Skateboarding 101-
Skateboard or skateboarding was invented "according to Wikipedia" in 1944 by the Parents/Grandparents of French children who had skates attached to a wooden board. More contemporary pieces of equipment were sold at a "1950's Surf Shop in LA, California" for "Sidewalk- Surfing" when the waves at the beach were too small to surf. A skateboard in rudimentary form has several prefabricated components built together to accomplish the task at hand. A flat board mounted on 4 skate wheels, allowing such a rider to gracefully float or ride along stretches of concrete, sidewalk, or blacktop. My first board was made of a child metal skates dismantled into two parts which were then nailed into a 2' chunk of 2x4. Raw, noisy, bumpy, dangerous...just the way I like my entertainment. Anyway, the Industry of skateboarding is a multi-billion dollar entity spanning the globe with 11+ million kids eager to dare and parents wary to spend hundreds of dollars for equipment. The prime demographic of child avidly skateboarding is the 9 and under crowd. After several years of boarding these young kids mature into the 10-14 demographic who are the ones wanting all the equipment, gear, and apparel.
Today's modern example of the Skateboard is a technical piece of equipment, precision tooled and constructed for maximum efficiency and safety. Urethane wheels, sealed roller ball bearings, composite decks, trucks of various metals, and a gripping coated surface all come together to meet the specific functional needs of the rider and venue. So what are these components that make a skateboard?
Deck = Flat plane of various materials 18" to up to 8 feet long. Fiberglass, wood, plastic resin, composite mixtures, even metal can be used as a "board" or skateboard deck. However, the deck should always have flexibility. Stiff decks carry more vibration to the feet and are more difficult to control. Some decks are flared up at one or both ends for a kick-tail. Various shapes of the decks have been adapted over the years for specific riding style and function. Long boards have always been for distance and speed.
Wheels = Polyurethane wheels of various colors for appearance, diameter and width for stability, and hardness for either smooth or course ride. Wheels have ratings to pay attention to such as Durometer rating.
Trucks = Alloy metal structures that have spindles holding 2 wheels perfectly parallel mounted to underside of the deck. Trucks have different height and width specifications depending on size of deck and wheels to be used with them.
Sealed Bearings = circular encased steel ball bearings resembling donuts that mount inside the collar of the urethane wheels, sliding onto the spindle of the trucks, held in place by locking nuts. Bearings also have a scaled measurement to pay attention to known as ABEC rating. ABEC is a measurement of ball bearing efficiency. The numerical scale of 1 - 9 indicates machined tolerances and precision construction. The larger the ABEC rating the smaller the tolerances and the greater the efficiency.
Grip = coating of composite material resembling sand glued to tape attached to top of desk to facilitate the grip of shoes/sneakers/feet on the deck surface.
There you go. A modern skateboard in basic form.
2 trucks
4 wheels
8 sealed bearings (2 per wheel or spindle)
Various hardware pieces to construct a skateboard
So how much is little Johnny's "Street-Rippa" going to cost you? That depends on who is going to ride and what venue is going to be ridden. A basic example for a new young rider can be gotten "up at the Walmart" for about $30.00. A more customized piece of machinery will cost anywhere from $80 to several hundred dollars. My Santa Cruz Tiger Shark complete board was purchased from a local skate shop at a cost of $125.00.
Congratulations you have graduated to Skateboarding102.
Skateboarding 102 -
a. Safety
OK so your getting your little one a board. The kid is excited and you are terrified. The last thing a Grandpa needs is an Emergency Room Trauma Visit while on Grandpa's watch. So, here is what you can do to mitigate risk, manage potential injury, and coach to success. Where success = get on the board - ride the board - get off the board - no one gets hurt.
Safety Gear Checklist - These items can be had "up at the Walmart", sporting goods store, or Skateboard shop if you dare to go there. Frankly, that is your best bet for all this equipment. You can get dedicated safety equipment, sold by experienced sales staff, in a setting dedicated to skateboarding with an added benefit. Parents of other children will be there buying such equipment and getting excited over it especially if you go there on a Saturday. Call the local store near you and ask when is the busiest time. Then go at that typical time and plan on spending a good long while in the store. Let your little one browse, learn, and get influenced by some experienced peers willing to mentor your intrepid new rider. Here is your checklist of what your daredevil needs...
Helmet
Knee pads
Elbow Pads
Gloves
Deck Shoes or sneakers
Visors, safety glasses, sunglasses
Large First aid kit
Ibuprofin, acetaminophen, first-aid spray
Did I mention gloves?
b.Coaching
Alrighty then. How can you coach a child on how to ride a skateboard when you tried to ride one once and once was all it took to land you flat on your back in pain for weeks unable to sit without pain for months! I will tell you. Skateboarding is all about linear balance, weight distribution,center of balance, foot placement, friction, and velocity. You can become an expert on everything except the velocity part and demonstrate it yourself. Before allowing the little one to roll on concrete get onto these instructions.
Get your or his/her safety gear on.
Gain balance on the deck by standing on the board while the board is stationary on grass outside or carpet inside the residence.
Practice walking on the board back and forth without turning around then progress to turning around on the board. After several minutes of gained composure you can try dancing on the board.
Get wild! Jump up with both feet in air several inches above the deck and land firmly. Crouch down and touch the floor below the deck and stand back up. Use bent knees to balance, move arms in tai-chi fashion to move about the board like it was a 3'x5' platform. Spin slowly on the deck surface.
Repeat above until you and/or child can firmly balance on the deck for several minutes without violent arm swaying or loss of balance
Finally, on a stationary board master the balancing act of one foot on the deck and one raised up above the deck and then off to the side of the deck. This is the most unstable maneuver to perform but necessary to gain the velocity part of skateboarding nirvana. When you or your little one have mastered these activities then and only then may you attempt a roll. If at this point with a stationary board under you or your child, there is err lack of confidence or balance. I can recommend another exercise. You will need some smooth carpet at least 6'x8' and some rope. Place the carpet on a flat surface indoors or out and hang the rope from above. Support structure and rope must be able to support your weight or the child's weight. Hold onto rope while stepping up onto the board. Pull yourself up crunch style dangling feet above the deck and plant feet back down on the board. Now hold the rope, stand on the board with knees in slightly bent stance, and force the wheels to roll over the carpet surface back and forth in linear motion. This will accomplish several important things. Control balance, gain confidence, strengthen leg muscles, and experience controlled linear movement on the rolling board. Practice makes perfect.
So you are an expert or you have coached your little one to a point where it is time. Time to roll. You have two options here for a first roll. You can either repeat the rope trick on flat concrete without the carpet or dance with your partner. Either you will be danced by another individual who can support your weight or you will dance the child on the board. Hold onto the rope - step onto the board with one then other foot. With both feet on the board, knees slightly bent and springy, feet at least 12-16 inches apart slowly pull the rope to maneuver linear roll of the board. Do Not Let go of the rope! If the board rolls out form underneath your center of balance support your weight and pull up off the board and let it roll away. Keep trying to master this technique. Otherwise, have a partner dance with you. Partner must wear shoes or sneakers. Hold hands with partner keeping hands at shoulder height while facing each other with board between you and partners feet. Partner should place his/her foot in front of rear truck of the board to act as a wheel chock. Place one foot on deck. Place second foot on deck. Stay in standing position on deck until balance and confidence is gained. Then partner can move foot from chocking rear truck and pull you slowly and gently forward in a slow roll. Stop rolling and have partner roll you backwards without changing position on the deck.
Do this exercise until balance, strength, and confidence are gained. Now - by golly I think you are ready. Ready for the next step. Yes, you can stand on the board while holding and supporting your weight with a rope or partner and even roll a few feet. Yes you or the little one are really dangerous now. But, there is still lack of velocity. Back to the carpet before you break your neck.
Place board at edge of carpet.
Place the foot of your strong leg at front of deck just over the center of the truck or slightly aft.
Push off with foot on carpet and stand knees bent on deck. Roll until friction of the carpet stops you.
Remove foot of your weak leg, then your dominant foot. There you go. You rolled under your own power, several feet, and no one got hurt. Master this and its go time.
All of the above will help you or your little daredevil to gain balance and strength on the board moving or not. There is basic sturdiness that one must master while on the deck of a moving skateboard. If you feel confident enough to go-go-go at this point then have at it. Make sure you have others with you that can assist with your first aid or call 911 in the event of catastrophic failure and most certainly be with and around - near your little one the first time they solo roll.
Some things to keep in mind. Friction is your friend and your worst enemy in the split second of time while rolling on a skateboard. Too little friction creates a wildly smooth surface which makes it harder to control velocity and acceleration. Ultra smooth surfaces like tennis courts/basketball courts, hard wood flooring, and school hallways are challenging. Surfaces with random cracks, pebbles, and uneven planes are hazardous and can be deadly. When a rolling skateboard wheel of about 2-3 inches in diameter meets a 0.5-1.0 cm pebble...wheel will stop abruptly and human will continue travel in centripetal velocity off the deck resulting in bodily injury and possibly death.
Wear all the safety gear
Pick a flat smooth wide open surface devoid of cars, animals, and other humans
Start with your dominant foot on the front of the deck aft of the front truck
Push with your minor leg and place minor foot on back of deck at least 12-116 inches aft of dominant foot
Keep knees bent and springy, arms raised and out perpendicular to motion of travel.
Roll until a stop or push off again with minor foot repeating over and over.
Now there is velocity. Controlled movement. Exhilaration, Excitement. Whoo-hoo! Keep going. Practice, practice, practice.
c. Falling
What about the fall? What do I do if I start to fall. Well hopefully, the fall will be forward and not a backward uncontrolled chaos. If the board rolls out from underneath you and you lose balance and fall backwards - Well you are doomed. Place your hands behind you and try to sit on your hands. Avoid hitting the head. Even with a helmet a severe blow to the head/helmet on hard surface can cause concussion, lacerations, and trauma to upper vertebrae. If the board stops and body continues with forward velocity, place hands in front of you to soften a crash to surface. Take brunt of trauma to knee pads, gloved hands, and elbow pads if needed. Crashing on a skateboard is an art form in itself. I know from personal experience. I have crashed hard enough and severe enough to cause enough gushing blood to paint a 3x5 Rembrandt recreation. Now that movement is mastered you have graduated to Skateboarding Advanced Placement/Honors class.
Skateboard Culture
Skateboarding is mainstream entertainment now. It is everywhere. Just driving the 8 miles to work back and forth 5 days a week I see at least one skateboarder riding somewhere. After the "Hover-Board" craze burns out [pun intended], kids will be back to the old standby adrenaline rush tool - The Skateboard! Why do kids love it so much? How come adults can morph skateboarding into a sport, avid pass-time, ultimate adrenaline rush, money-making side job, or lucrative brick and mortar business. Skate culture has been stigmatized over the years with iconic visions of young adult riders wearing baggy trousers, pony tails, un-kept dirty looking, needing a shower type of kids riding , performing tricks, and ruining local infrastructure such as curbs, railings, benches like such as...Skateboards can be terribly destructive. Railings, walls, tennis courts, and bench seats can all be used to catapult some kind of trick on the board while suffering scrappage, paint removal, and worse.
Skateboarding is big business. High tech equipment matched with apparel of the riders taste with a healthy mix of safety gear all make up the culture of the skateboarder of today. Sure there are those "daredevils" out there - I mean really out there who attempt horrific stunts only to epically fail with road rash like bloody chop-meat skin, broken bones protruding from appendages, and spitting their teeth out like Chiclets. These are the counter-culture nuts that give boarding a bad image. Sure, if you cruse 20 MPH down a hill and purposely crash into a tree you will probably will rack up some YouTube hits. Not nearly enough to pay the the Emergency Room visit post ambulance ride.
In comes the age of the skate park. Studies have shown that when municipalities build skateboard parks the resident kids commit less crime, and ultimately get into less trouble with the law. Kids can spend all day at the skate park riding down walls of bowls, traversing galleys, and performing spectacular tricks defying gravity and logic. Skateboarding takes great agility, balance, and strength to be able to ride day in day out day after day. Riding flat surfaces is no picnic either. It is hard work. Riding up and down walls of concrete bowls is great fun, difficult to master, and strenuous. Kids love skateboarding. They can ride the board as transportation to the park, perform stunts all day long, and ride back home. As a kid I rode my board all over town. I had an Airedale Terrier dog who was greased lightning fast and had so much energy he would run run run. I attached a harness to him and let him pull me while riding the board across town. I did not need nor want a motorized board - I had Canine power. I was a kid lucky enough to have an uncle who worked for Grumman Corporation - The people who made the Lunar Module for the NASA Apollo Space Program. Uncle made me two skateboard decks out of diamond plate steel. These two skateboards were perfect for destroying bicycle spokes. I had jousting events with local bike riders and I never got hurt but the bikes all had to be carried home.
Skateboarding is/can be a big business but has to be the right venue to make money. There are estimated to be 25+million skateboarders in USA alone. Brick and mortar stores nearby the local skate park in town can do well. The big warehouse type facilities with massive square footage require pricing to be so high because of liability issues that kids and parents just can't afford to make it an avid past-time for the kids. Many cities and towns are constructing quality skate parks and the kids are having a real great time. There are estimated to be about 500 skateboard parks across the country. Mostly is the western states. I myself have visited a couple by my home and I was impressed at the construction and execution of the parks. The best part is the $200,000-400,000 construction cost is picked up by local tax collection to construct the park then the kids ride for free. It is a win-win. The kids stay out of trouble, get exercise, and build muscle, stamina, agility, and confidence.
Skate culture clothing, apparel, and gear are a big money maker. Brands such as Nike, Vans, and Nixon have become iconic in the culture. Skateboard design and construction has undergone transformation over the years where now incredible technology is constructed into the boards and cost of the technology is affordable. A $20-30 board acquired at Walmart is significantly better and safer than anything that could be had in 1960. A complete board like pictured above is incredibly agile, stable, and fun to ride. I still have a board that I acquired when I was a young teen. I purchased the components to make the complete board. The APEX mag wheels [see below]cost me $15.00 each back in late 1970"s. I still ride them today. I found recently a set of 4 sold for $189.00 at auction. Hey I invested well when I was 16.
Scott R. Mayorga A.A.S., BS MT (ASCP)H CLS
hematech@yahoo.com
labhematech@gmail.com
@hematech - See more at: http://hematechstraighttalk.blogspot.com/#sthash.rHOIj46b.dpuf
So my intrepid street surfers do not be afraid. You have the knowledge. You have the technology. Now go out there and scrape your guts together to gather up some glory. Keep rolling and stay balanced.hematech@yahoo.com
labhematech@gmail.com
@hematech - See more at: http://hematechstraighttalk.blogspot.com/#sthash.rHOIj46b.dpuf
Scott R. Mayorga A.A.S., BS MT (ASCP)H CLS
hematech@yahoo.com
labhematech@gmail.com
@hematech
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