Skateboarding goes back a lot farther than people might think. The roots of the sport can be traced back to roughly some point in the late 1940′s to the early 1950′s. It started as a past time for surfers when there were no good waves to ride. The early boards were home made creations made from boards or parts of wooden crates with the wheels off of roller skated placed on the bottom. In the 1960′s a surf shop in Los Angeles, CA, created the first manufactured boards. Skateboarding enjoyed an early popularity from 1963 through 1965, but then died off around 1966. In part this was due to the unfortunate fact that at this time the available wheels to use were all made of clay which had the nasty tendency to stop very suddenly when they hit small rocks or other common minor obstacles found on roads and sidewalks.
However, in 1972 an invention was made that brought skateboarding back from the dead. The polyurethane wheel was developed by Frank Nasworthy who brought the Cadillac wheel to the market that year. Named Cadillac to express the vastly improved ride over the older clay wheels, the new wheels made such an improvement in traction and handling that it can be said that they might be the main reason skateboarding is still around to this day.
New materials weren’t just kept to the wheels though, the ’70′s also brought about a revolution in design for the decks too. Maple plywood was still the most common deck material, but aluminum and fiberglass entered the market too. Another design was the Banana Board, a board made of polypropylene with ribs on the bottom, this thin board was very flexible and came in a wide range of colors. Another innovation in board design was the creation of trucks (axles) designed specifically for skateboards.
With the new materials providing much more capable boards, much more elaborate tricks were developed by skateboarders. From the ’70′s, the Z-Boys are possibly the most famous skateboarders of the era. Sponsored by the Zephyr surf shop, which provided the Z in their name, they have had several documentaries and even a feature film created about them. They quite possibly are responsible for the trend of vert skateboarding when California was hit by a drought in 1976. Due to the regulations during that time, home owners were unable to fill or maintain the water level in their in ground swimming pools and many of them sat empty. The Z-Boys noticed this and realized that an empty swimming pool could provide them with a new way to ride. Hunting down empty pools with no one at home, or eventually partially empty ones that they could drain, they created a new style that gave them more speed, and more control, and a whole new world of tricks that could be performed. Skateboarding as we know it now had been born in this outlaw environment, and that’s all before the eighties started.
Photo Credits: empTV
Originally posted 2009-12-10 03:31:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Gear Basics for Kitesurfing Kite surfing is a sport that has gained significantly in popularity over the past couple of years. This is very understandable, at least if you watch some of the champion Kite surfing events and see how much fun it looks. Kite surfing is also known as kite boarding or fly...... -
Skate Shoes for a Skateboarding Edge Skate boarding and the entire skater culture seems to become more and more popular every year. Twelve-year old girls who've never even stood on a skate board suddenly beg their parents for skater shoes. Shoe store employees are then faced with befuddled parents who aren't quite sure of the differences...... -
Review of the Sunova Nitro, 7S Superfish, Webber Fatburner, and More Surfboards With thousands of different manufacturers and distributors of surfboards, it can be difficult to learn how to find the best surfboards. After riding some of the best surfboards from the greatest brand names out there, here are some of the best surfboard reviews. Sunova Nitro - The Nitro surfboard from...... -
Skateboarding Lexicon 180 - This is a term that refers to a half rotation. 360 - This is a term that refers to a single full rotation. 540 - This is a term that describes a 540-degree rotation while in the air. This is equal to one and a half full rotations....... -
Surf Skate Wake Board - What's Your Passion? For many people, there is nothing that they find to be more exhilarating or exciting then boarding of all types. This can mean surfing, skate boarding, wake boarding and more. For many people it may e the danger that they feel or even the endorphins that they feel coursing through......
Related Websites -
Hammered and Lap Dulcimer Instruments The Hammered Dulcimer What the dulcimer is, is a stringed instrument that has perceived to be an ancestor to the modern piano. It possesses a number of courses of between two and five strings for each note, and they are stretched across a shallow trapezoid shaped box that is made...... -
Budget Fixes For Your House Fixing up the home is a task all of us have on our lists, but they never get done due to high costs for materials and labor. Home improvements do not have to blow the budget, however, and by doing it yourself, you can save even more. Here are seven...... -
Creating a Recycling Bin Center at Home We all know that recycling is important. And over 80% of Americans have curbside recycling pickup (at least for paper products, if not for all recyclable materials). But it remains a fact that many people simply toss all of their trash into the same trash can, sending it all to...... -
Are You Making These 4 Dieting Mistakes? The road to wellness is paved with potholes for many people and dieting mistakes are rampant. However, if you pay attention to the warning signs as you travel down that road you will know when to swerve and when to look out for danger spots. Here are the most common...... -
Snowboarding Glossary Continued Swiss Cheese Air - This is a term that is used to describe a situation where the rear hand is reaching between both legs, grabbing the board's heel edge before the front foot while boning the back foot. Switch - This is a term that is used to describe any......
- Volcom Skateboards Skateboarding Skate Shop
- Boys And Girls Statues & Yard Art Garden Décor Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- Wheels Wheelbarrows, Carts & Wagons Garden Tools & Equipment Gardening & Plants Yard, Garden & Outdoor Living Nursery
- 12 Foot Alpha 220 Board Windsurfing Surf Store
- Wheel Backpacks Camping & Hiking