Facts and History
Skateboarding emerged in the mid-20th century, inspired by surfing, and was initially called "sidewalk surfing"
The ollie, a trick where the skateboarder jumps with the board, was invented by Alan "Ollie" Gelfand, and Rodney Mullen is credited with inventing many flip and spin tricks
The first skate park was built in 1965, and skate parks continue to be an important part of the skateboarding landscape
The first commercial skateboards appeared in 1959, but crude homemade versions of skateboards, often consisting of nothing more than old roller-skate wheels attached to a board, were first built after the turn of the 20th century
In 1963 Makaha formed the first professional skateboard team, and that same year the first skateboard competition was held in Hermosa, California
Famous Skateboarders
Tony Hawk (born May 12, 1968, San Diego, California, U.S.) is an American professional skateboarder who—through his technical innovations, successful equipment and apparel companies, and tireless promotional work—helped the sport of skateboarding enter the mainstream at the end of the 20th century
Nyjah Imani Huston (born November 30, 1994) is an American professional skateboarder. With numerous sponsorships and competition prize winnings, Huston is one of the highest paid skateboarders in the world.[6][7] Huston won gold medals at the SLS Super Crown World Championship in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2024, and has won 15 gold medals at the X Games since 2011. Huston won his first Olympic medal, a bronze, in the 2024 Olympic men's street event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
John Rodney Mullen (born August 17, 1966) is an American professional skateboarder who practices freestyle skateboarding and street skateboarding. He is considered the most influential skateboarder of all time. Mullen is credited for inventing numerous tricks, including the flatground ollie, kickflip, heelflip, impossible, and 360-kickflip. As a result, he has been called the "Godfather of modern street skating."
Skateboard tricks
A kickturn is accomplished when the rider pushes down on the kicktail, lifting the front wheels off the ground and spinning on the rear wheels.
The hands-free aerial known as the ollie is one of the most important tricks in contemporary skateboarding. It was invented in 1978 by Alan (“Ollie”) Gelfand, who discovered that slamming his foot down on the kicktail and simultaneously sliding his front foot forward caused the board and himself to jump into the air together.
A grind involves riding with the trucks against the edge or top of an object.