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| Skateboard History (385 Posts)
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Roller Derby, Anonomous for now
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On 4/12/2009 buddy rawls
wrote in from
United States
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
I too thoroughly enjoyed the read about the how the first commercially market skateboard came to be. But I dont understand the covertness and anonimity. skateboarding is about "now". In the 50's it was about "now", same in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, etc. Noone really gives a care about the history of skateboarding except the very few on here, and about 250 others. Thats why it has been such an uphill battle telling newer skaters (post 80's) what really happened. In the 70's. For me, we never heard about much about the 60's at all. I rememeber standing on a board around ~69, and my parents commented about them being taken off the market becuase of injuries. However, now I know that was primarily a mainstream topographical analysis. SO over the past years (thanks internet), I dug as deep as I could and found answers.
Maybe sometime in the future you will let the 300 skaters that really care know who you are, so we could maybe glean a little more info. Like, the first roller derby was supposed a steel wheeled set-up. But it sounds like what you guys saw was basically a rink-style truck and clay wheeled offering as the first version.
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Roller Derby
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On 4/10/2009 Paulskiivoxg
wrote in from
(173.8.nnn.nnn)
Good read, cool story. -P
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Transition from "personal" to "commercial" skate boards
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On 4/3/2009
Annonomous - for now
wrote in from
United States
(71.33.nnn.nnn)
Cupertino, California. (Richmond Dr.) Summer, 1959. Four nine year old boys tinkering with scrap lumber, damaged steel wheel roller skates and a sloping, turning driveway.
Development of a 1x6 fir board, modified to just the right length with just the right wheel spacing to negotiate the turning slope of the driveway and the sharp turn onto the sidewalk at the bottom. (early "downhill")
Ensuing personal competition between four friends to master and excell in speed and turning capabilities and impromptu "tricks" on this new skate board.
Boards made for all four in "prototyping" group and further "testing" done in driveway.
Expansion of skate boarding territory to include entire neighborhood.
Neighborhood excitement over new "toy" resulting in production of additional skate boards for neighbors and friends.
Skate boards made for two neighbors with famous mom. (Barbara and Patty Baker)
Two neighbors (Barbara and Patty) take their new "toys" with them on tour with their mom.(Annis Jensen - captain, womens team, Bay Area Bombers Roller Derby)
Patty and Barbara skate board aroud the sidelines at a Roller Derby meet while on tour with their mom.
Months later, the very first "commercial" skate boards appear in a local Cupertino toy store.
Wonder of wonders ... a Plywood version of the boards developed by the nine year olds months earlier but with a painted logo down the middle of the board ... "ROLLER DERBY".
Sounds to me like there is a link between the four nine year old "prototypers" and the first commercial skate boards.
I know all about it, I was one of the nine year olds.
I have names, locations and other pertinant information if you are interested in finally publicly defining who actually invented (prototyped) the first skate boards.
I don't want any money or noteriety. I just think it would be fitting to put this to rest on the fiftieth anniversary of the original event.
Larry D
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1974 Kate Sessions City Contest
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On 3/1/2009
Chris Yandall
wrote in from
United States
(66.91.nnn.nnn)
Amazing what you find in lost in garage space!
Greg Weaver, Steve Cathey, Doug Saladino, Lane Oaks, Paul Engh and that wild samoan kickin butt! Alva and Adams were here too. Got a pic of them somewhere....
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Fibre rider (Sayville) Details
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On 2/28/2009 Mike W. from NJ
wrote in from
United States
(69.142.nnn.nnn)
I remember it like it was yesterday (I'm 43 now). Fibre Rider was located on Sunrise Hwy in Sayville. Somebody said something about Billy Blakes but I don't remember that. I lived in Patchogue and this was a good car ride away but in any case the place was indoor, constructed of the prefab blue fibreglass that was bolted to the concrete floor.
The 'big' attraction was (what seemed like) a huge ramp that must have been 20 feet talk. You would climb a metal staircase alongside the thing reminiscent of a fire escape, barrel-ass down the ramp which was about 10 feet wide and around a banked 180 which had to be 40 feet from side to side. With plenty of speed, it brought you over a straight away, and three whoop-de-doos (technical term) to a tall vertical.
There was also a 'pool' which consisted of a three sided enclosure; flat was on ground level and a bit too far across but each of the three sides had a 90' bank, some sections had an extra flat vertical but most were standard height (about 5') that you could grind on.
There were also 1/2 pipes (about 4 of them) which were of slightly bigger radius than the 90' curve in the 'pool'. There were not very good at all.
That's really about all I remember (the three attractions).
Adjoined was a Roller rink and all sorts of video games, pinball machines, etc. which were 'of the day'. I remember playing some of the early video games like circus (rudimentary clowns on a teeter tooter). They also had Williams Flash and about 15 other pinball machines.
Ultimately we all grew up, finding Northport Pipeline and ultimately not skating at all. Today the place is an abomination of a flea market though I moved far away (now in New Jersey). Happy to read any other details that may contradict my recollection or add to it !!
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long island
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On 2/9/2009 michael reich
wrote in from
United States
(66.65.nnn.nnn)
i remember all those places except sayville !! i was 9 when i first went to vernon valley n.j. then skatopia in northport which turned into the pipeline ! went to l.i.s.a. , concrete wave ! i was tiny and had to wait for a turn of one carve of the pool ! had no weight to get up high !! i wish i had photos too !! somebody please post some if you got 'em !!
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Speed records
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On 2/9/2009
Joe Lehm
wrote in from
United States
(65.19.nnn.nnn)
Race School is spilling over into History! TimeShip will send a free TSR DVD if you are the first to answer the following: WHO were the first skaters CREDITED with breaking 50mph, 60mph, 70mph, 80mph and 90mph? Extra DVD also awarded if you can name WHERE these milestones took place. Hint: 90mph took place on an Airstrip.
Disclaimer: Note the term "Credited" meaning found in magazines or video documentation. Skateboarding, not luging or skatecars, and not limited to only gravity power.
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Contact
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On 1/21/2009
Jack
wrote in from
United States
(69.229.nnn.nnn)
herbn, if you have a free moment please contact me vis email:
jack@theskateboardersjournal.com
Thanks,
Jack
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sims
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On 1/14/2009
cfav
wrote in from
United States
(98.223.nnn.nnn)
yea,i had a superlight just like that one.rad.C
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and one more...
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On 1/13/2009
Rick f.
wrote in from
United States
(65.183.nnn.nnn)
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More Nanuet
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On 1/13/2009
Rick F.
wrote in from
United States
(65.183.nnn.nnn)
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Nanuet 3/4 pipe - PFS team
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On 1/13/2009
Rick F.
wrote in from
United States
(65.183.nnn.nnn)
Nanuet, NY 1978
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Skateaway and north nj area skating
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On 1/12/2009 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(71.127.nnn.nnn)
The name will probabely come to me,bad skin,,,The manager wow just got it Tom Franse(sp?) i think his brother was the jock like skater with huge legs that used to get to the top of that quater pipe, they did change it into a lop sided halfpipe for that contest i think i got third overall.i did get wheelers in that little 3/4 the hard to ride half pipe across from that was weird because it only had 4 feet of flat between large transitions. Kermit wasn't the only one to ride between beams he may hav been the only on to do frontside and backside wheelers. I got sick of squeezing in there eventually and had more fun opening up my lines and covering a lot of ground across the ramp,going really fast. I think my bud norby was one of the few to air to the lower takeoff ramp out of the side of the big quarter. I think the ownwers name might have been gene,maybe jeff i definitely don't know his last name. Me and norby were gonna try to buy the second surface wood from the big ramp after they closed tom francis(sp)took it and stored it in his garage in the suffern area. Did you ever skate the full pipe in springvalley? i didn't get there until about 81 or so but it was three small (prob 8 ft)full pipes in a field about 2 or 3 miles west of nanuet and they were proabaly there for a long time,i don't have originals but i have the issue of my zine i copied them into, i'm just a tiny bit over vert straddling a little intersecting pipe with my back truck,i know i went over it once or twice. Do you know how kermit got those burley scars? i heard car accident,but also house fire i was to young and intimidated to ask. Do you remember the Fort Lee ramp? they were fairly famous right on lemoine ave across from the pizza place .Steve Schlosser built it ,he lived across the street that ramp was classic on a slight downhill 8 ft tranny three feet of vert, cool pool coping,24 ft flat 16ft wide a 4 ft high enterence ramp and a twenty four ft long starting platform eightfeet wide,they resurfaced it with paneling once it was AMAZING for about two weeks maybe a month, the crew that i remember from ft lee were Steve and Keith Schlosser,Simon,Charley,Steve mann, sort of a memorable dt type,long hair dt bigfoot and very snappy ft side grinds and very tucked ft side airs early on, like right when the bulldogs came out and before that,i only saw the bulldog.
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1965 skateboard video
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On 1/12/2009 M4RC10
wrote in from
Brazil
(189.38.nnn.nnn)
Thanks Cat for sharing that... I loved it all!!
Thanks a lot!!
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Herb / Cat
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On 1/12/2009
Rick F.
wrote in from
United States
(65.183.nnn.nnn)
Herb - thanks for the post...Skateaway...I couldn't remember the name. They changed that from area by the spectators a few times. My first frontside airs ever were on that far wall...I remember it had that little 6 inch "deck" at the top of the tranny and you could "jib" (imagine that) off the wall above before they made it smooth transition. The little 3/4 pipe in the back was insanely tight! When people would fall off the over-vert a lot of times the board would shoot up into the flouro light above and smash it and the glass (and board) would rain down...we'd try to bail out the side as fast as possible to avoid getting hit. The bigger 8 foot wide halfpipe across from the 3/4 had that errible kink in the bottom. Herb - do you remember the name of the owner? Great guy!
Cat - that video is a find. I love the line in the beginning where the ABC announcer calls "nose wheelie" and "handstand" a "whole new terminology". Little 13 year-old Bruce Logan, and the Hilton brothers, were a real trip! And Torger - love the interview. That slalom was so sketchy...you could definitely tell who the skiers were...all the weight on the nose with clay wheels though - musta been the flexy G&S boards that did it!! Thanks Cat!
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Terry Whalen
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On 1/12/2009
Craig B Snyder
wrote in from
United States
(66.32.nnn.nnn)
Mr. Terry Whalen. Please email me as I would like to chat about some regional NY skate history for my skate history book, due out this year. There is already some NE history in it and you appear to have more information that would be helpful. Click on my name/email link, or send mail to: skateboard@craigsnyderDOTorg (replace "DOT" with ".")
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kermit and the gang,skateaway in nanuet
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On 1/12/2009 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(71.125.nnn.nnn)
i used to skate nanuet alot ,this guy rob and me were bus riding locals,used to take th 20 up after delivering papers on sunday morning(long day) and skate the 5 hr session i knew kermit,joey humerez,rita taverroni,rob ladd,i don't know there were others in the "nyack crew" they rode hobies(skitches and park riders reinforced with staples(he he) kermit kick flipped an eightwheeler and usually cranked out highteens on the 360's ,god the sh!t i remember when i start to type.rita had a pro model for a minute.Searching searching,remember guy's going up the wall from pushing from the wall by the spectator area this one guy who worked there used to go off the wood onto the wall supposedly hit the clock, it was mostly a pushing contest. i won the wheelers event in the contest 18 wheelers on only the one side, the otherside was higher so it was really hard to stay consistant.
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1965!
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On 1/10/2009 Michael
wrote in from
United Kingdom
(87.114.nnn.nnn)
thats BRILLIANT!!!!
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1965 American Skateboard Championships - Anaheim, California
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Photos - Terry's Nov. Post
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On 1/8/2009
Rick F.
wrote in from
United States
(65.183.nnn.nnn)
I love this forum - haven't spent enough time here. Rene and Chris - very cool to see that stuff. Terry - your post below is from November I know, but yeah, I skated both Huntington and Farmingdale...a friend may have some old negs of those, I'll check...did we talk about this already?? Anyway, Farmingdale had one of the worst surface I ever skated in a park back then, and the trannies in the snake run were brutal - I think it may have been built by guys who build sidewalks? The thing I remember most about Huntington was the local who was a Tony Alva alter ego - right down to the fedora he skated in, but he could rip...used to go off the corner start ramp and hit the left wall and see how many cinder blocks he could go up on the vert - usually almost to the ceiling, about 8+ feet if memory serves (it does so less and less I'm noticing). Did you ever hit the wooden indoor park in Nanuet, NY...had the huge half-pipe suspended from the ceiling by cables - went to just under vert, but there was this guy named Kermit who ruled it. His fav moves were to go all the way up and kickturn between the steel rafters (tight) or grab one and hang from a rafter while letting his board fakie back across the pipe and back and then he'd drop back onto it. Did you ever write up anything for Jack?
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That's my Lil Bro Chaz, Joe
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On 1/7/2009 Chris Yandall
wrote in from
United States
(66.91.nnn.nnn)
My bro chaz is in the phillipines with 28 kids... not all of his... he went out there on a mission with his wife and kids to run and orphanage with Horizons church here in San Diego. The picked up 15 kids out of garbage cans and euqally distressed environments and brought them back to life and he plans to bring them all back to the states someday if they choose to leave. His older kids have moved back .. they haven't forgotten 7-11's and 24x7 roybertos ....
anyways, i'm running across a bunch of stuff about that guy Chris Yandall :)
cheers matey!
cYa
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CYA in MI
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On 1/7/2009
joe i
wrote in from
United States
(65.198.nnn.nnn)
Hey Chris,
Happy New Year!
Who is your buddy in the pipes with you?
Joe
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Full micro Pipes in Michigan - 1977
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On 1/7/2009 Chris Yandall
wrote in from
United States
(66.91.nnn.nnn)
Not Mount Baldy Pipes but just as crazy since PI plays tricks on g's
ahh yes. memories of skating near the saginaw river. just peachy!
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G&S in Michigan 1977
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On 1/7/2009 Chris Yandall
wrote in from
United States
(66.91.nnn.nnn)
While everyone in Cali was celebrating the local stuff, I went back to Michigan and promoted skateboarding by setting up contests while skating for Pepsi demos. Here's a pic from Bay City Michigan 1976-77 around there where I'm handing out a G&S award.
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northport pipeline
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On 1/7/2009 herbn
wrote in from
United States
(67.83.nnn.nnn)
i went there once it had some cool sections, i remember the three(?) little round bowls in the corner,i think they were the most fun. The halfpipe was kind of tight ditto for pool, there was a big ramp into a large banked the bank was way to big or far away from the approach "hill" alot of stuff out here was lumpy and rough,did you mention the park in Queens that had sort of a tight pool,by then i could deal with stuff that had bad flaws, i sort of liked the challenge.
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