What was the first skateboard?

Introduction

Have you ever wondered who made the first skateboard? Well this website will tell you who, when, and where, plus a whole lot more about skateboarding.

How it began

In the 1950’s skateboarding began by surfers wanting to surf when it was not surfing weather. In the 1960’s Larry Stevenson changed his skateboard design to a surfboard like design so surfers can ride the concrete wave. This means instead of surfing real waves they are riding on concrete.

The first skateboard had metal roller skate wheels and a plank of wood. Also, it had no grip tape. Isn't that crazy? Instead of grip tape, it was usually just plain wood or painted wood. The wheels are originally metal roller skate wheels instead of your usual rubber wheel.

Safety on a skateboard

One fact about safety on a skateboard is that kids under five should not ride a skateboard. Another fact is that children six to ten should be supervised while skateboarding. My last fact is that often when younger people get in accidents they get injured badly. To protect yourself from accidents on a skateboard you should wear a helmet and pads.

The Ollie

In the 1970’s Alan Gelfand first made the skateboard trick calledthe ollie. An ollie is pushing down the tail or butt of the skateboard and pushing the head down in mid-air while trying to get the board to stick to your shoes. Learning to do an ollie is an important skill to being able to do other skateboarding tricks.

This is the Roller Derby #l0 skateboard. It is one of the first skateboards, which were made of wood and metal roller skate wheels.

This is a surfboard designed skateboard. Larry Stevenson created a surfboard design so surfers can ride the "concrete wave."

Did you know Tony Hawk has his own custom Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Ramp. Isn't that cool?

This is a screenshot of the skateboarding video game called Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Visit these sources to find more information:

Fun Facts:

  • Skateboarding has grown in popularity over the years. Even the Olympic Committee decided to include skateboarding. Skateboarding first appeared in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.

  • Skateboarding even appears in video games. On September 29, 1999, Activision and Neversoft made a video game called “Tony Hawk's Pro Skater” on the Playstation One.

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