Skateboarding

6 Pages 1534 Words

Skateboarding is not a crime



Skateboarding is more than just a sport; to many people it’s a life style. Skateboarding is a powerful sport, however it is not a crime. Skateboarders are often looked at as ‘punks’ and ‘vandals.’ Skateboarding has been around since the early 1950’s and has increased throughout the tiring ups and downs of the mainstream industry. It’s popularity rose with surfers due to the fact that it was something they could do when the conditions in the water weren’t good enough or too rough. Makaha had made sales of $4,000,000 within two years. Boards originated from the idea of a scooter with metal roller skate wheels and a handle attached. In the 50’s boards came in various shapes and sizes because many kids were designing their own. By the early 60’s skateboarding had risen in surf culture so much that magazine had begun to be printed (Brooks, M 28-32). There were also major tours across the United States of teams of skateboarders due to the towering heights of skateboarding popularity. The skaters had taken this ‘hobby’ to a new level as they began to explore empty pools. This was a revolution in the sport and truly elevated the technical end of skating. A story that’s been passed on refers to a group of skaters who searched out whole neighborhoods for empty pools due to the drought. They found a pool at the residence of a fire chief. Somehow, they got a hold of his work schedule and skated his pool everyday that he worked until they got caught. Pool riding was an intense element that continued from the seventies until the late eighties. After the magazines and tours and fifty million skateboards being sold, skateboarding died. The cause of death, “The first skateboarding crash was due to inferior product, [which floods today’s market] too much inventory and a public upset by reckless riding.”( Brooks, M 40-45) The reason it hap...