You might have seen hot shots drop into a bowl at a skate park and glide around a tight corner. But have you ever wondered how skateboarding got started? Or what gave people the idea to create those curvy concrete courses? It's all part of the twisting, turning history of skateboarding, a sport that evolved from surfing.
Sidewalk Surfing Takes Off
Surfing became popular in the 1950s in Hawaii and California. People loved the rush of riding the waves on a surfboard. Sometimes, however, surfers were confronted with a dilemma—what to do when there were no waves. Fortunately for fun-loving thrill-seekers everywhere, they came up with a solution. When seas were calm, some surfers hopped on smaller boards with wheels and rode them on land. The pastime became known as "sidewalk surfing" or skateboarding.
The Wheel Gets Reinvented
Originally, skateboards had slippery, rattling steel wheels. Then, clay wheels came along. They rode more smoothly but still slid around a lot, leading to some serious accidents. Many people therefore began to view skateboarding as a menace to public safety, and some cities banned it. By 1965, the popularity of skateboarding had tumbled.
What turned things around? Better wheels. In 1973, a company started by a surfer named Frank Nasworthy introduced skateboards with wheels made of a material called polyurethane. They gripped the ground for a safer, smoother ride. That propelled the sport forward on a second wave of popularity.
Backyard Skaters Give the Sport a Boost
In the late 1970s, California experienced a severe drought. Because water was scarce, many backyard swimming pools were empty. Where other people saw basins drained of joy, however, resourceful skaters spotted an opportunity for fun. They jumped in on their skateboards and glided along like surfers riding concrete waves, contributing to the creation of a whole new type of skateboarding. Now many skate parks feature concrete bowls shaped like swimming pools where skaters attempt complicated tricks.
Those were just a few of the ups and downs in the early history of skateboarding. Today, the sport is still rolling along, changing with the times. It's safe to say there are plenty more twists and turns to come.
Why were many backyard swimming pools empty in California in the 1970s?
California was experiencing a severe drought.
Skateboarding and surfing were more fun than swimming.
California could not find enough lifeguards.
Skateboarding and surfing were safer than swimming.
California was experiencing a severe drought.
The article states:
In the late 1970s, California experienced a severe drought. Because water was scarce, many backyard swimming pools were empty.
Which is the closest synonym for the word scarce?
glorious
lousy
affordable
lacking
lacking
According to the article, why did surfers invent "sidewalk surfing"?
Skate parks did not allow skateboarders to do tricks.
A drought made it impossible to go surfing.
A calm sea meant there were no waves for surfing.
Skateboarding in pools caused too many accidents.