Facts About Skateboarding

Skateboarding, literally, involves using a skateboard to ride for sport, recreation, or transportation. Today, skateboarding has become one of the top-ranked sports worldwide – but it was not always that way. Skateboarding is a sport that is a little similar to skii which we have written some facts about in the past. In this article, we would compiling and discussing some of the most fascinating fun facts about skateboarding that most people and even some skateboarders do not know about the awesome sport.

These facts about skateboarding and facts about skateboards(the device used for the sport), would go deep into listing unique things that made the sport of skateboarding an absolutely unique kind of sports that you would want to try out if you haven’t done it before.

Without any further waste of time let’s dive into the amazing list of fun facts about skateboarding.

Fun Facts About Skateboarding

Skateboards are made with seven layers of maple plywood.
The first skateboards appeared in the 1940s, as wooden boards or boxes that had roller skate wheel mounted on the bottom
The early wheels on skateboards were made of clay or metal. Polyurethane wheels were not invented until the early 1970s.
Skateboarding is considered to be one of the world’s top 10 sports today.
Skateboarding was original referred to as ‘sidewalk skating’.
The first skateboards, created in California, had handles to make them easier to handle.
Prior to the invention of skateboarding ramps, skateboarders would practice in empty swimming pools and in drainage ditches.
Despite its popularity there are less than 500 skateboard parks in the United States. To raise money for these parks, professional skateboarders took part in golfing tournaments.
The first professional female skateboarder was Patti McGee. Women have been involved in the sport since it was first created.
Alan Ollie Gelfand invented the most famous skateboard trick, called the “ollie’, in the year 1978.
Skateboarders use many important safety devices that skateboarders use. And, because the wrist is one of the body parts most susceptible to injury, wrist guards are especially vital for protection.
Despite the existence of myriad safety devices, it is estimated that over 800,000 skateboarders end up visiting a doctor in the United States annually, with all kinds of skateboarding injuries.
California was the birthplace of the skateboarding culture. It came into existence as a creative response to the weakness of their waves for water surfing. In effect, Californians created a surfboard – with wheels.
The very first skateboards were like scooters and dated way back to the early 1900’s. They were generally wood-bases with milk crates nailed onto them. These skateboards also sported handles.
1959 was when the first commercially manufactured skateboard called the Roller Derby Skateboard was put up for sale. Its wheels were made of clay.
In Norway, skateboarding was completely prohibited between 1978-1989, including the ownership, use and sale of skateboards. There was a rather alarming increase in the number of people getting injured while riding a skateboard, which prompted the government to implement the ban.

By the way, skateboarding is not to be mistaken for snowboarding, checkout snowboarding facts.

In response to the ban, rebel Norwegian skateboarding fans constructed ramps in secluded areas like forests and wildernesses to escape the ban and practiced their sport.
In the early 1970’s Frank Nasworthy added polyurethane wheel technology to skateboards.
Road Rider launched the very first precision-bearing skateboard wheels. This put an end to years of loose ball bearings.
In 1976, Florida built the first ever outdoor skate-park. Shortly after, the whole of North America followed, and had skate-parks. It wasn’t long before skateboarding evolved from being a horizontal to a vertical sport.
Jim Muir and Wes Humpston were the ones to market the first successful line of skateboards with graphics on them. These were marketed under the Dogtown brand name. Following this business breakthrough, almost every other board manufacturer started manufacturing boards with graphics.
The United States Marine Corps experimented with the use of off-the-shelf skateboards in the late 1990’s. They used these in urban-combat military maneuver exercises to detect sniper fire and tripwires.
Beyond the sport, skateboarding has become a very common method for students at tertiary institutions to travel around campus.
One of the world’s most famous skateboarders is Tony Hawk, owner of Birdhouse – a skateboarding company.
Today, well over 18 million people in the United States own a skateboard. Roughly 74% of this population are male, and 85% fall below the age of 18.
In 1997, the United States military began to use skateboards in training for indoor maneuvers.
Skateboarding has many benefits for participants, including increasing concentration, improving hand-eye coordination.
Skateboarding also improves the skateboarder’s metabolism, improves their balance, provides creative freedom, and increases their fitness level.
Skateboarding was included in the Olympic Games for the first time in the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Skateboarding has been the subject of many films including Thrashin’, Lords of Dogtown, and Gleaming the Cube.
The bottom of the skateboard deck is the most popular place for skateboarders to personalize. As they do not wear jerseys or uniforms, they use the bottom of the deck to express their personality with graffiti, logos, or quotes.
Some skateboarders choose to ride their boards barefoot, which was common in the beginnings of the sport.

The above list of facts about skateboarding are the things that makes the sport an incredible one for both old and young to try out. While the the list of skateboarding facts did cover a lot of aspect of the sport, there are some questions being asked by skateboarders and skateboarding enthusiasts that want to learn something new about the sport. These questions would be answered below in the following sections about frequently asked questions on skateboarding.

Skateboarding FAQs

When was skateboarding invented?

Skateboarding was invented in the early 1950. The earliest skateboards were first seen in the year 1940.

Who invented the skateboard?

Skateboard was invented by Bill Richards in the year 1958. These early skateboards were called the Roller Derby Skateboard.

Why is skateboarding so important?

Skateboarding is so important because it serves as a form of transportation for young people and also as form sporting activity that helps with exercising.

How many skateboarders are in the world?

There are as many as 85 million skateboarders in the world, with about 7% of them in the US along.

Is skateboarding faster than running?

Yes, skateboarding is faster than running, skateboarding is actually two times faster than running on foot.

Where is skateboarding most popular?

Skateboarding is most popular in New York and its birthplace California.

Are skateboards healthy?

Yes, skateboarding is healthy, scientific research have shown that skateboarding helps in improving mental health of skateboarders.

Is skateboarding good for your brain?

Yes, skateboarding is incredibly good for the brain and the entire body. It stimulates your brain and the decision making part of the brain. Asides that, skateboarding also improves mental of skateboarders.

Is skateboarding the hardest sport?

Skateboarding is one of the hardest sports, this is due to its deep learning curve needed to learn and master the sport.

Is skateboarding good for mental health?

Yes, skateboarding is incredibly good for mental health. This was revealed by scientists who studied the mental health of skateboardings in comparison to those who don’t skate. It was discovered that Skateboarders have a much better state of mental health.

when was the skateboard invented?

Skateboarding was invented in the early 1950. The earliest skateboards were first seen in the year 1940.

Is skateboarding good for stress?

Yes, skateboarding is good for stress management which is due to the ability of the sport to help skaters improve in their mental health which is an incredibly important aspect of stress management.

How many deaths are caused by skateboarding?

40 deaths are caused by Skateboards every year. This is according to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, With such low number of yearly deaths, Skateboarding is an incredibly safe sport for everyone.

Is skateboarding a sport yes or no?

Yes, skateboarding is a sport.

What state has the most skaters?

California has the most skaters in the United States of America.

Do share these facts about skateboards with your family and friends who are skaters themselves and those who want to learn some facts about skateboarding that would inspire them to skate as well.