You might have seen hot shots drop into a bowl at a skate park and glide through a frontside carve 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 calm seas offered up only unrideable ripples, some surfers hopped on smaller boards with wheels and rode them on land, a pastime that became known as "sidewalk surfing" or skateboarding.
The Wheel Gets Reinvented
Originally, skateboards had slippery, rattling steel wheels. Those were superseded by clay wheels, which rode a bit more smoothly but still had terrible traction, leading to some serious accidents.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, propelling 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 dry basins devoid 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.
Question 2
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Why were many backyard swimming pools empty in California in the 1970s?
Skateboarding and surfing were more fun than swimming.
Skateboarding and surfing were safer than swimming.
California was experiencing a shortage of lifeguards.
California was experiencing an extreme drought.