Skateboarding is the act of rolling on or interacting with a skateboard. Someone who skateboards is called a skateboarder or skater. Skateboarding can be an art, hobby, sport or a method of transportation. It is often marketed as an extreme sport, although this is criticized by some skaters [1].Because of its creative aspects, it can also be seen as an art form. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by hundreds of skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report by American Sports Data found that there were 12.5 million skateboarders in the world. Eighty percent of skateboarders polled who had used a board in the last year were under the age of 18, and 74 percent were male .
A child learning to skateboard
The first skateboard originated sometime in the 1950s and coincided with the popularization of surfing in California. The earliest skateboards were homemade and were constructed of flat wooden planks attached to roller-skate trucks and wheels. Skateboarding was originally called "sidewalk surfing" and early skaters emulated surfing style and moves. Skateboards may or may not have evolved from "crate scooters." Crate scooters preceded skateboards, and were essentially similar except for having a wooden crate attached to the front, which formed rudimentary handlebars. In the film Back to the Future, Marty McFly is seen confiscating such a scooter from an unsuspecting 50s youth, and ripping the crate off to fashion an improvised skateboard.
In the mid 1960s skateboarding became something of a craze. A number of surfing manufacturers such as Hobie and Makaha started building skateboards that resembled small surfboards and assembling teams to promote their products. The popularity of skateboarding at this time spawned a national magazine, skateboarder magazine and the 1965 international championships were broadcast on national television. The growth of skateboarding at this time can also be seen in Makaha's sales figures which quoted $4 million worth of boards between 1963 and 1965. Yet by 1966 sales had dropped significantly and skateboarder magazine had stopped publication. Skateboarding's popularity dropped and remained low until the early 1970s.
