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The invention of SKateboarding
The origin of the first skateboard has never been proven as it seems to have been the spontaneous invention of multiple people. Wooden boards with roller skate wheels slapped on the bottom where the makings of the original boards these pioneers took to the streets -
The Fall
By 1963 Skateboarding was all the rage. Popularity of the sport was at its peak. Companies such as Jack’s, Hobie, and Makaha started having real competitions consisting of Downhill Slalom and Freestyle where skaters like Torger Johnson, Woody Woodward and Danny Berer paved the way for future skaters. Then in 1965 Skateboarding seems to die. Considered to be a fad that came and went, skateboarding seemed to fade over night. Few stayed true to the sport and continued to create homemade boards. -
the rise
The invention of urethane wheels by Frank Nasworthy in 1972 made it possible for skateboarding to make its comeback. In Del Mar, California freestyle contest was held at the Ocean Festival. That day, the Zephyr team rode their boards like no one had in the public eye, low and smooth. The Zephyr team had many notable members such as Tony Alva, Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. Then in 1978 Alan Gelfand (nicknamed “Ollie”) invented a maneuver that gave skateboarding another revolutionary jump. -
The Fall
At the end of the 1970s skateboarding took another hit when the public skateparks that were being built suffered from the outrageously hight insurance rates due to the danger factor of skateboarding. -
The rise
Skateboarders started building their own ramps in their backyards. This became a problem for local construction companies when they started to notice their lumber was disappearing. Aside from the ramps they built in their backyards to skate on they saw the whole world as there skatepark and took to the streets. During this time many new board shapes took form allowing for skaters to overcome obstacles otherwise impossible. -
The fall
.At the end of the 1980s skateboarding took yet another dive in popularity when vert skateboarding became far less popular than street skateboarding. -
The Rise
In the early 90s skateboarding starts to rise again as it finds some common ground with the emerging punk music. Then in 1995 ESPN holds the first ever X-Games. The event was a huge success and brought skateboarding into the mainstream light sparking interest in many more young kids -
The Rise
In the early 90s skateboarding starts to rise again as it finds some common ground with the emerging punk music. Then in 1995 ESPN holds the first ever X-Games. The event was a huge success and brought skateboarding into the mainstream light sparking interest in many more young kids. -
Now
2000 - 2015
Skateparks pop up everywhere and skateboarding video games lets every kid be a skater. Tons of companies emerge and become more and more acceptable in society. The notion of skateboarders being criminals starts to dwindle. One of the big factors today that makes skateboarding so huge is the fact that pros make real money. Winning events can bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kids are realizing that you don’t have to become a doctor or lawyer to make a buck. Skateboarding has