Sunday, August 29, 2010
Skate board history
Skateboarding was first started in the 1950s, when all across California surfers got the idea of trying to surf the streets.
No one really knows who made the first board -- instead, it seems that several people came up with similar ideas at the same time.
Several people have claimed to have invented the skateboard first, but nothing can be proved, and skateboarding remains a strange spontaneous creation.
These first skateboarders started with wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels slapped on the bottom.
Like you might imagine, a lot of people got hurt in skateboarding's early years! It was a sport just being born and discovered, so anything went.
The boxes turned into planks, and eventually companies were producing decks of pressed layers of wood -- similar to the skateboard decks of today.
During this time, skateboarding was seen as something to do for fun after surfing.
In 1963, skateboarding was at a peak of popularity, and companies like Jack's, Hobie and Makaha started holding skateboarding competitions.
At this time, skateboarding was mostly either downhill slalom or freestyle.
Torger Johnson, Woody Woodward and Danny Berer were some well known skateboarders at this time,
but what they did looked almost completely different from what skateboarding looks like today! Their style of skateboarding, called "freestyle", is more like dancing ballet or ice skating with a skateboard.
Then, in 1965, skateboarding's popularity suddenly crashed. Most people assumed that skateboarding was a fad that had died out, like the hoola hoop.
Skateboard companies folded, and people who wanted to skate had to make their own skateboards again from scratch.
No one really knows who made the first board -- instead, it seems that several people came up with similar ideas at the same time.
Several people have claimed to have invented the skateboard first, but nothing can be proved, and skateboarding remains a strange spontaneous creation.
These first skateboarders started with wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels slapped on the bottom.
Like you might imagine, a lot of people got hurt in skateboarding's early years! It was a sport just being born and discovered, so anything went.
The boxes turned into planks, and eventually companies were producing decks of pressed layers of wood -- similar to the skateboard decks of today.
During this time, skateboarding was seen as something to do for fun after surfing.
In 1963, skateboarding was at a peak of popularity, and companies like Jack's, Hobie and Makaha started holding skateboarding competitions.
At this time, skateboarding was mostly either downhill slalom or freestyle.
Torger Johnson, Woody Woodward and Danny Berer were some well known skateboarders at this time,
but what they did looked almost completely different from what skateboarding looks like today! Their style of skateboarding, called "freestyle", is more like dancing ballet or ice skating with a skateboard.
Then, in 1965, skateboarding's popularity suddenly crashed. Most people assumed that skateboarding was a fad that had died out, like the hoola hoop.
Skateboard companies folded, and people who wanted to skate had to make their own skateboards again from scratch.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Skate Board
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a quad wheeled, dual "truck" eight bearing system designed for both movement and stunts, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding.
The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1970s. In time, it became a pastime for surfers when the waves were lax. By the mid 1980s they were mass produced and sold throughout the United States.
A skateboard is propelled by pushing with one foot while the other remains on the board, or by pumping one's legs in structures such as a pool or half pipe.
A skateboard can also be used by simply standing on the deck while on a downward slope and allowing gravity to propel the board and rider.
If you ride with your right foot forward, you ride "goofy"; if you ride with your left foot forward, you ride regular.
Recently, electric skateboards have also appeared. These no longer require the propelling of the skateboard by means of the feet; rather a electric engine propells the board, fed by an electric battery.
There is no governing body that declares any regulations on what constitutes a skateboard or the parts from which it is assembled.
Historically, the skateboard has conformed both to contemporary trends and to the ever evolving array of stunts performed by riders/users, who require a certain functionality from the board.
Of course, the board shape depends largely upon its desired function. Longboards are a type of skateboard with a longer wheelbase and larger, softer wheels.
Parts
* 1 Deck
* 2 Trucks
* 3 Wheels
* 4 Grip tape
* 5 Bearings
* 6 Hardware
The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1970s. In time, it became a pastime for surfers when the waves were lax. By the mid 1980s they were mass produced and sold throughout the United States.
A skateboard is propelled by pushing with one foot while the other remains on the board, or by pumping one's legs in structures such as a pool or half pipe.
A skateboard can also be used by simply standing on the deck while on a downward slope and allowing gravity to propel the board and rider.
If you ride with your right foot forward, you ride "goofy"; if you ride with your left foot forward, you ride regular.
Recently, electric skateboards have also appeared. These no longer require the propelling of the skateboard by means of the feet; rather a electric engine propells the board, fed by an electric battery.
There is no governing body that declares any regulations on what constitutes a skateboard or the parts from which it is assembled.
Historically, the skateboard has conformed both to contemporary trends and to the ever evolving array of stunts performed by riders/users, who require a certain functionality from the board.
Of course, the board shape depends largely upon its desired function. Longboards are a type of skateboard with a longer wheelbase and larger, softer wheels.
Parts
* 1 Deck
* 2 Trucks
* 3 Wheels
* 4 Grip tape
* 5 Bearings
* 6 Hardware
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)