Skateboarding is what you would call an extreme sport. Skateboarding all began in the 60s. The idea of ​​skateboarding started from surfing. That is why surfers and skaters looks are almost the same. The surfers wanted to see if they could do the same things on the street like they did on the waves.

It all began in California in the Santa Dogtown, which is really known as the Monica / Venice Beach area. California is where skateboarding became popular, and then grew to be all over the US One of the most known groups of skateboarding this toy was called the "Z-Boys". The group began in 1973. The first Z-boy was 14-year-old Nathan Pratt. Nathan Pratt worked in a surf shop owned by Jeff Ho. The shop was called "Zephyr Productions" where Pratt worked as an apprentice surfboard maker. The shop was located in Venice Beach California. A year later in 1974, Nathan Pratt was not the only Z-boy; he had 5 of his friends join the group. Now the Z-boys had 6 total members. First was Nathan Pratt, Jay Adams, Allen Sarlo, Stacy Peralta, Chris Cahill and last was Tony Alva. The Z-Boys were known all around Dogtown. They were all surfers, which at that time was a sport that was outcast by most people. They copied the same moves on the skateboard as they did the surf board. In 1975 the Z-Boys started the first skateboarding team. This team was not affiliated with Zephyr Productions.

The boys first skateboarding competition was the Del Mar Nationals in March of 1975. This was the first big skateboarding competition since the 60s. most of the Z-Boys were in the finals of the competition, because they used their new style of skating. Later on the Z-Boys became known all over the skateboarding world.

These skaters are loved to skate in bowls. They used peoples emptied pools as their bowls. They were the first skaters to invent aerial skateboarding. Which means getting air out of the bowl then landing back in the bowl. They were known as the top skaters and surfers. Their story was put on the front page of Skateboarding Magazine.

In 1977 the Z-Boys were no more. They all went their own ways with big skateboarding companies. They will always be remembered as the group who bought skateboarding to what it is today. Two movies were made in honor of the Z-boys. One is a documentary and the other is not.

Today skateboarding is a very popular sport. Skaters today have a variety of flips and grinds. Unlike in the time of the Z-Boys skateboards have changed dramatically. Instead of just a board on wheels. There are now different board sizes, wheels, trucks, bars, and bolts or what is known as hardware. Today they are 3 types of skaters. 1) Street Skater, which means they do not use half-pipes or bowls they only skate the streets. The most common place a street skater will go is a staircase. 2) Vert Skater, which means they only skate on half-pipes and bowls. 3) All Around Skater, which means they skate both street and vert.

Skaters today still get into trouble with home owners and business owners. Because of damaged property. Overall skateboarding is not as outcast as much as it used to be. Skateboarding is more popular then ever today. Competitions are held all over the US Today skateboarding for some few is what they do for a living. Two popular vert skaters are Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist. Two Popular street skaters are Rodney Mullen.

Skateboarding has also been put into the video gaming world. The two most popular games are the "Tony Hawk" games and the "Skate" Games. The sport has also become a big part of the clothing industry. Shirts, pants, hats and a lot more have become popular to wear. In today's time there are skate shops all over the nation. Also they are parks that are just for skaters called skate parks. Skate parks today are indoor and outdoor. They are skateboarding movies and websites as well.

Always remember skateboarding can be dangerous. Skaters break bones and get knocked out and in a few rare occasions … skaters have died. So just remember do not try a really hard trick if you do not have enough experience. Note: I am not trying to tell you what to do or not to skate. I am only trying to help you so you do not have to learn the hard way.

Most skaters love to grind on rails and jump stair sets. Some skaters love to go on half-pipes and get air. Skaters always try to find a new obstacle to either jump or grind on. Skateboarding will most likely be around forever. There are skaters of all types of age groups.