IN THE early 2000s, few things reeked of suburban cool more than being a skater. Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi added a glossy pop lustre to the edgy acrobatics being performed by the likes of skating legends Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist. IN THE early 2000s, few things reeked of suburban cool more than being a skater. Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi added a glossy pop lustre to the edgy acrobatics being performed by the likes of skating legends Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist.Fast forward a decade and a half and popular opinion (depending on the circles you roll in) suggests that skating has gone the way of baggy cargo pants. Wrong."It [the popularity of skating] goes in ebbs and flows but it is much bigger than when I started," says 22-year-old professional Trae Rice, who performs at the House of Vans 50th anniversary celebrations this weekend.Having picked up the habit from his brother, Rice has skated since childhood and remembers the "purer experience" of riding along on a decorative wooden plank supported by four plastic wheels."In a way it is a good thing that guys are getting paid and everything now, but back then it was rawer. I think that skating has lost some of its soul as it has become more commercialised," he says wistfully.One could almost pinpoint the early 2000s as the era when a whole class of millionaire international skaters emerged.Sure, there had been skaters whose airborne trickery had netted them tons of money, but during this time it seemed every fourth 16 year old with a taste for Blink 182 and a parental directive to go play outside was profiting from the sport.Catering to this growing gaggle of would-be millionaire skaters even led to the building of a skate park at Brightwater Commons shopping centre in Randburg.Sadly it was not long before the fad ebbed and left only the purists behind. Skate parks closed and the possibilities for the sport seemed to have the promise of the lobby at a hotel in Mordor."A lot of the stuff has been taken away now. There are some skate parks in Cape Town but basically nothing in Joburg," said Rice."Despite that, I've noticed that when I go to the city there are a lot of kids skating now."Like a committed husband, Rice stuck with his passion through health, sickness and its returning favour. The reason for his unwavering loyalty is love."For me skating is not a sport, its art. It's like painting a portrait of yourself."Trae Rice and others will be performing this weekend at the House of Vans 50th anniversary which runs until tomorrow. For more information visit hovjohannesburg.queueapp.com/..