Ready or not, skateboarding takes its show to the Olympics

DES MOINES, Iowa — The hotel door opens and, fast as that, the sound of polyurethane clicking across concrete begins. The rhythmic grrrr-chk-chk-grrrr-chk-chk-grrrr-chk-chk sound of wheels scooting over cracks in the sidewalk is a telltale sign that something is different in Des Moines.

Skateboarders took over Middle America this past ...