HISTORY|
Skateboarding is a well recognized sport that began around the early 20th
century. People began to cruise on skateboards in California on all possible
skateboard terrain. The creation of the skateboard was made off the idea
of the surfboard; this recreated the feeling of riding a wave. Key points
and aspects in my essay will include History of the sport, Modifications
of the skateboard, Styles of skating(street and vertical), and also Personal
experiences. Over time, skateboarding has gone from basic cruising to a
death defying extreme sport. (Personal experiences) My skateboarding days in California were a blast. For my 7th birthday my dad gave me my first skateboard. I was not interested in skating yet. I began to skate at about age ten. I saw my friends riding their boards in the street, and so I decided to give it a try. When I first started , I had a lot of time on my hands and practiced whenever I wanted to skate. I rode with my friends in the street practicing the basics of riding on a board. After the first few years of riding, practicing and having fun I began to progress. I spent most of my time after school with friends, skating at some of my favorite skate spots. These locations were at skate parks, schools, and around my hometown of Novato. We built ramps and rails that we skated for hours on end. Back then, most of my money went to buy new skateboards, shoes and food to re-energize me. We made a few short movies of us skating around different skate spots; these were fun to watch. Throughout my skateboarding years I have noticed what you must do to Master a Trick. First thing you have to be in a certain state of mind so nothing will distract you, you must focus only on your foot-placment on the board. Knowing that whatever you try on your board is possible, believe you are capable of performing the trick. If you can master this tip as a street or vert skater you will learn to become a quick learner. Many skaters have used this mindset, and have gotten really good at skateboarding. (History) The skateboard era began when people started disassembling roller skates and attaching the wheels from them onto a two by four. These were the first original skateboards being ridden. These contraptions were kind of like scooters. Many of these early skateboards had crates nailed to them with handles for steering. The look was changed when the rates were taken off, leaving only the board to steer. In the 1950's the trucks re remodeled, making maneuvering the board much better. As surfing became popular more people began to relate surfing with cruising a board. The first Roller Derby skateboards were for sale in1959. This is when side walk surfing took root. The clay wheels on these boards were for sale in 1959. This is when Sidewalk surfing took root. The clay wheels on these boards had little grip on the road, which caused many crash and burns. This caused skate park insurance to increase, many closed down. After a fatal accident many places banned skate boarders; for liability issues. Skateboarding went manly underground for eight years. During this time the kick tail was created. At this time the first generation of skate boarders laid down the basics of tricks and style. The fist professional boards were designed in 1963. The skateboard also changed in width from six inches to nine; increasing the stability for vert riding. In the 70's a surfer by the name of Frank Nasworthy invented the urethane wheel; this insured better traction on the road, pushing the limits of skating once more. The word spread quickly of these great wheels and skateboarding took off in popularity for the second time. The styles and tricks of skaters have drastically changed over the years of skateboarding. Hobie skateboards was the first company to mass produce the first surfing inspired skateboards. Some of the early skaters to surf style skateboard were Bill and Mark Richards, Dannu Bearer, Bruce Logan and Torger Johnson, these were the early sidewalk surfers. During the same time skateboarding became very popular almost overnight, companies fought to keep up with demand. Surf style skating was mainly based on fast riding and quick turns, resembling surf moves done in water. For the first time, empty swimming pools and cylindrical pipes were exceptional terrain for this style of riding. During the 1970's was a time for large growth in which experienced, numerous Concrete skate parks, a rank of professional skaters, magazines and movies. Modern skateboarding evolved to include vertical skating, salmon, downhill, freestyle and long jump. Important progress in the sport included the aerial, the invert and the Ollie; next to the kick turn may be the most important trick in the evolution of Skateboarding. Near the end of the 1980's the focus turned to street skating. Skateboarding progress has built up with the focus on more technical and larger tricks. (Styles of skating) Street skating and vert skating have many differences and few similarities. First off, many of the differences are apparent. Street skating is mostly flat terrain including ramps, rails, stairs, kickers and ledges. Vert is vertical terrain including pools, half pipes and bowls. Vert, born around the early 1970's. The first riders to skate vert were the surf style skaters, skating banks and empty swimming pools. The vert style skating grew and skaters built ramps such as half pipes to ride. Different to street skating, this started much later and street skaters didn't ride on vertical surfaces. Tricks performed by vert skaters are very different than street tricks. Vert skaters are catching huge air and are performing grab tricks with their boards. Street skaters tricks consist of technical foot powered, fast flipping maneuvers on their boards. Similarities would be the ramps that are being built by both vert and street skaters. Street skaters began to build their own wooden skate ramps in backyards and at unrideable terrain, these skateboarding spots were like free skate parks. (Conclusion) As you have seen in my essay, skating has brought the surfers out of the water and onto a solid surface, where they can pull off many of the same maneuvers on flat ground. New modernization's have brought the limits of skateboarding to higher levels. If you are interested in skateboarding it would be a good idea to give it a try. |