Skateboarding’s roots stretch back further than many realize, with its evolution marked by innovation, setbacks, and a relentless spirit. While the connection to surfing is undeniable, the true origins are a bit more nuanced, involving early contraptions that predate the familiar skateboard. Let’s delve into the fascinating history of skateboarding, exploring its growth and the legendary figures who shaped it into the global phenomenon it is today.
The story of skateboarding can arguably be traced back to the 1920s and 1930s, with the invention of devices like the “Scooter Skate” around 1930. However, it was the surfers in California who popularized “sidewalk surfing,” as skateboarding was initially known. The real breakthrough came in the early 1970s, when Frank Nasworthy introduced polyurethane wheels, transforming the sport.
There’s still debate around the very first skateboard. Some believe it began as a rudimentary scooter, with roller skate wheels attached to a wooden plank, often with a milk crate serving as a makeshift handle. Over time, these early skateboarders removed the crates and refined the design, cruising through their neighborhoods on these homemade boards. Others argue that surfers, seeking a way to emulate surfing on flat days, invented the first skateboard. Regardless of its exact origin, skateboarding’s journey is a compelling story of ingenuity and passion.
Skateboarder in the late 1980s
Skateboarding’s Historical Timeline
To fully grasp the evolution of skateboarding, let’s explore its development decade by decade. It is important to note that the history of skateboarding is vast, filled with countless individuals, stories, and innovations that have contributed to the sport’s evolution. While this article aims to cover the main points, consider this just a starting point for your exploration of skateboarding history. Each decade has shaped skateboarding into the amazing sport and culture we know today.
1920s: The Dawn of Wheeled Road Devices
The earliest ancestor of the skateboard emerged a century ago: a metal device designed for cross-country skiing practice. These devices featured three wheels, adjustable toe and heel cups, and repurposed wheels from pedal cars. Sold in pairs with poles, they lacked any steering mechanism. However, resourceful kids repurposed these devices, riding them solo and creating something that vaguely resembled a skateboard.
1930s: The Scooter Skate Hybrid
The 1930s brought another early iteration of the skateboard, the “Scooter Skate.” This three-wheeled device was a cross between a scooter and a skateboard, featuring a rocket ship-like design and a removable handle. Though it lacked trucks and bushings and had hard steel wheels, hindering steering capabilities, its resemblance to a skateboard is undeniable. Although it’s a stretch to say skateboards directly evolved from scooters, the Scooter Skate highlights the early experimentation with wheeled platforms.
1940s: The Skeeter Skate and Steering Innovations
Around 1945, the “Skeeter Skate” emerged, featuring an aluminum build, four pedal car wheels, and a removable handle. This invention marked a significant step forward as it included axles that allowed for steering. This was the first introduction of something akin to trucks, which were critical to the development of the skateboard. Prior to the Skeeter Skate, controlling the direction of a board was nearly impossible.
1950s: The First Mass-Produced Skateboards
The late 1950s saw the introduction of the first commercially available skateboards. The “Roller Derby” skateboard, introduced in 1959, is considered the first mass-produced skateboard. The connection between surfing and skateboarding was clear, with surfers using skateboards as a way to practice when the waves were flat. While surfers didn’t invent the skateboard, they significantly shaped its culture and contributed to its rise in popularity.
1960s: The Rise and Fall of Early Skateboarding
The first surf shop to sell skateboards was Val Surf in Hollywood in 1962. Val Surf created its own skateboards that resembled surfboards, using roller skate trucks. In the same year, Patterson Forbes produced complete skateboards with upgraded trucks. By 1963, skateboarding’s popularity peaked. Surf companies, like Jacks, Hobie, and Makaha, began producing plastic boards shaped like mini-surfboards. Larry Stevenson of Makaha is credited with inventing the kicktail in 1963, producing the first high-quality skateboard.
This boom led to the first skateboarding competitions, featuring downhill slalom and freestyle. Legends like Torger Johnson, Danny Berer, and Woody Woodward rose to prominence. Teams traveled across the U.S., and in 1965, “The Quarterly Skateboarder,” the first skateboarding magazine, was published (although it only lasted for four issues).
Skateboarding went mainstream, with the international championships being broadcast on national television in 1965. Over 50 million boards were produced and sold within three years. Makaha alone reported $4 million in sales between 1963 and 1965. However, by 1966, sales had dropped dramatically, and “The Quarterly Skateboarder” ceased publication.
The First Skateboarding Decline
This initial decline was largely due to poor-quality parts and overproduction. Manufacturers focused on mass production rather than improving the components. The clay or steel wheels were not only uncomfortable, but they also broke easily, leading to many accidents. This resulted in cities banning skateboarding due to safety concerns, and companies suffered massive financial losses, almost wiping out skateboarding. By Christmas of 1966, skateboarding had virtually disappeared from the public eye, despite the opening of the first skatepark, Surf City, in Tucson, Arizona, just a year earlier. Only a few dedicated skateboarders kept the sport alive, crafting and improving their own boards.
1970s: The First Skateboarding Revival
First polyurethane skateboard wheelsThe 1970s brought a resurgence of skateboarding, largely thanks to the introduction of polyurethane wheels. Frank Nasworthy, after being impressed by the properties of polyurethane, convinced Creative Urethane to manufacture skateboard wheels with the material. He then founded Cadillac Wheels Company, which revolutionized the skateboarding experience.
The new polyurethane wheels provided improved speed, control, and smoothness compared to their clay and steel predecessors. This technological breakthrough led to renewed interest in the sport, with companies investing in R&D. “Skateboarder” magazine was also resurrected from “The Quarterly Skateboarder” in the early ’70s. Skateboarding was back, and the industry was flooded with new companies eager to capitalize on its renewed popularity.
The Z-Boys, a team from Zephyr Surf Shop, demonstrated the new potential of skateboarding with their unique style and tricks during a freestyle and slalom competition in Del Mar, California, in 1975. Legends like Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Allen Sarlo became skateboarding icons. The invention of urethane wheels also led to a skatepark boom, changing skateboarding forever.
New Designs and the Rise of Vertical Skating
As skateboards evolved, companies began to develop other components, such as wider boards, sometimes exceeding 10 inches, and trucks with new specifications. While concave boards were still a decade away, board design improved. Companies experimented with materials like fiberglass and aluminum, but maple plywood remained the material of choice due to its perfect combination of flexibility and spring.
These developments allowed skateboarders to innovate new tricks. The Z-Boys famously started skating in empty swimming pools during the California drought of 1974. The urethane wheels gave skaters the control they needed to perform tricks like slash grinds and airs, marking the rise of vertical skateboarding. As tricks became more dangerous, insurance costs for skatepark owners increased significantly.
The Second Decline
The late 1970s marked another golden age for skateboarding. However, by the end of the decade, skyrocketing insurance rates forced most skateparks to close, leading to the second decline of skateboarding. Despite this setback, hardcore skaters continued to innovate, building their own backyard ramps and pushing the sport further. Tom Stewart built the first halfpipe (The Rampage, 1977), and Alan Gelfand invented the first ollie in 1978, completely revolutionizing the sport. Skateboarding, with its rebellious and anti-establishment undertones, continued to grow despite the challenges.
1980s: Skateboarding Refuses to Die
Skateboards from different erasSkateboarding faced another downturn in the early 1980s, but it refused to fade away completely. “Thrasher Magazine” was founded in 1981, followed by “Transworld Skateboarding Magazine” in 1983. By the mid to late ’80s, skateboarding made a comeback. New publications, manufacturers, and the rise of street skateboarding gave the sport a new dimension.
This renewed revolution proved lucrative for some professionals, with some making as much as $10,000 a month. The National Skateboarding Association held contests throughout North America and eventually worldwide. The ’80s were a turning point for skateboarding, marked by new board technology and tricks that paved the way for the modern sport. Tim Piumarta’s introduction of concave decks was instrumental in allowing even more technical tricks to be developed.
The Rise of Street Skating
Most boards were made from 7-ply, pressed maple laminate, and skateboard companies were being started and owned by skateboarders from the 70s, most notably Tony Alva, Stacey Peralta, and George Powell. The increased trust allowed for further growth within the industry.
VHS also opened new doors for distributing skate videos around the world, creating a subculture of its own. Stacey Peralta and George Powell formed the Bones Brigade, producing the legendary ‘The Bones Brigade Video Show’ in 1984. Other iconic videos followed, such as Future Primitive (1985) and Animal Chin (1987). The Bones Brigade team included legends such as Tony Hawk, Stacy Peralta, Mike McGill, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain, and Rodney Mullen.
The focus of skateboarding shifted to U-shaped ramps, known as halfpipes, with tricks shifting to aerial maneuvers. However, street skating began to emerge, with pioneers like Mike Vallely, Rodney Mullen, and Mark Gonzales defining the sport for decades. Street skaters adopted vert tricks and adapted them to the streets. The invention of the ollie, along with other flat-ground tricks, also transformed street skating.
Street skating would eventually combine aerial maneuvers with flat-ground tricks. Street skaters were using old school boards designed for vert skating. This realization called for a new approach to board design, with longer noses, shorter tails, and reduced width. The modern skateboard was being born, and by the end of the 1980s, Powell Peralta, Vision, and Santa Cruz dominated the market.
1990s: Skateboarding’s Re-Invention
Despite the momentum of the 1980s, skateboarding experienced a decline in the early ’90s. Limited access to skateparks, increased scrutiny from law enforcement, and the media framing of skateboarders as criminals all contributed to the decline. The recession of 1991 impacted the industry hard, causing many companies to suffer financial losses. By 1992, skateboarding was in decline once again, with only technical street skating remaining popular.
Skateboarding needed a new wave of inspiration, with a decreasing number of skaters to inspire the next generation. However, despite the setbacks, skateboarding would reinvent itself again.
The Mid-90s Golden Age Returns
Skateboarding was resurrected once again in the mid-1990s. Satellite TV and the introduction of events like the Extreme Games (X-games) brought skateboarding to audiences around the world. New public skateparks were built, and in October 1997, a law was passed in California that protected cities from liability for injuries sustained in public skateparks.
The offspring of baby boomers were entering their teens, and their increased spending power helped push the sport to new levels. By the end of the century, skateboarding was an international activity, with new talent emerging in Brazil, England, and Germany.
2000s: Skateboarding Goes Global
The 21st century brought skateboarding to a truly global audience. The success of the X-games continued, and the video game “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” was a major success, bringing skateboarding to a new generation of fans. Skateboarding lost some of its negative stigma, and the public perception began to change. New skateparks, designed specifically for street skaters, were built to accommodate the increasing number of skateboarders.
Skatepark Evolution
This trend continues today, with the Tony Hawk Foundation building over 600 skateparks. Many cities now have skateparks, with Laredo (Texas) having the most per capita. The largest skatepark is the GMP Skatepark in Guangzhou, China. Skatepark designs also evolved to “skate plazas,” which blend seamlessly into the public spaces. While most public skateparks are made of concrete, indoor parks are often made of wood. However, some argue they don’t replicate the real street skating experience.
Older skate styles resurfaced, including bowl skating, hill bombing, and slalom. Around 2005, skateboarding experienced another decline, possibly due to its over-technical nature and the rise of scooter kids.
2010s – Present: New Challenges and Continued Growth
Skateboarding faced another dip in popularity around 2010, due to the rise of social media and the idea that kids are more occupied with online activities. However, skateboarding has consistently gone through periods of highs and lows. The introduction of the controversial Street League professional competition in 2010, was criticized for attempting to corporatize skateboarding. Big companies like Adidas and Nike entered the scene, making it difficult for core skateboarding companies to compete.
In 2016, the announcement that skateboarding would be included in the Olympics deeply divided the skateboarding community, with some saying skateboarding is an art, not a sport that should be judged. Others believed it would help inspire a new generation. However, regardless, skateboarding is on the rise again with a predicted market growth of 2.1% over the next 5 years.
2020 and Beyond: A Bright Future
The future of skateboarding is promising. New companies and technologies continue to emerge, pushing the sport forward. With the Olympic exposure, skateboarding is more popular than ever and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Conclusion
From its humble beginnings as a cobbled-together device for flat days to a global sport and cultural phenomenon, skateboarding’s journey has been anything but linear. Despite its peaks and valleys, it has consistently demonstrated resilience and a captivating rebellious spirit. The ongoing evolution of skateboarding shows no signs of stopping.
