Chaz participates in a Stroot cognitive test to
determine the effects exertion from skateboarding
has on visual word association.

This past weekend Gatorade skate athletes Chaz Ortiz and Sean Malto trekked to the Cayman Islands for some hot laps at Black Pearl, the most famous tropical skatepark in the western hemisphere.

While there, they were analyzed and scrutinized by scientists from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

To better understand the toll skateboarding has on the body, GSSI ran tests that measured metrics like heart rate, fluid balance and cognitive response before, during and after exertion.

Malto is given a sweat patch that is later analyzed
to see sodium content and electrolyte loss during a
skate session.

"There's hardly any research right now in skateboarding," says Melissa Tippet, Scientist at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, "so we wanted observations on the physiology of the sport and different ways to provide products that are efficacious and also functional for skateboarders."

Stop watches, weigh-ins and hydration analysis are common in stick and ball sports, yet baseline exercise data has never been compiled for skateboarding. Says Malto, "It was interesting to do all those tests because no skateboarders have really done that."

Fellow tester Chrs Rhino Rooney from Thrasher steps
on the scale to weigh in prior to skating.

Though drinking fluids while doing any physical activity is common sense, finding the right balance of nutrients seems to be the goal here.

"Gatorade has carbohydrates which fuel your body and fluid and electrolytes which help you stay hydrated and maintain energy levels," says Tippett. "Through science, GSSI shows how Gatorade helps fuel individual progression, enabling Chaz and Sean to go all day."

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