Skateboarder Magazine

Magazine Information
Skateboarder Magazine is a magazine geared toward teen boys (although girls who like to skateboard will also be very interested in the content of this magazine). It contains features on famous skaters, news, and photos. The magazine website, http://skateboardermag.com/, also includes videos. As an example of some of the types of features, the February 2010 issue included an article on a trip the Andes Mountains, a 10-page interview with the pro skater Guru Khalsa, a comparison of skaters from France and England, and reviews of different boards. A recurring feature is "15 Things You Didn't Know About..."--the February issue's column was about interviewing. Ads in the magazine are geared toward merchandise teens would want to own, such as Skull Candy headphones, and skate/surf/snow brands such as Circa, CCS, Volcom, and Gravis.

Critical Evaluation
While many adults may look down on magazines like Skateboarder, the articles are all surprisingly dense and will help teens build reading skills that may transfer over to reading other materials, such as books, and which will help teens in their lives as they mature. Although the majority of the articles are not very interesting to one who doesn't follow the sport, they will appeal to those who have a little more knowledge about skateboarding.

Reader’s Annotation
Check out these sweet articles about your favorite pro skaters and brands!

Author Information

Skateboarder was first published as a quarterly magazine in 1964. However, after only four issues, it was discontinued until the big skateboarding boom of the 1970s, and became a monthly publication in 1977. In his first editorial during the 1970s, editor John Severson wrote: "Today's skateboarders are founders in this sport – they're pioneers – they are the first. There is no history in Skateboarding – its being made now – by you. The sport is being molded and we believe that doing the right thing now will lead to a bright future for the sport. Already, there are storm clouds on the horizon with opponents of the sport talking about ban and restriction." Well-known for its excellent photography and editorial content, it is sometimes called the "Bible" of skateboarding magazines (source).

Skateboarder is copyrighted to Source Interlink Media, a leading publisher of "enthusiast media" for consumers to research products that appeal to their various lifestyles. Other publications include magazines as diverse as Soap Opera Digest, Motor Trend, Off Road, Motorcycle Cruiser, Dressage, Surfer, Powder, and Stereophile. They can be found on the web at http://www.sourceinterlinkmedia.com/.

Genre
Magazines

Curriculum Ties
None

Booktalking Ideas
Do you like to skateboard? How do you find out more about your favorite pro skaters?

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 7+

Challenge Issues
Discussions of drugs, alcohol, and sex, especially in interviews, as well as crude language.

I included this magazine because it is popular selection from the teen magazine rack at my local library.