Skateboard History

1980's


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In the decade of 1980 there were some new inventions, but it was mostly marked by the new style of skateboarding. Plywood ramps were something that also created a different style of riding. The biggest innovation was street style skating, this led to a different kind of skaters. A kind of rebel skaters, ones that believed in a do-it-yourself attitude, they were forced to take almost an underground like, rebel attitude. The skaters began to create their own small parks, in backyards and empty lots using the new plywood ramps. By doing so they created new unriden grounds for skating. They used walls, rails and turned these areas into open air, free-skate parks.

The few things that changed the actual skateboard were simply adaptations to the previous existing parts. The new companies that produced the modified trucks and decks were skater owned companies, therefore the changes help the skating to progress, the adaptations were made so that the variety of tricks could be widened.

The 80’s had their own generation of stars, some which indeed still sometimes participate in tournaments today. Such as Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero. However to the end of the 80’s skating became more about street skating and Vert skating was slowly left behind and lost popularity. Street had its own stars to, such as Mark Gonzales, Natas Kaupas, and Mike Valley. However these stars were only the first generation of street stars, for street skating also promoted many other stars later through time. The stars of skating have heavy influences on the sport, and most have created their own companies.

Skateboarding has created an cycle of its own, it has been fueled by a variety of items. What fuels the skateboarding cycle are the new companies, new difficult terrains to promote a challenge to riding, and a new hardcore attitude of the riders. But its biggest source of fuel is the constant new generation of kids, that love the exiting thrills of adrenaline which ruches through one when skating.  

And the Ollie was now promoted to be the soul foundation of 80% of the street tricks, and about 60% of the Vert maneuvers.

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