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Since its invention and popularization, the skateboard has become a standard item of equipment for young people all over the
world. Today, with skateboarding as popular as it has ever been, the skateboard can be seen as an icon of youthful energy
and adventurousness.
The skateboard became popular in 2 places at the same time. one was in england where a young boy and his friends wanted
to make a sledge out of an old set or skates, this took on and has now developed into what we know as the shortboard (some
call it skateboarding but to be specific its shortboarding)
The skateboard was also conceived as a means of surfing outside of water. In the late 1950s, Californian surfing enthusiasts,
frustrated that the weather and waves were not always suitable for surfing, began nailing the bases of roller skates to the
front and back ends of wooden planks. Unstable as they were, these boards allowed for "sidewalk surfing" along streets
and down hills. This has since evolved into longboarding. (longboarding IS a type of skateboarding but is greatly underated
and it is a sport that has not kicked off in so manyu places... yet!
It was not long before the fad spread through the major metropolitan areas of the US. Nor was it long before challenges
were added, such as curb-jumping and climbing banked surfaces: this was "street surfing." By the early 70s, bicycle
manufacturers and toy companies were producing stable, unbreakable boards with more speedy and reliable urethane wheels on
flexible mounts. Riders' abilities improved along with the equipment.
Skateboarding developed a set of standard maneuvers, such as the 180 and 360 (a half and a full rotation of the elevated
front of the board while the grounded back spins in place) and the "Ollie," invented by Alan Ollie Gelfand, a leap
into the air during which the board stays flush with the feet. The earliest preferred venues for freestyle skateboarding,
namely empty swimming pools and construction sites featuring giant sewer pipes, were succeeded by specialized skateboarding
parks, in which formal competitions could be held.
After suffering lapses in popularity at the end of the 70s and 80s, skateboarding has recently made a comeback as both
a pastime and a sport, thanks in part to the popularity of its kindred sport of snowboarding. At the moment, skateboarding
is Americas sixth largest participant sport, and is likely to remain a centerpiece of the worlds youth culture.
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