The History of Skateboarding

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The History of Skateboarding

• Stevie Goff
• 10/15/08

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The History

• The history of skateboarding from its first
  appearance in the 1950's to the present day.

• The first skateboards were actually more like
  scooters, with the undercarriage consisting of
  Roller skate wheels attached to a two by four.
  Once the publisher of the scooter-like
  contraption was broken off, skateboarding was
  born.

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1950's

• It wasn't until the 1950's, when the surfing
  craze was in full swing, that people realized
  skateboarding could recreate the feeling of
  riding a wave. This connection with surfing gave
  skateboarding a direction that would influence
  everything to come, from maneuvers and style, to
  terrain, fashion and attitude. It was during this
  time that modifications were made to the trucks
  making it easier to maneuver. By 1959 the first
  Roller Derby Skateboard was for sale.

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1960's

• In the early 1960's companies such as Larry
  Stevenson's Makita and Hobbies Altar's Hobbies
  began to mass-produce the first true
  surfing-inspired skateboards. Some of the early
  proponents of surf-style skateboarding included
  Bill and Mark Richards, Danni Bearer, Bruce Logan
  and Torero Johnson. Skateboarding became very
  popular almost overnight, and companies were
  fighting to keep up with demand.

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1960s continue

• Over fifty million skateboards were sold within a
  three year period, and the first skateboard
  contest was held in Hermosa Beach, CA in 1963.
  Then in 1965 a slew of so-called safety experts
  pronounced skateboarding unsafe - urging stores
  not to sell them, and parents not to buy them.
  The skateboarding fad died as quickly as it had
  started, and the sport entered its first slump.
  Skateboarding would experience other slumps in
  its history. This pattern of peaks and valleys
  would come to be known as the "ten-year cycle,"
  although the slumps weren't exactly ten years
  apart.

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1960s Continue

• Then in 1965 a slew of so-called safety experts
  pronounced skateboarding unsafe - urging stores
  not to sell them, and parents not to buy them.
  The skateboarding fad died as quickly as it had
  started, and the sport entered its first slump.
  Skateboarding would experience other slumps in
  its history. This pattern of peaks and valleys
  would come to be known as the "ten-year cycle,"
  although the slumps weren't exactly ten years
  apart.

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1970's

• It was during this first slump that Larry
  Stevenson invented the cocktail, and the first
  generation of skateboarders laid down the
  foundation of tricks and style. However, they
  were still largely limited by equipment. Then in
  1973 the urethane wheel was invented,
  revolutionizing the sport.

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1970s continue

• The new wheels provided much better traction and
  speed and, combined with new skateboard specific
  trucks, allowed skaters to push the difficulty of
  maneuvers to new levels. Tricks at this time
  consisted of surfing maneuvers done on flat
  ground or on banks. Empty swimming pools and
  cylindrical pipes were exploited as terrain for
  the first time.

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1970's Continues

• During the 1970's skateboarding experienced a
  large growth stage whish saw the construction of
  numerous concrete skate parks, a rank of
  professional skaters, magazines and movies.
  During this period modern skateboarding evolved
  to include vertical skating among its disciplines
  of slalom, downhill, freestyle and long jump.

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1970's Continues

• Key advances in the sport included the aerial,
  the invert and the Ollie, which may be the single
  most important trick in the evolution of
  skateboarding, next to the kick turn. This was
  the first time skateboarding had stars, some of
  the first really big names being Tony Alva, Jay
  Adams and Stacy Peralta.

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1970s continue

• The look of skateboards also changed from being
  six to seven inches in width to over nine inches,
  providing better stability on vertical surfaces.
  Near the end of the 70's, spiraling insurance and
  slowing attendance forced all but a few skate
  parks out of business and skateboarding entered
  its! Second slump.

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1980's

• In the 80's the plywood ramp and street style
  revitalized skateboarding just as the urethane
  wheel had revitalized the sport in the 70's.
  Forced to take an underground, do-it-yourself
  attitude, skaters began to create their own
  wooden skate ramps in backyards and empty lots
  and turn previously unreadable street terrain,
  such as walls an handrails, into free-skate
  parks. Skater-owned companies became the norm and
  innovations in board and truck size allowed the
  trick envelope to be pushed even further..

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1980s continue

• This generation had its own group of skate stars,
  some of whom still compete today including Tony
  Hawk and Steve Caballero. Towards the end of the
  80's the focus shifted to street skating and
  Overt riding became less popular, it was the era
  of the first street stars like Mark Gonzales,
  Nat's Kuakas and Mike Valley.

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1990's

• In regards to the "ten-year cycle," the sport
  once again started on an upward swing in 1995,
  due in part to exposure it received from ESPN's
  first Extreme Games in Rhode Island. This served
  to bring skateboarding, which had long been
  viewed as a rebel sport, perhaps because of the
  danger and occasional illegality of the endeavor,
  a step closer to the mainstream.

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1990s continue

• Many of the skaters who competed felt that ESPN's
  coverage of the sport raised skate boarding's
  overall image with the general public and is a
  good thing for the future of the sport. In 1996
  the Extreme Games were again held in Rhode
  Island, once more exposing the sport of
  skateboarding to millions of people.
  Skateboarding was also included in the 1997
  Winter X Games in the form of a Crossovers event
  that also included in-line skating, bicycle
  stunt, and snowboarding.

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2000s

• "Today a pro can make anywhere from 1000 to
  10,000 a month," says Danielle Bo stick of World
  Cup Skateboarding and the X Games. These earnings
  are based on winnings, depending on how well a
  skater places in any given competition and how
  many competitions a skater competes in during any
  given month. Most skaters who are sponsored also
  earn a monthly salary from one or more companies,
  which sponsors them as team riders. This is a
  considerable change from the past when pro
  skaters had to work a regular job as well as
  compete according to Bo stick.