In the 1950s, people made their own
skateboards. They removed the handlebars from scooters or attached boards to
roller skates. Then they took their boards out on the streets to practice
sidewalk surfing. Skaters tried to capture the feeling of riding a wave.
They didn’t know it at the time,
but these early skaters were inventing a new sport that would become popular
around the world. Today, this sport goes by the name of skateboarding.
EQUIPMENT
Today’s skateboards are much better
than the first, homemade ones. The wooden base, called a deck, curves
upward at the front and back. It is usually made of seven thin layers of wood
pressed and glued together.
The front of the deck is called a
kicknose. The back is a kicktail. Two pairs of wheels are attached
to axles on the bottom of the deck. The axles are called trucks.
Along with the board itself,
protective gear is standard skateboarding equipment. Riders wear helmets,
kneepads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and gloves.
RIDING A SKATEBOARD
Skateboarders stand on their
boards with both feet, facing to the side but looking forward. To start, they
use the back foot to push off the ground and the front foot to control the board
as they move forward. They turn the board by shifting their weight from heel to
toe and back again.
But riding is only the beginning.
The thrill of skateboarding comes from the turns, jumps, flips, and other tricks
that skaters do. Experienced skateboarders are constantly combining these moves
to invent new tricks.
SKATEBOARDING TRICKS
Skateboarding tricks have a
language all their own. Skaters do a wheelie by putting pressure on the
kicktail to lift the front wheels off the ground. A turn made while doing a
wheelie is called a kick turn. An ollie is a jump performed by
tapping on the kicktail to pop the skateboard in the air. This move is useful
for jumping over obstacles.
An aerial is performed by
launching off a ramp and grabbing the side of the skateboard while in the air.
In the McTwist, the skater launches into the air, grabs the board, and
turns around one and a half times before landing.
Skateboarders can practice their
moves almost anywhere. Some communities have skate parks with ramps, rails,
stairs, and other structures.
Some skate parks have
halfpipes. These are U-shaped ramps with vertical walls that skaters use
for advanced tricks. Skaters start at the top of one wall. They ride down the
wall, across the bottom, and up the other side to launch into the air. While
airborne, they do a spin, flip, or jump, and then ride back down to do it again.
Doing tricks on the vertical walls of a halfpipe is called vert
skating.
COMPETITION
Skateboarding competitions have
been popular since the 1960s. Today, skateboarders compete in freestyle, street,
vert, and slalom events. Judges rate skaters on the difficulty, variety, speed,
and style of their tricks.
Freestyle contests take place on
flat surfaces, usually without obstacles. The skater performs stunts and tricks
using only the skateboard. Street competitions involve moves performed on curbs,
benches, stairs, handrails, boxes, and ramps.
Vert competitions are held in empty
swimming pools or in large halfpipes. In slalom events, skaters race against the
clock through a series of cones. They move as quickly as possible without
falling or knocking down the cones.
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