| One of the biggest crazes to ever hit children and | | | | of sales, records show that Makaha's skateboard |
| teenagers of our generation has been | | | | sales figures reached the $4 million mark from |
| skateboarding. But how many of you know that it | | | | 1963 to 1965, which was truly a lot in those days. |
| actually started as early as the 1950s and its | | | | However, by 1965, the skateboard fad was over. |
| popularity coincided with the surfing mania in | | | | Sales dropped significantly and the skateboarding |
| California at that time? That's true. In those early | | | | magazine closed shop. |
| days, skateboards were all homemade and made | | | | The second generation of skateboarders made |
| of wooden planks that were attached to | | | | their presence felt in the early seventies. It |
| roller-skate trucks and wheels. It wasn't even | | | | started when Frank Nasworthy was able to |
| known as skateboarding yet, rather as "sidewalk | | | | invent a skateboard wheel made out of |
| surfing." It's best practitioners were guys who | | | | polyurethane, which gave skateboarders improved |
| simply imitated the styles and moves of the top | | | | traction and performance. The new product was |
| surfers of the time. Some people say | | | | such a big hit that skateboarding became in vogue |
| skateboards merely evolved from "crate | | | | among children and teens once again as well as |
| scooters" which looked exactly like a skateboard | | | | many young adults. More companies tried to |
| except that it had handlebars like a regular | | | | invent their own skateboarding innovations, |
| scooter. | | | | including special axles that were designed |
| When the sixties came around, skateboarding | | | | specifically for skateboarding. And as the |
| began to really take off. There were now | | | | skateboards became more maneuverable and |
| skateboard manufacturers such as Hobie and | | | | controllable, the decks began getting wider -- as |
| Makaha which were actually top surfing | | | | wide as 10 inches and sometimes over. There |
| manufacturers. Their early products looked much | | | | was a lot of experimentation in skateboards at |
| like the surfboards of the time. Skateboarding | | | | the time, including the use of aluminum and |
| became so popular that a magazine dedicated to | | | | fiberglass to replace the standard material for |
| it was produced regularly. There was even an | | | | skateboards, maple plywood. Soon enough, the |
| international skateboarding championship in 1965 | | | | new craze was all about who could pull off the |
| that was telecast on national television. In terms | | | | best tricks. And the best was yet to come. |