History Of The Development Of Longboarding
Many people do not know what longboarding is, so what is? It is a piece of wood with wheels attached to it allowing for a person on top of one to go at speeds on average of 25 miles per hour and have reached speeds over 80 miles per hour! The age range of longboarding is not set and it is common for college students to use longboards as an available means of transportation across campus but many do not know how longboarding came to be or its massive success after many problems had occurred in its history.
Longboarding or as it was once called, street surfing, has a common origin not known to many. “Longboarding originated in Hawaii in the 1950s where surfers customized their. . . boards, giving them longer decks and larger wheels” (A Brief History of Longboarding). Longboards first appeared in the 50s after Hawaiian surfers made miniature surfboards out of plywood and attached roller skate wheels to the, allowing surfers to get the feel of surfing while on the streets when ocean waves where to low or choppy. “4. 8 billion dollars’ worth of skateboards sold each year in North America”(prezi. com). With the average board costing fifty dollars. Over 96 million are sold each year. I own two longboards and they costed more than one hundred dollars each. One longboard is shaped in a surfboard shape and the other in a drop down shape. I use mine for both cruising and going down hills at times when I am not scared to try. By the time longboards had been around for some time, it suffered a huge decline in popularity for certain causes.
By the time 1965 rolled around, not many people longboarded and was even called a toy on the verge of dying. Many put the blame on the unsafe wheels used which were made of steel or clay, leading to many cases of head, arms, or leg injuries. My younger brother broke his list while trying to longboard. Although many ehre not skating, some still did not allowing for the longboard to die. “The invention of Urethane wheels. . . made it possible for skateboarding[longboarding] to make an explosive comeback”. Frank Nasworthy moved to California from Virginia looking to be able to surf more often. longboarding had already spread to the west coast of the US by this time and when Nasworthy saw kids attempting to skate, he was hit with an idea. By attaching Urethane made wheels to a longboard, it produced a more smooth and stable ride. This was due to Urethanes high tensile strength allowing for high tensile impact actions. Nasworthy invested 700 dollars he had saved up and started a company called Cadillac wheels, revolutionizing the wheel and causing the second skating boom.
Longboarding has been around for over 70 years and has gained a wide spread fan bases across the US and many parts of the world. It is not known who in particular had the idea of putting wheels on a piece of wood but due to its creation and success, it will continue to grow and prosper for years to come. The simple act of kicking off the ground and allowing one to move at great speeds makes one wonder, If such a simple invention has led to it changing the lives many, what will be the next world changing invention be?
