The second wave - at least in California - began in the 1970s, and was driven by two factors: 1) better technology (flexible, light-weight boards and polyurethane wheels); 2) a drought, which turned many a private swimming pool into the ideal grounds for skating.
Regards,
Yep. My son has built and refurbished several. Long boards, microboards, and several for his buds. I’m grateful that he’s not a vidiot.
My 20-year-old son is a “skater.” Gets him out in the fresh air with his friends, and he hasn’t been arrested yet.
Rebellion against the Nanny State.
Having been a skateboarder — it’s a dangerous passtime unless under strictly controlled conditions, and young men want to be spontaneous and prove their manhood. That’s the problem — too many definitions of what ‘manhood’ is, most of them wimpy.
I had one in the early 60s. My son was into it in the 90s.
I still have my deck (skateboard) from the 80’s. It is excellent. I stand on it and my two rat terriers pull me around the neighborhood. It’s funny as all get-out, because I am old, haha!
Interesting comments.
I had a steel wheeled board in the 60’s - oooh! it hurt to ride it on anything other than fresh concrete...
In the mid-70’s I got a new one with neoprene wheels - had a lot of fun on it until it was stolen while on vacation in Palm Springs.
Then I picked up a new one in the early 80’s - it has high quality German bearings and great wheels. I still have it.
I bring it to conferences (as a organizer) and occasionally place multiple boxes on it to move them from place to place...works like a hand truck, sans handles. And I can get from point A to point B very quickly when I need to.
I saw a kid on a long board last week - five feet or more long and at least a foot wide. He was using his board like a paddle board - he had a pole to push himself along...looked odd.
How nice it would have been to have had the skateboard technology of today back in the early 70’s instead of that Bakelite, shopping cart type wheel material that stopped dead on every small pebble there was.
Head over heels was a hell of lot of fun but grew old at times.
An answer to your question: Nothing gets the adrenaline going faster than challenging speed and balance at the same time.
The 80s/early 90s style skateboards were the best. I got turned off in the mid 90s when all of the sudden the only board you could get had the tiny wheels that made you feel like you were having a seizure if you tried to use them on the street and were much slower on the half pipe. I did buy a long board about a year ago and used it primarily as a dog sled and would let my dog pull me for a couple of miles every night. Dog passed away in June and I haven’t used it since. I guess I got too old.
Kung fu, well that was one of my good ones
Well what’s a few broken bones when we all know it’s good clean fun
Skateboards, I’ve almost made them respectable
You see I can’t always get through to you, so I go for your son
Joe Jackson - I’m the Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSEUlh-UGdo
Maybe they are being subsidized by the orthopedic surgery industry.
I can't believe I found pictures of one just like it...
A lot of fun was had on that thing. Accompanied with many bumps, scrapes and bruises.