in the air and spin in all directions.

Kody Bekeric, 19, of Fox Lake was working on a scarecrow – a front flip with a spin – where he jumps from the wake on the right to the wake on the left. He didn’t quite land the trick and lost the handle of the rope.

How good someone becomes all depends on how much effort and time a person puts into the sport.

SDLqIt depends on your mindset; if you want to be good, if you want to go somewhere fast, you could make it happen,” Bekeric said. “Every time you go out, you have opportunities to learn new stuff. If you go out there and constantly push yourself.
‘I want to get the next trick, I want to go higher. ... I want to ride on a bigger wake, you constantly get better.’ ”

To keep their wakeboarding skills sharp, many snowboard during the winter.

Snowboarding helps you control the board and how you have to shift your body to make the board follow you ... how to place the board back for a landing,” Bekeric said.

Anyone can try the sport, and athletic ability isn’t required.

“If you can hold onto the rope, you’re good,” Bekeric said.

Cost of participating in extreme sports

Like all sports, equipment for skateboarding and wakeboarding is required.

A new, high-quality skateboard will cost $125 to $150, said Rob Mutert, owner of WARP Skatepark in Lake in the Hills.

Experienced riders recommend that beginners wear elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards and a helmet.

A helmet could cost $35 to $50. A set of knee and elbow pads could cost $25 to $100. Wrist guards could run $15 to $30.

However, as riders improve and try new tricks, they probably will stop wearing the pads, Mutert said.

“While skating street, pads get in the way of movement,” McHenry skateboarder Scotty Brooke said. “But if you’re starting out, I would recommend it, because you’re going to go down easier.” For wakeboarders, the initial investment in a 5 1⁄2-foot board with binding for a person’s feet, will cost from $300 to $800. All riders should wear a life jacket while on the water, which could cost about $100.

A tow rope with a handle might cost $100. For wakeboarders who are willing to make a larger investment, special boats with extra ballasts that would create larger wakes could cost $50,000 to $100,000, said Keith Duck, owner of Raging Buffalo in Algonquin.