Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground
History of Skateboarding
Skate or Die! From an edgy, rebellious street phenomenon, to an Olympic sport, this is a brief summary of the short, spectacular, and often turbulent history of Skateboarding.
1950′s
Skateboarding evolved on the urban Californian streets in the 1950′s, at a time where the hazy heights of the Surfing craze was reaching it’s peak. Young surfers looking for the next adrenalin fix, started to try to recreate the buzz of ‘riding a wave’ on the streets, by fixing Rollerskates to pieces of wood. These contractions may have been crude, but these pioneers of Sidewalk Surfing (as it became known), modified and crafted their skateboards. Then in 1959, the first mass manufactured Skateboard went into production, and the Roller Derby Skateboard hit the streets. Skateboarding as we know it, was born.
1960′s
The rise in popularity of this new craze was phenomenal, and companies such as Larry Stevenson’s Makaha, Hobie, and Jack’s started to manufacture their own brand of Skateboards in mass production. Skateboarding was so popular, it is reported that over fifty million skateboards were sold within a three year period at the beginning of the ‘60′s. In 1963, the first organised Skateboard contest was held at Hermosa Beach, in California. Early pioneers of this sport became stars overnight, including Torger Johnson, Danny Berer, Bill and Mark Richards, and Woody Woodward.
But, what goes up, must come down, and in 1965, the Skateboarding bubble was well and truly burst, and the sport hit its first slump in popularity. The main problem with Skateboards at the time was the heavily flawed clay wheels. These wheels were notoriously unpredictable, lacked durability, created too much friction, and lacked grip. Accidents were rife, and the pc brigade in the US deemed Skateboarding as dangerous and urged parents not to buy Skateboards for their kids.
These dark days were to last until the 70′s.
1970′s
Polyurethane wheels were created for Skateboards in 1972, resurrecting the sport from the depths of the late 60′s. Popularity started to grow, and in 1975, the Ocean Festival held in California (Del Mar), proved to be pivotal in the evolution to the sport as we know it now, as spectators and contestants alike, were completely blown away by the tricks and styles of the Zephyr team. They rode their boards like no-one had ever seen before, and many of the team’s members became instant idols to young wanna-be skateboarders.
The new wave of riders had their own urban street style, with a strong sense of anti-establishment feeling that has shaped and fashioned the Skateboarding culture to this day.
A drought in California in the mid 70′s, saw many urban swimming pools drained and left empty. Boarders took this opportunity to ride the dry pools (often when the owners were at work), and a new style was formed. Riders would ride down the banks of the pool and up the other side, ‘popping’ off at the top.
In 1978, a truly ground-breaking move was styled by Alan Gelfand, and this manoeuvre became known as the ‘Ollie’. This basic jump has revolutionised the world of Skateboarding, with many tricks that we see today based on the original ‘Ollie’.
The final days of the 1970′s, saw the second great crash in Skateboarding popularity. The PC brigade were back with a vengeance and sharpened pencils. This time it was the insurance companies that deemed the activity too dangerous, forcing many of the built public skate parks to close.
1980s
The popularity of Skateboarding continued on a downwards spiral into the early 1980′s, but in hindsight, this was a blessing in disguise. Small independent companies were formed by Skateboarders, who were not under the usual constraints of coporate business and could push the boundaries on the design and construction of the boards; They let their creative side go wild, and new shapes and widths were experimented with.
The park closures forced the skateboarding movement underground, and the streets were the new playground. Skaters created their own plywood ramps, and would use rails and benches to create their own street park terrain.
In 1984, Stacey Peralta and George Powell, utilised the newly found popularity of the VCR, to form a gang of Skaters that they named as the Bones Brigade, and made a series of videos called The Bones Brigade Video Show. These videos were a huge hit and helped put Skateboarding back on the map again. Member of the Bones Brigade became stars in their own right, and the team included Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, and Rodney Mullen.
The baggy jeans, neutral colours, punk style music, and anti-establishment attitudes of the skaters, started to influence the pop culture and fashion of the time.
Yet again, at the end of the 80′s, Skateboarding took another dip in popularity. Skaters took to the streets once again, and Vert skating became less popular.
1990′s
Skateboarding hit the limelight again when ESPN held the first Extreme Games (X Games)in 1995. The event was a huge success, and with the help of the 1997 Winter X Games, Vert skating was put firmly back on the map. Stars such as Tony Hawk thrived with the new publicity and Skateboarding edged closer to being mainstream. The 1990′s pop culture continued to be influenced by the edgy fashion and styles of the Skateboarding world.
Now
Skateboarding has become a huge corporate vehicle, with millions of pounds/dollars spent on advertising and marketing. Video/console games are immensely popular, and have made skaters such as Tony Hawk into household names.
Skateboarding will now complete it’s final shift into the mainstream when it is introduced as a Olympic sport. It is unsurprising that many street skaters see this as ‘selling out’, hating the shift from underground to mainstream in such a short period of time. Many see this exposure as beneficial and necessary to its survival, believing that the skating will never leave it’s grassroots and will always belong to the street.
It has been a rocky road from the early days of Sidewalk Surfing, but Skateboarding is now fully entrenched into our culture, influencing fashion and music alike.
For more skateboarding articles, reviews, videos, photos, and event news visit:
extremestunts.co.uk
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Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground $12.38 Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground X360… |
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Xbox 360 Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle $21.95 Experience the true thrill of skateboarding as never before through the revolutionary new skateboard controller in Tony Hawk: Ride. Bundled with the Ride game, the unique motion-sensitive board controller redefines the action-sports genre by translating your body motions into the game. No buttons, no thumbs, no analog sticks—just you on the board. For the first time in video game history, an… |
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Tony Hawk Proving Ground $14.99 Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground PS3… |
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TONY HAWK PROVING GROUND tony hawk proving ground… |
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How Did I Get Here: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO $2.13 The most famous skateboarder ever shares the business secrets to his success! He’s the man who put skateboarding on the map. He’s the first to land a 900 (two and a half full rotations). He’s also among the richest pitchmen in any sport. And, in a sport that’s especially youth-oriented, Tony Hawk, a 40-something father of four, still connects with his audience by staying true to who he is. Movin… |
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Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames)) $0.38 Every skater has a different story.Create yours. Clear all the episodes, from Hardcore to Rigger to Career, and reach the top of the skating world on 4 consoles: Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Wii. Learn how to complete all the challenges: Race, Line, Photo, and Film! Level Maps and Gap Lists show you the best lines through all the areas of Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Philad… |
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Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground (abbreviated as THPG and loosely referred to as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 9) is a video game developed by Neversoft for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles; by Page 44 Studios for the PlayStation 2 and Wii; and by Vicarious Visions for the Nintendo DS. Proving Ground is the ninth installment in the Tony Hawk’s serie… |