Skateboarding Surf Skaters
Skateboarding has been around for nearly 100 years. The main reason for designing the skateboard was because the surfers wanted something different to do, and that was to surf on the land. A wooden plank with four wheels nailed to the bottom gave the surfers the freedom of the streets. The skateboard gave surfers the freedom of not only the water but the freedom of the street. Skateboarding had its ups and downs but the die-hard skaters are keeping the sport alive. Allen Gelfand invented a trick called the “Ollie.”This little trick is in almost every aspect of skating. Pro skater Tony Hawk says, “Almost every trick begins with the Ollie. Although I have created many tricks, the Ollie affected them all!”
The first skateboards started showing up around the1930s. This skateboard was a wooden plank with four wheels nailed to the bottom to create a surfboard on wheels. There were no manufactured skateboards at this time. All the skateboards at this time were hand made, each skater making and designing their own. Some parents banned their kids from riding one because it was so dangerous. When you rolled over a crack or a pebble, you would most likely go flying off the board hurting your self. Some cities even passed laws that said, “NO SKATEBOARDERS ALLOWED AT ALL” They said this because they didn't want people skating in the streets or a lot people hurting themselves. When skaters were found in public places, they were usually caught and asked to leave. This ban has allowed many skate parks around the world to be built.
Because of the ban, and the parks not having been built yet, the skateboard fad died out, with less people learning to skate, and more and more people even stopping skating altogether. The only people that kept skating were the die-hard skaters, they kept the sport alive.The die hard skaters kept skating and skating they didn't stop, not even in the streets, where skating had become prohibited. This kept the sport alive. After a couple of years, skating started to come back; more and more people started to ride. Then the first manufactured skateboard came out in 1965. This made skating extremely popular again. The invention of the manufactured skateboard led to competition skating as well as street skating. Around the 1960s their was a drought, so many people had to empty their pools. The empty pool is like a skater's paradise. People started to ride in pools and on ramps, skate teams even started to pop up everywhere. These teams would compete at competitions on a flat piece of wood to see who could do the best tricks. All this gave Venice Beach, California, a nickname called, “DOG TOWN!” Dog Town became the skating capital of the United States.
Skateboarding equipment has changed so much over the years, from a 2x4 wooden plank with roller skate wheels attached to the bottom, to a whole new design. Some people refer to it as an alien object or some other weird things. The most important parts are the board, wheels and trucks. The board was originally a wooden plank or a small surfboard. The wheels were not always fancy urethane wheels like the ones we ride on today. Urethane is made up of polyurethane and chemicals. They were originally clay or metal wheels. Urethane did not come around until the 1970s, almost 50 years after skating started. All of this equipment is constantly changing and new things are being added, to improve skateboarding. One major addition to the skating world was the introduction of safety equipment.
Today, you cannot skate in a skate park without having the proper equipment. You must be wearing a helmet, or a "brain bucket" as the skaters call it. You must also have knee pads and elbow pads. Some of the kids are even wearing wrist guards. All of the equipment has improved over time, and helmets especially have improved and are being worn by almost everyone today. You might see some of the professionals not wearing helmets during competitions, but they are not required. They feel that because they are pros, safety equipment is not necessary. Safety equipment should be worn especially when trying to do new tricks.
Speaking of tricks, Allen Gelfland was the creator of the "Ollie." The trick was that you would be able to pop the board off the ground and into the air, and on the way down you would be able to land on the board. This trick is in almost every skate trick. You have to use this to get air off a ramp, to do a flip trick and even riding down the street. He was only fourteen years old when he invented this trick. This trick blew the judges away in competitions since they have never seen it before. Gelfand won several medals and competitions for creating the Ollie.
When Stacey Peralta visited Allen in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was amazed. Stacey invited Allen to be the first member of the Powel Skate team. Allen was shocked. No one thought a small little trick like that could take someone so far and make him go pro for something so little. Well the truth behind this is, when he invented the Ollie there were no fancy kick flips or heel flips. These tricks are where you ollie then kick the board so it spins under you. That is how you do each of those tricks. He basically invented what we now know as trick skating. This one man has made skate boarding evolve like no one could ever imagine. Allen Gelfand is still alive and living today.
Most of the skating professionals today love to give back to the community and one of them is Mike Vallely. He travels the world and gives back to the community by skating with kids, giving away free stuff, and signing autographs for the kids he meets. He has said before, “I love to give back to the community, to share skating with others!!” He does not just go to any community to skate though. He mostly goes to under privileged communities. When he is there he talks and interacts with everyone, and brings happiness and joy to these kids who have never seen or been able to meet someone famous. Mike has made all millions of dollars just from his skating career but does not waste his money; he uses it to give back. This has only made skating a more well known sport. All because of Mike Vallely skating has grown and has become much more fun. He has also invented many tricks some with the Ollie and some without the Ollie. One of the most famous tricks he invented is called, “The Flamingo.” The Flamingo is a trick where you pop the board up between your legs spin it around one leg and then drop it on the ground. Once you have done all that you jump back on the board to complete the trick. It looks very cool and he has taught many kids this trick.
It is amazing how skateboarding has come so far. With the laws, the people getting hurt, but take the right side of skating and you will have fun. Skating is for any one that wants to and can try. Try hard that is. Skating does not come easy, but once mastered it can be fun and very exciting. The diversity in the different kinds of skating, street vs. trick, makes it a sport for different kinds of people. This sport should never be forgotten. The spirit lies within all of us, and once you start skating the spirit will always be there. Young and old alike love skating.
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