The history of skateboarding has its roots in surfing. Did you ever wonder why skateboarding and surfing looked so similar? Well, they are quite similar because skateboarding was actually developed by surfers to see if they could do the things they could do on the waves on the streets. You can't talk about the history of skateboarding without mentioning the first skateboards. They were much more primitive than what is available today. Today, you can find boards of different sizes with different features and pictures. The early skateboards were simply boards on wheels. The users experimented with the design until they came up with something that would allow them to "surf" in the streets. As a result, no one person invented the first skateboard; it was a more collective effort. The sport started to catch on, though. After the early days, it achieved significant popularity, sometime in the 1960s. Companies started to manufacture skateboards, making the sport available to more than just those who made their own boards. There were even skateboarding competitions early on. The popularity of skateboarding faded briefly as the initial fad wore off. The revival happened after new skateboarding tricks were invented. But today, skateboarding is more popular than ever. There are skateboarding competitions, specialized boards, clothing, and shoes. Skateboarding parks exist all over the world, even in the smallest of European villages. Now, skateboarding is a more serious sport. Though it was once considered a fad, the sport is so popular that there are skate shops everywhere selling gear. There is even a skateboarding culture where skateboarding is more than a sport, it's a way of life. If you would like to join in on this culture, you don't necessarily need to look like a skater. You will need to embrace the lifestyle and dedicate time each day to practice. |
