The Origin of Skateboarding

Skateboarding is the extension of surfing on land. The former is restricted by geography and climate, while the latter has greater freedom.

In the mid-to-late 1950s, residents of beach communities in Southern California invented the world's first skateboard, a 50×10×50 cm wooden board fixed on the iron wheel of a roller skate. However, such a simple sports equipment began to attract attention because it can bring people the same feeling as surfing.

The second generation skateboard was born in 1962. It is composed of a board made of oak multi-layer boards, a roller skate steering bridge and plastic wheels. Compared with the first generation skateboard, this skateboard is undoubtedly a leap in technology. However, the performance of the plastic wheels of this skateboard is still not ideal. Its too small adhesion friction causes the skateboard to lose control when turning; and its low elasticity causes the skateboard to stop abruptly when encountering even a small obstacle, causing the skater to fall off. At the same time, its wear resistance is also too poor. Despite this, the skateboard is still generally popular among skateboarders. After all, it has evolved a lot compared to the previous generation of skateboards. The relatively wide deck makes it easier for skaters to stand and maneuver.

In 1973, a skateboard enthusiast named Frank put polyurethane wheels on his skateboard for the first time and achieved unexpected results. This kind of flexible wheel is not only wear-resistant, but also allows the skateboard to make sharp turns safely and stably, and easily roll over small obstacles on the ground. This is the third generation skateboard. The mid-1970s was a period of rapid development of skateboarding, and the potential of polyurethane was greatly unleashed. Pedal boards and steering axles made of various materials have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. And skateboard companies dotted all over the United States are also revealing the arrival of a new sport to people.

Since skateboarding is a derivative of surfing, the skateboarding culture of the 1970s bears the imprint of surfing, and the skateboard parks built by skateboarders simulate surfing terrain. Until the "Zewind" skateboard team in Santa Monica, California, USA abandoned surfing props and used the keyhole swimming pool as a venue for practicing vertical surface skateboarding for the first time, and set off the "pool skateboarding craze" across the United States. At this point, skateboarding began to evolve from surfing. , not only completely separated from the equipment, venue, but also from the personnel, and formed its own language, skills, clothing style and music preferences.

In the late 1980s, due to the development of skateboarding itself and the increasing requirements of skateboarders for skateboarding skills, as well as the need to adapt to the two-way sliding in U-shaped pools, a completely different shape from the previous three generations of skateboards was created. A skateboard with two raised ends and a symmetrical shape appeared. This is the skateboard. Currently only skateboarders use skateboards. The skateboard uses hard rock maple, which is lighter in weight and more elastic. The skateboard wheel has high hardness and good elasticity, making it more suitable for high-speed skating. Due to the weight balance, the skateboard is better suited for various flipping maneuvers.

In the early 1990s, the skateboard changed from one end to two ends, so there were many moves that were impossible for the previous generation of skateboards. This period was the era of trick moves in skateboarding. Skaters invented a lot of new moves. At the same time, in order to make the skateboard easier to flip, the skateboard deck has become very narrow and the wheels have become smaller. A typical skateboard from this period was only 7 inches wide and the wheels were only about 39 mm in diameter. Although such a skateboard is easier to perform complex maneuvers, the smaller wheels hinder its gliding performance.

Skateboards in different periods have different shapes. In order to continue the field gameplay, some players built a simple field with wooden boards in their backyard, which is now a U-shaped board. For players who were unable to obtain a field, they began to develop on the streets, thus creating many street obstacles. In terms of gameplay, most skateboarders now use street obstacles.

In particular, the huge increase in the number of people with street disabilities has led to the rise of skateboarding clothing. Today, skateboarders have formed a large nation. They have their own culture, language, sports style and even music, and all of this is exactly in line with the definition of leisure sports in the minds of teenagers.

At first glance, the equipment required for this sport is simple, just a board, but there are endless tricks and techniques that can be changed, and other parts of the skateboard are like the material of the board and the wheels. The size and quality of the bearing are also the key points that players pay attention to. Different parts have different effects.

The skateboards commonly used in international extreme sports competitions now belong to the fourth generation of skateboards. The boards are generally made of five-, seven- or nine-layer maple boards that are microwave-cold pressed. They are also made of aluminum alloy, carbon fiber and other materials. made. A layer of anti-slip layer (commonly known as "sand") is stuck on the board surface. The wheels are generally made of polyurethane as the main material, and a skateboard bracket (also called "steering bridge") made of alloy is connected to the board surface.

Skateboarding flourished in the 1970s, and there were more than 300 public or private skateboard parks in California alone. Now, there are more than 5,000 extreme parks (skateboarding, extreme inline skating, stunt cycling) in the United States.

With the development of skateboarding, skateboarding technology has caught up with its ancestor, surfing. Gevant invented the jump with a board, which made the skateboarding world pay more attention to high-tech performances and produced many skateboarding stars. Touring brand promotion activities organized by skateboard dealers and famous companies have brought huge benefits to businesses and have become a common method in industrial marketing. The earthy clothes and nostalgic sneakers of skateboarders once became a global trend, and related music also reached a peak. Its language, skills, clothing and music constitute a unique skateboarding culture. There are as many as 4.5 million skateboarding enthusiasts in the United States! Because skateboarding is too thrilling and exciting, in the 1960s, skateboarding was strictly prohibited by the government and was once reduced to an "underground project." It was not until the mid-1980s that the skateboarding project was publicly lifted by the government and reappeared, allowing this urban fantasy sport to make a comeback. Skateboarding superstars Tony Hawker and Andy McDonald are undoubtedly the same super idols as Jordan and Sampras in the eyes of many young people.

Skateboarding is characterized by sliding, advocating free movement, experiencing and creating the feeling of super gravity, and bringing skaters the joy of success and creation. Skateboarding is different from traditional sports. It does not stick to fixed patterns. It requires skaters to freely use their imagination, create during the movement, exercise with creativity, emphasize the freedom of body and mind, and respect the sports philosophy of integrating with nature. Skateboarding is full of self-challenge, exciting viewing, and high-tech penetration that transcend physical and mental limits. People perfect their humanity in sports, and the essence of returning to nature has been fully emphasized again. In the bustling city, there is a clear characteristic of extreme sports that returns to nature, blends in with nature, challenges oneself, and achieves the ideological realm of unity between man and nature. In European and American countries and developing countries, participating in extreme sports has become the most popular and lasting fashion among urban youth. Participating in extreme sports games has become a dream of the majority of urban youth!

The annual World Extreme Games has now become the highest level and most influential traditional event in extreme sports in the world, and it has also become the most authoritative organization of extreme sports in the world. In recent years, due to the unparalleled charm of extreme sports themselves and the strong publicity and promotion of the media, extreme sports have mushroomed around the world. Brazil held the first Latin American X Games in 1998, which achieved unexpectedly good response and economic benefits.