| Though skateboards were around in the early 50's | | | | decades.Over the years I've often heard it said that |
| and 60's and actually very widely used back then | | | | this sport wouldn't last. It was just a fad. But it has |
| they weren't well made and so eventually died out. | | | | developed from an activity into a relevant sport and |
| The early ones were basically just milk crates with | | | | now is widely followed around the world. The focus |
| roller skate wheels and maybe a handle. More like a | | | | on tricks and jumps, great artwork on boards, |
| scooter. The wheels were the big problem, being | | | | clothing lines, shoes, skateboard posters, and even |
| mostly of clay, and resulted in lots of accidents from | | | | music has enhanced the image.Throughout these |
| slipping or breaking and causing a fall. Even with | | | | years there have been increases in the quality of |
| better boards the wheels still created difficulty, and | | | | boards and wheels but mainly the concept didn't |
| the sport pretty well died out in the mid-60's.It | | | | change much, until now. Coming up are some radical |
| wasn't until the 1970's that Frank Nasworthy, a | | | | new designs. The S-Board is a board that twists in |
| surfer, developed a wheel made from urethane and | | | | the middle and has only a single front and single rear |
| then added precision bearings, and bolted them to a | | | | wheel. The ride is apparently very much like |
| good quality board. The sport took off again.The first | | | | snowboarding.Then there's the Australian Bushpig, |
| skateboard parks from that time were mainly empty | | | | motorized skateboard (sort of), that does 20mph. |
| pools but lots of great moves and jumps were | | | | Gotta get me one of those.And the ultimate so far? |
| developed during that time, including the famous | | | | That has to be Danny Way and his jump over the |
| "ollie", a no hands aerial. Accidents and then the ever | | | | Great Wall of China. I wonder if his jump could be |
| increasing liability insurance killed the sport a second | | | | seen from space? hmmmm.Phil is an author, freelance |
| time and by the 1980's most of the parks had closed | | | | writer and is dedicated to sharing articles, news and |
| down.In the 1990's the sport regained popularity and | | | | information. With his favorite skateboard motivational |
| though it has had some fluctuations since it has | | | | poster here. |
| mainly grown and developed over the past few | | | | |