history of skateboarding
Today I am going to be talking about the history of Skateboarding.
Skateboarding first appeared in the 1950’s. It started when California surfers wanted to surf when the waves were flat. Nobody really knows who invented skateboarding, people just had similar ideas. People would take the wheels off of roller-skates and attached to a two by four. They realized that skateboarding could recreate the feeling of riding a wave. It was during this time that modifications were made to the trucks making it easier to move around. By 1959 the first Roller Derby Skateboard was for sale.
In the early 1960’s a lot of companies started making skateboards inspired by surfing. Skateboarding became very popular almost overnight, and companies were fighting to keep up with demand. 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 some so-called safety experts pronounced skateboarding unsafe – urging stores not to sell them, and parents not to buy them. Skateboarding had died as quickly as it had started. Lots of people stopped skating for a while.
In the early 1970’s Larry Stevenson invented the kick tail, and this is when the first generation of skateboarders started doing tricks. Frank Nasworthy invented the urethane wheel, calling his company Cadillac Wheels. The new wheels provided much better traction and speed and, combined with the new trucks, allowed skaters to push the difficulty of maneuvers to new levels. Skate parks weren’t invented yet so people would skate anywhere. Empty swimming pools and cylindrical pipes were the most common places to skate. In 1975 skateboarding had risen back in popularity enough to have one of the largest skateboarding competition's since the 1960s, the Del Mar National Championships, which is said to have had up to 500 competitors. In March 1976, Skateboard City Skate Park in Port Orange, Florida and Carlsbad Skate Park in San Diego
Skateboarding first appeared in the 1950’s. It started when California surfers wanted to surf when the waves were flat. Nobody really knows who invented skateboarding, people just had similar ideas. People would take the wheels off of roller-skates and attached to a two by four. They realized that skateboarding could recreate the feeling of riding a wave. It was during this time that modifications were made to the trucks making it easier to move around. By 1959 the first Roller Derby Skateboard was for sale.
In the early 1960’s a lot of companies started making skateboards inspired by surfing. Skateboarding became very popular almost overnight, and companies were fighting to keep up with demand. 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 some so-called safety experts pronounced skateboarding unsafe – urging stores not to sell them, and parents not to buy them. Skateboarding had died as quickly as it had started. Lots of people stopped skating for a while.
In the early 1970’s Larry Stevenson invented the kick tail, and this is when the first generation of skateboarders started doing tricks. Frank Nasworthy invented the urethane wheel, calling his company Cadillac Wheels. The new wheels provided much better traction and speed and, combined with the new trucks, allowed skaters to push the difficulty of maneuvers to new levels. Skate parks weren’t invented yet so people would skate anywhere. Empty swimming pools and cylindrical pipes were the most common places to skate. In 1975 skateboarding had risen back in popularity enough to have one of the largest skateboarding competition's since the 1960s, the Del Mar National Championships, which is said to have had up to 500 competitors. In March 1976, Skateboard City Skate Park in Port Orange, Florida and Carlsbad Skate Park in San Diego