Joanne Mattern - Skateboarding

2009 Rourke Publishing LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Photo credits: c Michael Woodruff;

Editor: Kelli L. Hicks

Cover and page design by Nicola Stratford, bdpublishing.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mattern, Joanne, 1963
Skateboarding / Joanne Mattern.
p. cm. -- (Action sports)
ISBN 978-1-60472-398-4 (Hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-60694-781-4 (Softcover)
ISBN 978-1-60472-771-5 (Interactive eBook)
1. Skateboarding--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
GV859.8.M385 2009
796.22--dc22

2008016355

Printed in the USA

CG/CG

Rourke Publishing
Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota
120809
120809LP

Post Office Box 3328, Vero Beach, FL 32964

People have enjoyed roller skating for many years. About 100 years ago, people took the wheels off roller skates. They put the wheels on wooden boards. Other children took the handles off their scooters and rode them without anything to hold on to. They had fun riding on their homemade skateboards.

Roller skating has been a popular sport for hundreds of years.

In the 1950s, surfing became very popular. Toy companies started to make surfboards on wheels. This new sport was called sidewalk surfing.

Early skateboards were dangerous. They had metal or clay wheels. These wheels stopped suddenly when they hit bumps or rocks. Riders fell off and got hurt. Some places passed laws making skateboarding . The sport started to disappear.

People still loved to skateboard. They made their own boards. They skated in backyards and parks. They even skated in empty swimming pools!

In 1970, companies started making wheels out of . Urethane is a special kind of plastic. These wheels didnt slide and stop the way metal wheels did. Other inventions made skateboards safer. People started skateboarding again.

During the 1970s, some towns built . Finally, skateboarders had a safe, fun place to skate. Skateboarding was here to stay.

Did You Know...?

During the 1980s, many people enjoyed watching skateboarding videos. Skateboarding clothes became popular too.

A skateboard has three parts. These parts are the , and the wheels. The deck is the flat part of the skateboard. It is made of seven layers of thin wood. The layers are pressed together to make the board hard and strong. Boards are usually decorated with colorful artwork and writing. The front of the board is the nose. The back of the board is the tail.

Trucks on a skateboard allow the wheels to turn.

Skateboard wheels are made of urethane. The truck holds the wheels to the board. Trucks can turn. This lets skaters move the board from side to side.

Did You Know...?

Skateboards come in different shapes and sizes. Each type is good for a different kind of skating.

The ollie is usually the first trick a skateboarder learns.

Did You Know...?

The ollie is named after Alan Gelfand. He invented this trick. His nickname was Ollie, so skaters started calling the trick the ollie too.

The most basic skateboarding move is the . To do an ollie, you kick down hard on the back of the board with your back foot. Then slide your front foot to the front of the board. This makes the board straighten out and jump in the air.

Another trick is the . First, do an ollie. While you are in the air, slide your front foot off the side of the board. The board will flip. Jump up and land on the board as it hits the ground.

This rider is doing a kickflip in midair.

Skateboarders love to grind down railings and other objects!

The is another popular trick. A grind is when you slide your boards trucks sideways down a curb or a railing.

Some skateboarders like to . They fly high in the air above the ramp. Sometimes the skateboarders do tricks in the air. Then they land on the ramp and skate away.

Vert skating tricks are difficult, but very exciting!

MEET THE ATHLETE

Danny Way is a famous vert . Once he jumped out of a helicopter and landed on a ramp eight feet below!

There are many places people can skateboard. Most skateboarders start out in their driveway, in the street, or in a parking lot or park. People call this street skating. Street skating is exciting. Skaters use curbs, stairs, benches, and railings to do their tricks.

Street skaters perform tricks on curbs, benches, and other common objects.

Many towns have built skate parks. These parks can include different ramps. Halfpipe ramps look like half of a circle. Quarterpipe ramps are a quarter of a circle. These ramps are great for vert skating. Most skate parks charge a fee to enter. Then skateboarders can skate for several hours or the whole day.

A quarterpipe ramp is a good place to practice simple vert skating tricks.