| When you think of skateboarding you think boys | | | | skates strapped to it comprised of the very first, |
| clad in helmets and knee pads doing impressive | | | | albeit primitive, skateboard, equipment for a sport |
| acrobatic-like moves with a board. Skateboarding | | | | in its infancy! |
| may seem like a boys sport, but, according to | | | | In 1975 the very first skateboarding contest was |
| Barb Odanaka, author of Skateboarding Mom, | | | | held at the Ocean Festival in Del Mar, California. In |
| back in the 1970s both girls and boys did | | | | 1978, Alan Gelfand invented a maneuver, called |
| skateboarding and it was no big deal. When in the | | | | the "Ollie Pop". The ollie involves slamming the foot |
| 1980s skateboarding went "urban" or "hard-core", | | | | on the tail end of the skateboard in order to life |
| she says, girls seemed to stop riding. | | | | the board and the skateboarder into the air. |
| Today, most parents still think that skateboarding | | | | Today, most tricks are based on the ollie. Tony |
| is for boys, but girls are getting back on the | | | | Hawk is another famous name in skateboarding; |
| boards with a vengeance. Girls can have as much | | | | at age 16 he became the world's best |
| fun on a board as guys can and they can be just | | | | skateboarder. |
| as technically skilled. Take Elissa Steamer, for | | | | The sport is still evolving and companies are now |
| example, she started skateboarding at age | | | | manufacturing high technology boards. Online |
| twelve and turned professional in 1998. She's a | | | | shops like and sell skateboards for girls, boards |
| skateboarding star. | | | | that are lighter and more flexible. In fact, Girl, is |
| A quick Internet search for "girls" or "women" and | | | | the name of a company that manufactures |
| "skateboarding" will bring up lots of information | | | | skateboards. Skateboard decks for girls are |
| targeted specifically towards girls interested in | | | | works of art. |
| skateboarding. There are plenty of competitions | | | | Skateboarding is a great sport and a great way |
| to challenge girls, such as the All Girl Skate Jam, | | | | to keep fit. It is technically challenging and involves |
| the Ride Like A Girl skate contest and the World | | | | all sort of tricks, such as varials, jumps, flips, |
| Cup Skateboarding, amongst others. | | | | grabs, slides, grinds and degrees. Some tricks |
| Skateboarding bizarrely has its roots in | | | | require a ramp (transition tricks) others are |
| surfboarding. Back in the 1950s, Californian surfers | | | | performed on flat ground or off curbs (street |
| came up with the quirky idea of "surfing the | | | | tricks). Typing "skateboard tricks" into your |
| streets", so they took their boards to the streets | | | | favorite Internet search engine will bring up lots of |
| of California and, well, skateboarding was born! | | | | websites with definitions, descriptions, tips and |
| The very first skateboards were curious | | | | even videos to help you learn and perform |
| inventions. A wooden board or box with roller | | | | skateboarding tricks. |