Valley 101

USA Skateboarding, the official governing board of the sport, announced in June the first Olympic skateboarding team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The team includes 12 skateboarders, three of which have Arizona ties.  Jagger Eaton, Alana Smith and Brighton Zeuner all started their career in Arizona.  How are there so many Arizonans on the team? What impact has the Valley had in the growth of the sport? In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we dive into the skateboarding community in the Valley and its history.  In this episode, you'll hear from people who have been skateboarding in the Valley since the mid-1970s, and from a local skateboard coach who hopes to continue growing the skating community.