Derek's Skateboarding Report
Most people think of skateboarding
as a young person's wild, do-what-you-want sport. Skateboarding goes way
beyond that. In my report, I will explain the things about skateboarding
that don't represent a young person's wild sport and some things that do.
A skateboard is made of many different parts. It is made of a deck, trucks, wheels, bearings, hardware, and griptape. All of these parts are essential for your skateboard to work properly. You can not do without any one of these.
The deck is the piece of wood that
the skater stands on. They are made out of many different materials depending
on the company that the deck is made by. They can be made out of fiberglass,
metal, plastic, or wood. Most decks today are made of wood. However, occasionally,
there is one made of fiberglass. These can cost between thirty and sixty
dollars.
Trucks do two things for the skater.
The first thing they do is connect the wheels to the deck. The other thing
that they do is enable the skater to turn. They need to be built with durability
and strength. They are made of titanium, aluminum, metal, and steel. For
durability, steel trucks are best. They will add about five pounds to your
board, though. For the lightest trucks possible, titanium is the way to
go. However, they aren't very durable. Aluminum trucks are about the same
durability, but are a little bit heavier than titanium trucks. I think
metal trucks are best because they are middleweight and are pretty durable.
The wheels on skateboards are made
of polyurethane plastic. Until 1973, skateboard wheels were made of metal.
There is a hole in the middle of the wheel about one inch in diameter.
There are various sizes of wheels ranging from forty centimeters to fifty-five
centimeters in circumference. The larger that your wheels are, the easier
they will roll over pebbles and rocks.
The bearings go into the whole in the
center of the wheel. The bearings help the wheels spin around the axles
of the trucks. There are two bearings for every wheel. You need to clean
these at least biweekly. If the bearings are not cleaned, you will be unable
to move as fast on your skateboard as if you had cleaned them.
There are two other small parts to
a skateboard. The griptape is a sandpaper-like material that covers the
top of the deck. It helps the skater keep his feet on the board. The hardware
is a set of nuts and bolts that connect certain pieces of the board together.
In the early 1960's, companies like Makaha and Hobby Skateboards started mass producing skateboards. In 1965, safety inspectors declared skateboarding unsafe. They urged the public not to accept skateboarding. Skateboarding had almost died off by 1969. In 1973, the polyurethane wheel was invented. This new wheel brought better traction and faster speeds on the skateboard. They also brought popularity back to skateboarding. By the end of 1973, skateboarding had reached its second popularity peak. The kingdom of skateboarding gradually lost its members because the skaters got bored of the tricks and ramps of skateboarding.
Just as the new wheels brought skateboarding back in the '70's, the plywood ramp would do it in the 80's. Along with the bigger, better ramps, came bigger, better tricks. In this revolution came the tricks invert and ollie. In this time, the professional skater, the skateboarding magazine, the skateboarding video, and the skatepark were invented. Another epidemic peaked in 1987. It was at this time, as opposed to using the design of the roller-skate truck, the skateboard truck was invented.
Skateparks are designated areas for skateboarding. They often have tens of thousands of dollars worth of ramps and grinding rails. A grinding rail is a rail raised to any height used for grinding. There are many ramps involved in skateboarding. There is the halfpipe (which is exactly what it sounds like, a half of a huge pipe). There is a quarterpipe (half of a halfpipe), launch ramps (they shoot the skater up and out), and there are pools (which are empty swimming pools).
Turning is essential in skateboarding. There are two ways you can turn. One is to simply shift your weight, while rolling, toward the way you want to turn. The other way is called a kickturn. Your feet are always in normal position. First, you put pressure on the tail of the board until your front wheels are about an inch off of the ground. Immediately after doing that, turn your body (with the skateboard still under you) toward the way you want to go. When you are at your desired direction, put the front end of the board down by releasing pressure on the tail.
The ollie is the building block for almost all tricks. The object in ollieing is to get the board into the air and land on it. First, you put your feet into the regular position. Then, you apply pressure to the tail until it hits the ground. This is called "slapping" the board. Immediately after "slapping" the board, slide the outside part of your shoe along the griptape. This should level the board out in mid-air. Keep both feet on the board throughout the whole trick. When you hit the ground, bend your knees to absorb the impact.
The kickflip is just a variation to the ollie. The object to this trick is to let the skateboard spin 360 degrees and to have a clean landing. The secret to the kickflip is to stay directly above the board while it spins in mid-air. Your feet are almost in normal position, except your front foot's toes are now facing the nose of the skateboard. Slap your tail on the ground. Milliseconds after that, slide your front foot toward the front corner of the board that your back is facing. Slide it past the edge of the board. This should send the skateboard into a spinning motion. Let it spin 360 degrees. While you are still in mid-air, place your feet on the board. This is called "catching" the board. Stay in this position until you land. When you land, bend your knees to absorb the impact.
The famous skaters in the 1970's helped keep the sport alive. They are considered "old school skaters." They did totally different tricks than the skaters today. It took a lot more coordination to be an "old school skater." Some of the famous "old school skaters" were: Tony Alva, Jay Adams, and Stacy Paralta.
Some of the famous skaters in the 1980's were: Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, Steve Calballero, Mark Gonzalez, and Mike Valley. These people were some of the first pros. Some of these people are still skateboarding today, like Tony Hawk, Steve Calballero, and Mike Valley.
Today's professional skateboarders are making more money than ever for just doing what they love. Some of these men are my personal role models. They are taking skateboarding to an extreme. Some of them are: Danny Way, Tony Hawk, Steve Calballero, Collin Mcay, Andrew Renolds, and Mike Valley.
One of the most wanted and tried for records in skateboarding is the record of most "air." "Air'' in skateboarding terms is how high you can get off of a ramp. In 1988, the record was 11 feet even. In December of 1996, Sergie Ventura got 11.81 feet of air. On August 3, 1997, Danny Way smashed that record. A skateboarding company called DC Shoe Company built a $20,000, 18 foot halfpipe to be torn down right after this event. After breaking and setting four high air records, three of which set by himself, Danny Way got 16.5 feet above the top of his $20,000 playground. He wasn’t done there, he decided to have some fun. He jumped out of a helicopter hovering 19 feet above the ramp and landed perfectly!