What began as a niche hobby in empty swimming pools and DIY ramps has evolved into a global phenomenon. The birth of skateboarding competitions like the X Games in the 1990s ignited a new era for the sport, pushing it beyond its underground roots. In the current day and age, skateboarding has become one of the biggest events and has found its place in the Olympics. After being included in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, and then in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was reported that over 49 million people have tuned in to watch the games unfold on their TV screens.

Skateboarding also found its way into the fashion and music scene as well. With the edgy outfits you see today and the pop-funk being blasted in your backyard, skateboarding should be the sport everyone should thank for making it all so popular.

“It brought music together, it brought fashion together, it really created this lifestyle,” tells legendary skater Christian Hosoi in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. So, lock in as our host Trey Holder, Legendary skate “Holmes” or Christian Hosoi, and Billy Tuchscher (CEO of the Skateboarding Hall of Fame) come together to talk about all the new changes coming to the world of skateboarding on the latest episode of EssentiallySports Think Tank.

Vegas Unleashed: Billy Tuchscher’s Master Plan for the Ultimate Skateboarding Paradise

Trey Holder asked an interesting question to Billy Tuchscher, “What’s happening with the Hall of Fame in Vegas? Can you share?” Tuchscher broke some major news for all skateboarding fans. “We’re a little under the ground. We haven’t really announced yet, but we’re building a 65,000 square foot, uh, facility……we expect it to be the best skateboard park in the world” says Tuchscher. The new skate haven being built in Las Vegas will have everything a skateboarder could ever dream of. While the exact location wasn’t revealed, Tuchscher did mention that it was going to be built under the roof of a major hotel/casino.

The main concept is building an indoor multi-level skateboard park with a radical design. The facility will also have its own brewery and restaurant which is being built under a partnership with a big branded company. “Um, that we’re excited about. Concert stage and theater and Red Bulls involved with us,” Tuchscher continues. Red Bull is going to help out with premiere films and more content revolving around video shoots. Red Bull would be the perfect partner for this new facility. The company has already made a major push in the skating scene through the introduction of Red Bull’s Bowl Rippers (a skateboarding competition held in the Prado Bowl in Marseille, France).

Furthermore, Red Bull was also involved in the making of the 2019 skateboarding film “You Good?”. The main premise of the movie was showcasing Red Bull team riders traveling all around the world and skating on famous spots while punishing the boundaries of street skating. Tuchscher further noted that Steve Aoki was also going to be there. “We have a DJ booth and we’re working with Stevie Aoki’s team to make sure that’s right,” Tuchscher says. Steve Aoki has had his fair share of skateboarding fun. The American DJ and record producer’s mansion in Las Vegas houses a private skate ramp.

The skate haven will also have its podcast room and 6 retail stores reminiscent of those California surf skate retailers and also 2 pop-up stores. Now, coming to the cream of the crop. There will be a huge array of exhibits telling the story of skateboarding’s evolution from a 1950s niche hobby to an Olympic Megasport. Tuchscher also says that the venue will be equipped with “15 Pro Skater designed Suites” to provide an authentic feel of the early skateboarding era to the people visiting the venue.

“We’re doing a late night after party as well, which should be pretty fun with, uh, little punk rock kind of you know,” Tuchscher teases. We will be seeing shows by Green Day and Blink 182. Skateboarders will also have access to a multitude of AI functions as well. Skateboarding HOF is partnering with Flow State to install AI recognition. Flow State was founded by CEO and surf enthusiast Luke Wallace back in July 2022. The company has won the 2023 Surf Park Summit Innovation Award because of its unique model that can accurately detect and capture surfers between sets and transform those captured videos into full-length surf montages. The AI recognition which will be installed in this new skate haven will seamlessly track the tricks being pulled on the ramps and will allow the skateboarders to effortlessly edit their clips and post them directly to their social media.

This amazing episode with our two amazing guests is out now on esfancast.tv. Make sure you lock in and immerse yourself in the world of grind and slide and backflips as Christian Hosoi and Billy Tuchscher talk all things skateboarding.

The EssentiallySports Think Tank initiative brings together the greatest minds in sports, offering you the chance to learn from the best. With Trey Holder at the helm, these candid conversations reveal the leadership and performance strategies you need to know. This is EssentiallySports Think Tank—where sports meet smart content!