“Don't be afraid to try the greatest sport around
(Bust your buns, bust your buns now),
It's catchin' on in every city and town
You can do the tricks that surfers do
Just try the Wise-a-moto or the Coff-in-2
Why don't you grab your board and go sidewalk surfin' with me?"
Sure, if you listen to the song, it sounds pretty close to Jan and Dean’s other tunes on surfing and girls; but, this 1958 send up to the new sport of skateboarding helped to put ‘sidewalk surfing’ on the map, creating a new style that would include sports, fashion, music and lifestyle.
The same year the song came out, the new sport of skateboarding began seeing its first rays of light in a California surf shop. For all its sun, sand, and beaches, once in a while the So Cal waves are just flat. Making a deal with the Chicago Roller Skate Company, shop owner Bill Richards created a set of roller skate wheels made specifically for his ‘skateboard.’ The skateboard, as it was then, looked like a miniature surfboard, no doubt helping surfers get in and feel comfortable with this newfangled toy.
Within a short amount of time, surfing manufacturers picked up the trail and started making their own surfboard-esque skateboards. Skateboarder Magazine, created just for skaters, started publication in 1964, and soon the sport’s popularity grew to the point that in 1965 the first skateboarding championships were held on national television. With the likes of Life magazine and ABC’s Wild World of Sports tuning in, it seemed as all was going well for the young sport. Though 1965’s skateboard sales were through the roof, 1966’s sales were beyond flat. Had all the kids who wanted skateboards already gotten it, or was it worse? Deemed unsafe by the American Medical Association, who went as far as to call skateboarding “a new medical menace,” skateboards were soon banned by moms and pops ‘round the country. Only a few of the dedicated kept on keepin’ on with their boards.
Half a decade would go by before the skateboard would see a second coming. Control and maneuverability were improved, thanks to Richard Stevenson, who gave skateboards a tail, turning a simple flat piece of wood with two wheels into something kids would hop onto once again. Around the same time that the board got the tail, the ride got a little smoother with the new polyurethane wheels on the scene. Though they were safer than they were before, parents were still leery of the dangerous decks, giving it that oh-so-desirable edge that teens look to rebel with. Plus, with greater stability and control came the opportunity for tricks and thrills that would be brought to the forefront of California culture in the 1970s.
Surfers put up their boards and put their feet on skateboards, bringing a new fashion sense to the skate scene. Baggy surfer clothes soon became baggy skater clothes. Comfort was key, with classic footwear becoming paramount to the rider. Converse was the first king of skater shoes, and it remains at the top today. Nike stepped in during the 70s, but was quickly out when Vans hit the scene in the 80s. The 80s also saw some whacked-out colors and patterns for skaters. Checkerboard prints and fluorescent colors helped keep skaters as in-your-face as they wanted to be.
The earliest of professional skaters, such as Stacey Peralta, Mike Weed and Alan Gelfand (legendary creator of the “Ollie”) shredded up the Venice, California scene, bringing an entirely new generation of skaters into their world. Thanks to the drought of 1976, empty swimming pools became the perfect breeding ground for skaters who would use the vertical walls to catch some mad air. This form of skateboarding is called ‘vert,’ mostly because of the vertical rides skaters took while sailing past the ramps. Skateparks started appearing, though they wouldn’t thanks to some serious liability issues. With that, skaters started making their own ramps and using non-traditional surfaces for their stunts.
While skaters haven’t always been those to care what most people think, some did care about their safety, at least to an extent. New knee pads and protective gear, such as helmets, were quickly introduced, though it did little to stop lawmakers from turning the sport illegal. Not to mention, the gear kept the hardcore riding hard with a little less worry about permanent damage.
Music was a big part of the skater lifestyle. Early skaters listened to what everyone else was listening to, but as the sport was growing bigger audiences, skaters started rocking out to 80s punk artists like T.S.O.L and Agent Orange. A new generation of skaters, like Christian Hoisoi, Natas Kaupas, and Tony Hawk were finding themselves idolized by legions of kids wanting to be just like them. Vision streetwear was all the rage and with a complete style came nearly complete chaos and kids started running the streets, whizzing around on their personal playgrounds, the sidewalks, steps, parks, schoolyards – whatever was around them was theirs for the taking.
Punk culture was pushing out in a variety of ways. Mags like Thrasher were playing into the wild and rebellious side of skaters, portraying them as total punks, dirty and anti-establishment to the core. Other magazines, like Transworld Skateboard presented the other side: control, talent, style and creativity that a number of young skaters were also bringing into the sport. None-the-less, skaters had a nasty reputation, one that wouldn’t be ignored for long. Increasing numbers of bans on skateboarding forced the boards inside, almost giving the edge to BMX bikes for extreme sports. Back alleys became havens, for the skate punk and athlete alike.
“Skateboarding Is Not A Crime”
This was the mantra of skateboarders everywhere as Johnny Law started cracking down on enthusiasts. Even when they were riding for transportation and not riding the rails for fun, skaters regularly get citations. Around the world, skateboarding continued to get a worse reputation. Norway even outlawed skateboards throughout their entire country!
It would take an even newer generation to bring the sport back. Though bands such as Rancid and The Offspring were pumping out skater punk anthems, skateboarding was suddenly embraced by the hip hop community. Throughout the 1990s, thanks to a new-found popularity of other extreme sports, thanks to the X Games, skateboarding found a new face. The late 1990s saw the skater trend came back strong with Airwalks, along with the ever-classic Vans and Converse.
With its new face of legitimacy, one would think that the sport would find less taboo, but that simply isn’t the case. Courtesy of public ordinances everywhere, skateboard really can be a crime, continuing the tradition of abandoned pools and homemade ramps as training ground for a new generation.
(Bust your buns, bust your buns now),
It's catchin' on in every city and town
You can do the tricks that surfers do
Just try the Wise-a-moto or the Coff-in-2
Why don't you grab your board and go sidewalk surfin' with me?"
Sure, if you listen to the song, it sounds pretty close to Jan and Dean’s other tunes on surfing and girls; but, this 1958 send up to the new sport of skateboarding helped to put ‘sidewalk surfing’ on the map, creating a new style that would include sports, fashion, music and lifestyle.
The same year the song came out, the new sport of skateboarding began seeing its first rays of light in a California surf shop. For all its sun, sand, and beaches, once in a while the So Cal waves are just flat. Making a deal with the Chicago Roller Skate Company, shop owner Bill Richards created a set of roller skate wheels made specifically for his ‘skateboard.’ The skateboard, as it was then, looked like a miniature surfboard, no doubt helping surfers get in and feel comfortable with this newfangled toy.
Within a short amount of time, surfing manufacturers picked up the trail and started making their own surfboard-esque skateboards. Skateboarder Magazine, created just for skaters, started publication in 1964, and soon the sport’s popularity grew to the point that in 1965 the first skateboarding championships were held on national television. With the likes of Life magazine and ABC’s Wild World of Sports tuning in, it seemed as all was going well for the young sport. Though 1965’s skateboard sales were through the roof, 1966’s sales were beyond flat. Had all the kids who wanted skateboards already gotten it, or was it worse? Deemed unsafe by the American Medical Association, who went as far as to call skateboarding “a new medical menace,” skateboards were soon banned by moms and pops ‘round the country. Only a few of the dedicated kept on keepin’ on with their boards.
Half a decade would go by before the skateboard would see a second coming. Control and maneuverability were improved, thanks to Richard Stevenson, who gave skateboards a tail, turning a simple flat piece of wood with two wheels into something kids would hop onto once again. Around the same time that the board got the tail, the ride got a little smoother with the new polyurethane wheels on the scene. Though they were safer than they were before, parents were still leery of the dangerous decks, giving it that oh-so-desirable edge that teens look to rebel with. Plus, with greater stability and control came the opportunity for tricks and thrills that would be brought to the forefront of California culture in the 1970s.
Surfers put up their boards and put their feet on skateboards, bringing a new fashion sense to the skate scene. Baggy surfer clothes soon became baggy skater clothes. Comfort was key, with classic footwear becoming paramount to the rider. Converse was the first king of skater shoes, and it remains at the top today. Nike stepped in during the 70s, but was quickly out when Vans hit the scene in the 80s. The 80s also saw some whacked-out colors and patterns for skaters. Checkerboard prints and fluorescent colors helped keep skaters as in-your-face as they wanted to be.
The earliest of professional skaters, such as Stacey Peralta, Mike Weed and Alan Gelfand (legendary creator of the “Ollie”) shredded up the Venice, California scene, bringing an entirely new generation of skaters into their world. Thanks to the drought of 1976, empty swimming pools became the perfect breeding ground for skaters who would use the vertical walls to catch some mad air. This form of skateboarding is called ‘vert,’ mostly because of the vertical rides skaters took while sailing past the ramps. Skateparks started appearing, though they wouldn’t thanks to some serious liability issues. With that, skaters started making their own ramps and using non-traditional surfaces for their stunts.
While skaters haven’t always been those to care what most people think, some did care about their safety, at least to an extent. New knee pads and protective gear, such as helmets, were quickly introduced, though it did little to stop lawmakers from turning the sport illegal. Not to mention, the gear kept the hardcore riding hard with a little less worry about permanent damage.
Music was a big part of the skater lifestyle. Early skaters listened to what everyone else was listening to, but as the sport was growing bigger audiences, skaters started rocking out to 80s punk artists like T.S.O.L and Agent Orange. A new generation of skaters, like Christian Hoisoi, Natas Kaupas, and Tony Hawk were finding themselves idolized by legions of kids wanting to be just like them. Vision streetwear was all the rage and with a complete style came nearly complete chaos and kids started running the streets, whizzing around on their personal playgrounds, the sidewalks, steps, parks, schoolyards – whatever was around them was theirs for the taking.
Punk culture was pushing out in a variety of ways. Mags like Thrasher were playing into the wild and rebellious side of skaters, portraying them as total punks, dirty and anti-establishment to the core. Other magazines, like Transworld Skateboard presented the other side: control, talent, style and creativity that a number of young skaters were also bringing into the sport. None-the-less, skaters had a nasty reputation, one that wouldn’t be ignored for long. Increasing numbers of bans on skateboarding forced the boards inside, almost giving the edge to BMX bikes for extreme sports. Back alleys became havens, for the skate punk and athlete alike.
“Skateboarding Is Not A Crime”
This was the mantra of skateboarders everywhere as Johnny Law started cracking down on enthusiasts. Even when they were riding for transportation and not riding the rails for fun, skaters regularly get citations. Around the world, skateboarding continued to get a worse reputation. Norway even outlawed skateboards throughout their entire country!
It would take an even newer generation to bring the sport back. Though bands such as Rancid and The Offspring were pumping out skater punk anthems, skateboarding was suddenly embraced by the hip hop community. Throughout the 1990s, thanks to a new-found popularity of other extreme sports, thanks to the X Games, skateboarding found a new face. The late 1990s saw the skater trend came back strong with Airwalks, along with the ever-classic Vans and Converse.
With its new face of legitimacy, one would think that the sport would find less taboo, but that simply isn’t the case. Courtesy of public ordinances everywhere, skateboard really can be a crime, continuing the tradition of abandoned pools and homemade ramps as training ground for a new generation.
