Excited Child Becomes Skateboarder's Biggest Fan in Touching Video

A video of a child providing moral support to a skateboarder trying to land a seemingly-impossible trick has resurfaced, and is again tugging on the heartstrings of internet commenters.

Originally posted last year, the touching video was recently reposted on Reddit's r/MadeMeSmile and shows a skateboarder attempting to jump over a staircase onto a railing, and then onto a steep ramp adjacent to the stairs.

Titled, "A random kid shows support to a skater dude who was trying to do a new trick," the resurfaced video has received over 300 comments and 97 percent upvotes.

After a handful of scary falls and crashes into a trashcan at the base of the ramp, a child comes along and greets the skateboarder, and the two share a brief interaction before the skater attempts the trick again.

This time, with the child and his mother watching from atop the staircase, the skater executes the trick flawlessly. Running back up the stairs for a celebratory high-five with the child, the skater turns around to face the camera with a smile as big as his new friend's.

Skateboarding, which made its Summer Olympics debut last year in Tokyo, is growing in popularity—quickly.

Jeff Kendall, the president of top skate manufacturer NHS Inc., revealed that throughout the pandemic, skateboarding has taken hold of a youthful generation and is now projected to hit unexpected highs.

"Skateboarding saw a growth in sales like it hadn't seen in years," Kendall told NPR in 2021.

"I think that by the end of 2021, there'll be more skateboarders in the world than ever before," he predicted.

Although recording video has played a pivotal role in the growth of skateboarding for the better part of four decades, newer trends like "Skatetok" (skaters using TikTok) have picked up where VHS-style video cameras left off.

With skating growing in popularity, online and in skate parks across the world, skateboarders like Nyjah Huston, Tyshawn Jones, Na-Kel Smith and millions of others—both professional and amateur—are inspiring a never-before-seen boom for the extreme sport.

Moments like the one shared between the skateboarder and child in the video posted on Reddit can also have the same effect.

In the video's comment section, many Redditors predicted that a difficult trick and quick high-five could be the beginning of a lifelong love for skateboarding.

"That kid is begging his mom for a skateboard now," one commenter wrote.

"Kid's reaction at the end was precious," another commenter added. "He's probably inspired to be a skater now."

Acknowledging the moment of joy that video put on display, one commenter said they were happy to such a pure interaction.

"Being able to feel joy for other people's accomplishments is a special trait that not everyone has," they wrote. "It's great to see."

In a separate comment, one Reddit user shared a similar experience they had while skateboarding "back in the day."

"That kid's the trick fairy," they wrote. "I had one of those back in the day. I'd struggle and struggle to land something [then] this kid would show up to watch us skate, and somehow as if by magic everyone's skate gam elevated when he showed up."

"It was absolutely the best," they added.