The Evolution Of Skateboarding
Skateboarding is more than what just meets the eye. The sport was introduced to the world in the year 1950 in California & Hawaii and is actually considered to have been developed from surfing. It was initially known as sidewalk surfing and has ever since undergone a major evolution.
Back in the day, some surfers got the idea to transfer the feeling of riding waves onto the streets to defy times of days with a gentle swell. These surfers were referred to as ‘asphalt surfers’ and used shorter surfboards and wheels that were made out of metal without bearings.
Skateboarding took a major peak in the late 1950s during the post-war phase in the United States of America. As the toy industry got affected with the economic boom, Roller Derby introduced the first official skateboard with contemporary features that subsequently enhanced the handling attributes of the board. Thereafter, the surfers were able to work on state-of-the-art techniques and drills.
Come 1960s, skateboarding took off and became more prevalent in the United States. The east and west coasts were notably stirred due to the industrial development and skates were further introduced in the sports equipment category. ‘Val Surf’ was the first surf shop in Hollywood to sell self-produced skateboards; featuring a typical surfboard shape and roller skate trucks. Patterson Forbes refined the patterns furthermore in 1963 with complete boards that facilitated better handling and maneuvers.
Later that year, the first official skateboard contest was organised in Hermosa Beach, California. Skateboarding wasn’t just a regular surfing activity; it garnered a lot of eyeballs and skateboarders started getting sponsorships from major companies. Consequently in 1964, as the sport gathered more popularity, the first skateboarding magazine ‘The Quarterly Skateboarder’ was published.
Soon after, Larry Stevenson invention of the ‘kicktail’ and Frank Nasworthy’s design of the urethane wheels elevated skateboarding to the next level. Now, skateboarders could move around faster, smoother and more adequately. What followed next was a blend of disciplines like freestyle, downhill, and slalom which brought together people from all over the world. In 1976, the first artificially created skate park was inaugurated in the country with facilities that included vertical ramps and kickers. Later that year, the American soldiers introduced the activity in Germany as the sport went global. The first German skateboard center was installed in Munich which was also a host to the inaugural German skateboard championships.
In 1978, Alan Gelfand invented a maneuver ‘The Ollie’, which counts as the greatest skill in the history of skateboarding, completely revolutionizing the sport; aka street skateboarding was born. Rodney Mullen was one of the first riders who inculcated the Ollie into his gameplay for different maneuvers onto the streets and introduced a distinct style of skateboarding. Just like BMX and inline skating, street skateboarding developed and eventually became very popular. International propagation of new tricks and lurking skate maneuvers brought the first skate videos on VHS; increasingly improving the importance of video scenes. The ‘Münster Monster Mastership’ became one of the grandest international skateboarding competitions in the 1980s, making skateboarding more and more famous in Germany.
From the mid-1980s on, it was professional skateboarder was now considered as a viable career option. Shoes by Vans, Converse, and Vision became forerunners for the skateboarding scene. By the 1990s skateboarding had gained massive popularity and saw more than 10.6 million people under the age of 18 ride skateboards.
Go Skateboarding Day was founded in southern California by the International Association of Skateboard Companies to propagate skateboarding throughout the world in 2003. There were over 2,400 skateparks worldwide and the design of skateparks themselves had made a transition by 2006, as skaters turned designers. Thereafter, skateboarding gained a huge fan following as multiple video games were released and world competitions were organised all across the world.
In 2016, the IOC announced that skateboarding will be officially included in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. This is a major milestone for the sport which has been also recognised as one of the most popular sports across the world. Jump to India; a decade ago, seeing someone on a skateboard was a rare phenomenon. Ever since India’s skating scene has been built by hand. Today, the sport is increasingly making an impact into our daily lives and it’s very common to spot skateboarders shredding it in a nearby park and other skating facilities.
The nation of India which has a population of over 134 crores has around 18 skateboarding arenas spread over the country in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ranchi, Kolkata, Delhi, etc. The likes of Tony Hawk, Kenny Reed, Omar Salazar and Lenny Burmiester have visited India multiple times to spread their love for this engaging sports activity. Whilst as a nation, there is a lot of scope for us to progress, the day is not too far when skaters from India make a name and win laurels for the nation. Even though it is considered to be a very fancy sport, all they need is a skateboard and they are set to roll. So get your skateboard now and head to your nearest arena and well just keep skatin’.
