My Skateboard Tricks

posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 20

BoardsRescue.org: Giving Back Through Skateboarding
For some people, skateboarding is simply a cool and fun sport that they enjoy participating in. However, for others, it is a way for a better tomorrow. The non-profit group, Boards Rescue is a group of individuals, along with various sponsors that work together to help underprivileged kids through skateboarding.
Boards Rescue gives away free skateboards and safety equipment to children that come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Boys and girls who are at risk are eligible for the Boards Rescue program.
The non-profit organization was founded in northern California by Gary Holl, Judi Oyama and Andrew Huberman. Most of these individuals where life-long skateboarders and were acutely aware of the power and allure that skateboarding has and its? ability to influence the life of a young boy or girl. Consequently, the organization has set out to introduce it to younger kids in hopes that it would have a positive and profound influence on their lives as well.
Boards Rescue works with major manufacturers to provide free skateboards. Not only do they give away skateboards but they also pass out free safety equipment and teach kids how to be safe on their board. While the group works with corporate sponsors they also take donations from individuals. The groups is in constant need of money and skateboarding equipment such as decks, wheels, trucks, grip tape, helmets and elbow pads. You can make donation by visiting: BoardsResuce.org
Boards Rescue has a really great program going and they are reaching the people that they can. However, they can?t reach everyone. Other people have to do their part. This includes me and you. Take some time and brainstorm some ways that you can take your love of skateboarding and use it to help young kids who may be in a difficult place in their life or who may simply need someone to hang out with. Perhaps give one-on-one or group lessons. Teach them how to perform some simple tricks.
Having a fundraiser to raise monies for skateboards and safety equipment could be an endeavor that you take on as well so that you can buy skateboards for kids in your area who otherwise might not be able to afford but who might greatly benefit from it.
Consider creating a skateboarding club, where everyone meets once a week to talk about skateboarding and to of course ride. This gives kids in your area something positive to get involved in and something to look forward to.
If your city does not have public skate boarding parks, consider going before the city council and requesting that they build one. Be sure to be prepared to discuss the benefits of skateboarding and be ready to start a petition if necessary. Skateboarding is a really cool sport and can be of great benefit to many young persons. Because it can be so beneficial, it is great vehicle to use to help the underprivileged child or the one that doesn?t have a lot of options socially or recreationally. Remember, there are many things that you can do to help. Consider starting a skateboarding club, tutoring kids one-on-one or in groups and raising money to purchase skateboards and skating equipment for kids who may not be able to otherwise afford it. Giving back will not only help others, but will also help you feel better about yourself and the contribution that you are making to society.

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posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 17

Choosing a Skateboard
For a skateboarder, choosing the right board is a really important decision. A lot of things must be considered. Price, design, the reputation of the board and your experience all will be factors. A name brand, expensive skateboard may be just fine if you are a skateboarder that knows what you are doing. You may want a more advanced board if you are into doing tricks. However, if you are a new skateboarder, you may not want to ?cut your teeth? on a really costly board.
The design of the skateboard that you choose will be heavily influenced by your personal style. Find a board that you like. That?s simple enough. The name brand or reputation of the skateboard that you choose will be dependent on if you follow a particular skateboarder of if you believe in the superiority of one brand over another. Lastly, you should consider your skateboarding experience. If you are an experienced guy or gal then the type and brand of skateboard that you choose will likely be different then a person who is just starting out and doesn?t know much. Your skating experience will definitely play a part in the skateboard that you purchase as well.
Price: Price will be a big factor in your choosing of a skateboard. Determine upfront how much money you have to spend on your skateboard, so that you won?t be tempted to pay more then you planned. Standing in front of all of those boards, with a sales man or sales woman prodding you to choose the higher priced board can make it difficult to stay within your budget.
Also, consider your interest in skateboarding. Are you planning on getting serious and spending a lot of time on your skateboard or would you just like to tool around every now and then. If you are sure that you want skateboarding to be a serious hobby of yours, it may make sense to spend a little bit more money.
Design: Every person has their own personal style and vibe. Pick a skateboard that you like and that is aesthetically pleasing to you. There are really good looking boards in all price ranges.
Reputation: If you are really into skateboarding then the reputation of the board may be very important. You may only want to purchase a skateboard that is designed and manufactured by a well known company or person. However, if you are buying skateboard for your very young son or daughter, you may not be too concerned about who makes the skateboard.
Experience: Consider your experience. Are you a newbie? If you are, you will probably not want to spend a lot of money on a skateboard while you are just starting off and learning. You may not want to waste a lot of money for a board that you are just learning to ride on. It is likely to take some pummeling.
However, if you have a lot of skateboarding experience, then you might want to consider a more expensive board because at this point you have a better grasp of what you are doing.

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posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 14

History of the Skateboard

The skateboard, popular as it is today, was once nothing more than an idea. Although there is no exact information on who invented it or when it was invented, the skateboard is believed to have come into being sometime during the 1950?s after surfers thought it would be great to ?surf? the streets.

So, the first skateboards were invented – most of which were nothing more than wooden boxes with roller skate wheels on the bottom. As you can imagine, a number of would-be skateboarders got hurt on these first generation skateboards. Fortunately, the wooden boxes were replaced by planks and eventually decks of pressed layers of wood being manufactured by companies to make skateboards.

Impressively, skateboards peaked in popularity in the early 1960?s and there were even competitions being held for skateboarders to show off their skills. Sadly, by 1965, skateboarding crashed in popularity which many believed was due to the fact that it was nothing more than a fad (like the hoola hoop). This caused many skateboard manufacturers to close and forced loyal skateboarders to make their own boards from scratch once again.

These skaters used what was available to them including clay wheel which were extremely hard to control and dangerous. Frank Nasworthy changed this when he introduced urethane skateboard wheels, which are very similar to wheels skateboards use today, in 1972. This sparked a new wave of interest skateboarding.

A few years later in 1975, an evolutionary turn was in store for skateboarding when a freestyle competition was held in California at the Ocean Festival. On that day, the Zephyr team opened the eyes of the world to what skateboarding could be as they rode their skateboards in such a way that no one had ever seen ? low and smooth. Skateboarding was shifted from being nothing more than a hobby to something more serious and undeniably exciting.

Later, in 1978, Alan Gelfand whose nickname was Ollie invented a move that caused another evolutionary jump where he slammed his foot down on the tail of his board thus popping the board (and himself) into the air. Countless of tricks are now based on this move he invented, now known as an ollie.

Unfortunately, by the end of the 1970?s, the popularity of skateboarding once again crashed. Through the 1980?s, though there were still skaters ? the greatest impact made was by the ?Bones Brigade? which was a talented skateboard team of whom videos and films were circulated thus influencing clothes, music and culture. Then, once more, skateboarding took another dive in popularity.

When skateboarding re-emerged once more in the 1990?s, it came with an edgier, more dangerous attitude. This re-emergence coincides was with the popularity of angry punk music.

Then in 1995, the first Extreme Games was held by ESPN in Rhode Island helped pull skateboarding to the mainstream and re-introduced it to the public. Though there are skaters who resent the fact that skating is being moved from ?underground? to mainstream, it is admitted that ESPN helped bring back vert skateboarding and is now a much loved spectator sport.

Since then, skateboarding has stayed in the mainstream and has not truly diminished in popularity as it has done again and again throughout history (Thank you ESPN) and continues to flourish with new and improved products being released regularly. However, no one can truly say where it may go from here as skateboarding has obviously had a long and erratic history. Only one thing is for sure, it is the skateboarders who will continue to ensure the popularity and continued evolution of the skateboard.

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posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 11

Longboarding
Longboarding is simply skateboarding with an extra long board that also tends to be a bit wider then a normal skateboard. They are great for downhill racing and also for simply getting around. They are not good for performing tricks because they tend to be heavy and bulky. Longboarding is more similar to surfing then to regular boarding.
Longboarding became popular in the 1950?s. Some people believe that it was introduced in California around the same time that surfing become extremely popular. Just as in traditional skateboarding, it is important to have and wear all of the necessary equipment to keep you safe. This includes a helmet, gloves and knee pads. Some individuals don?t like to use helmets. They do not think that they need it. However, this type of thinking can be very dangerous and can land you in the hospital with a brain or head injury.
The longboard tends to be around 35-60 inches. It is often made from wood, bamboo or composite materials. Longboards are great for big turns and stopping on them can be difficult. This is why you should spend plenty of time practicing and riding on your longboard so that you can avoid injury.
When choosing a longboard, you will need to make some important considerations. They include:
Your Skateboarding Plans: Do you want to learn to perform lots of tricks? Is so, a longboard would not be a very good option. That is because their size does not lend them to performing tricks very well. However, if you just want a board to get around on, then a long board is a good option.
Your Budget: Your budget will help you decide on what type of long board that you want. There are many different brands. Find one within your budget and that comes in a design and style that you like.
The Brand of The Board: Depending on how you plan to use the long board, the brand of your board may or may not be important. If you want to compete in downhill racing events then you may want a more expensive, name brand board. If is going to be one of your primary means of transportation, then you may want to get a name brand, high quality board. However, if you are just going to pull it out every now and then, then a cheaper, little-known brand will probably be sufficient.
Longboarding is similar to skateboarding. The primary difference is the length and width of the board. Longboards tend to be longer, thus the name. While skateboards are great for doing all kinds of tricks, longboards are not. Their size and bulkiness make it difficult to do tricks with. However, they are great for downhill racing or for getting around.
When choosing a longboard be sure to consider cost, your personal plans for using it and the brand of the board. Depending on what stage of the game you are in, you may or may not require an expensive, name brand board. On the other hand if longboarding is a serious hobby of yours that you spend lots of time on, then you will likely want a more expensive board.

SKATEBOARDING/Longboarding-Be-Free.txt

posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 8

SKATEBOARDING

You should probably have seen people surfing along the street or in the playground. Well, maybe not in real life, but at least on the TV. Skateboarding not only could be youngsters? transportation, it could be a recreational activity or even a job! Skateboarding was likely originated during 1950s or 1960s when skaters in California were trying to surf the streets. You wouldn?t be surprised that there is no proof to know whether who was the first person who created skateboard. However, skateboarding has become some countries? culture and furthermore favourite sport among the teenagers! Some skateboarding companies had created the ?Go Skateboarding Day? in 2004 to make it more acceptable and noticeable to the world view. It?s celebrated on 21st June every year.

Ironically, people still have some stereotypes towards skaters. They perceive that skaters are wasting their time and take their life for granted since skateboarding involves high probability of risk to get injured as compared to other kinds of sport activities. To the skateboarding lovers, there might be some reasons to explain why they could not let go what they are doing.

Skateboarding is simply a low cost activity! All you really need is just a skateboard and of course, yourself. No matter what shape you are in, you just need to be yourself. Being yourself will develop what kind of skater you are. If you are a furious guy, it will definitely come out in your skateboarding style. In other words, skateboarding will show who you are and what you are.

Undeniable, sports do make people get connected. So does skateboarding. You might not be able to recognize a person throughout a normal conversation. With skateboarding, which in something in common among the skaters, people are communicating with each other. The experienced skaters will encourage the fresh skaters and help them in anything they would like to learn. They share, learn, hang out and have fun! Is there something could be better than this for strangers to get along and accept each other?

You will be shocked if you get to the skatepark and witness yourself on what the skaters can do with a skateboard. Skaters do not skate just for fun. They love to create some things belong to themselves ? skills that were never invented by anyone else. Of course, you need to pay for what are you doing. You will get hurt, injured or even a broken leg from skateboarding. Sometimes, it?s not the skill that will make you pride. Instead, the perseverance of learning from your stumbles and falls will make you earn the respect from others. Not surprisingly, this attitude will be emerging when you are doing something else than skateboarding.

Skateboarding is not like your geeky computer games. You never stop at where you are, you never have an ultimate record to break to reach the top. Skateboarding is fun, creative and entertaining. Foremost, it makes you sweat and shape your body too! New skills and tricks will be a never-ending invention process. Even though you don?t have the guts to try it, well, respect it for least. For those who feel like giving it a try, make sure you get the green light from your parents before you do that. Skating rocks!

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posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 5

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When many people think about skateboarding, the image they have in their mind will be dark alleys with teenage juvenile delinquents illegally spray-painting the walls while the rest of them do their skateboard tricks.

Maybe that is over exaggerating a little but you have to admit that those who are convinced that skateboarding equals bad behaviour or attitudes, it isn?t really that far off from what they think. This may be due to the fact that skateboarding gained popularity as punk music did and skateboarding has always in general attracted the harder, more anti establishment and sometimes even aggressive individuals.

However, it is a complete misconception of skateboarding that it is a bad influence or causes people to become substance abusers or lawbreakers. Frankly, skateboarding is only as an bad influence as you let or allow it to be.

In fact, skateboarding is a sport that encompasses many admirable examples of people in society. There are many professional skateboarders whom are excellent role models for children, teenagers and even adults to follow. One example is Tony Hawk who is a dedicated family man and contributes plenty of money to charity. Another person is Rodney Mullen who is a friendly and humble fellow that holds a Masters Degree. Bob Burnquist is using his position to help the environment and provided many people with inspiration when he overcame his asthma to skateboard. Jereme Rogers fits the image of a skateboarder gone astray with his shaved head, tattoos and language but look and listen closer and you?ll notice his tattoos all portray his love of religion while he speaks of how he believes God granted him the talent and skill to achieve what he has.

How many parents are going to go out and say that their children should not follow these individual?s admirable example?

Yes, there are plenty of other skaters out there whom are not good influences but let us be objective. There are a number of other individuals such as athletes, geeks, cheerleaders, conservative ?nice? kids and even church going individuals who could very well lead people astray or influence badly. The one main reason skaters, particularly those who hold to the punk culture style, get a bad rap is mainly due to the way they look and their ?harder? attitudes that lean towards anti-establishment.

If there is still concern in regards of children or teenagers falling in with the bad crowd then there are plenty of places that provide safe and secure environments to learn and skateboard in for everyone?s peace of mind. A number of churches, associations and organisations have skateboarding clubs as well as hold activities for skateboarders to partake in. If you can?t find one after searching, then stick with people in places your familiar with and avoid those who are known to be less law abiding than acceptable.

Just apply some common sense, enjoy the experience and have fun. For parents, give your children a little room and trust that you have raised them with better values and intelligence than to get involved in things they shouldn?t. Be proud and encourage them. After seeing them skateboard, you may even want to give it a go yourself!

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posted by My Skateboard Tricks on Sep 2

Standard Skateboarding Equipment
Just like any other sport, skateboarding requires basic equipment. Without the right equipment, you either will not be able to participate fully or run the risk of getting seriously injured. Some people do not properly respect the sport and assume wrongly, that they won?t ever get hurt. The truth is skateboarding can be risky and dangerous. You are riding around on a board with wheels. Without the proper protection, if you take a fall, there is only you and the ground. Therefore, it is important that you have a skateboarding helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and obviously you will need a skateboard. Besides these basics you may want to purchase grip tape and a mini-ramp.
Helmet: Because everyone crashes, you should always wear a protective helmet. You can get hurt very badly even when you are traveling at slow speeds. Some states require that you always wear a skateboard helmet while in skateboard parks. You will need a skateboard helmet and not a bike helmet. Helmets should meet ASTM F1492 standards.
Knee Pads: Knee pads are also needed by skateboarding. You can take some nasty spills while skateboarding and using knee pads to protect your knees is always a good idea.
Elbow Pads: You can really damage your elbows when you fall. Therefore, elbow pads are a must. If you get hurt too badly, you will not be able to participate. Take proper precautions so that you can be out there doing something that you love instead of sitting at home or in the emergency room nursing your wounds.
Skateboard: You will obviously need a skateboard. Find one that is of good quality, and is affordable. If you are a serious skateboarder, then you will need a good durable skateboard.
Grip Tape: Grip tape is used as an adhesive to place on your hands so that you have full control of the board at all time. This works really well for individuals that want to perform tricks but want to make sure that they are able to perform them safely and without losing grip of their skateboard.
Mini-Ramp: A mini-ramp is not required equipment but it can be fun to drag along so that you can use it when there are not really big ramps around. Mini-ramps are almost always instant fun.
Having the proper equipment is paramount to being able to safely skateboard. While some people don?t think equipment such as elbow pads, knee pads or helmets look cool, they are available to keep you safe. It doesn?t take very much speed for you to have a very serious brain or head injury. This is why it is always important to wear the proper safety equipment. This includes a helmet that is ASTM F1492 standard. Grip tape is used so that you have full control over your board when you are doing tricks. A mini-ramp is not a necessity, but it can be great fun. So should keep one around for when you and your friends want to tool around the neighborhood a bit and practice some jumps.

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