Skateboarding has been around since the 1940’s when surfers had no waves and wanted the experience of waves without water. The first manufacturers of these skateboards was a Los Angeles surf shop in the 1970’s. They made a deal with a roller skate manufacturer that gave them metal wheels and attached them to the wood planks, first calling them sidewalk surfboards. Then in the 1980’s they started resembling the shape of a surfboard and a new wheel company came out called Cadillac wheels. They revolutionized the wheel with a new material that provided better traction and smoother riding. This was all before skateparks were around so people would carve around in empty reservoirs. 

In 1976 companies started manufacturing axles (trucks) specifically designed for skateboards that made them more maneuverable. When the 1980’s came around they started vert skating and bowl skating with coping. This is a metal rod that slides better when waxed. Eventually, Rodney Mullen invented the ollie and the kickflip. This was one of the most important moments in skateboarding history which sparked a fire in people to start street skating. People started ollieing down stairs and going into cities and skateboarding on whatever looked skateable. With this, more tricks were invented and skateboards started getting their popsicle shape and different widths and more tricks were invented. In the present day, we are street skating with big gaps and down huge stairs sets. Skateboarding is also set to have its debut into the next summer Olympic games.

There’s so many good things that can come out of skateboarding. One of my favorite things is to skate after a long day or after a boring day. There are endless possibilities for what tricks can be done and where. In total, there are over 3500 skateparks worldwide but there’s also streets with millions of stair sets, gaps and rails. Skateboarding is for everyone. According to a recent study done by Skateboarders HQ, 23.9% of skaters are female and 76.1% are male. Not only is skateboarding fun but I believe it’s the least judgemental and has some of the greatest people you’ll ever meet. The majority of my closest friends are the ones I’ve met at the skatepark. It also makes it easy to meet new people because if you go to the skatepark in other towns or places you travel, you always have something in common with the people at the skatepark.