The Complete Skateboarding History: Origins to Olympic Glory

From 1968 when skateboarding went from a strange pastime for surfers to a global sport which has recently become one of the sports at the Olympic games! And if, like me, you have been a history buff for as long as you can remember — especially in the little world of skateboarding— then which are the roots to this passion and how did it manage to become such an incredibly global phenomena?

The Skate Bible: Everything You Need to Know about the Evolution Of The Sport I am going through the history and impact of skateboarding from its origins, why it matters today as a subculture empire sport and how it became an international envy.

If you’ve only just picked up a skateboard this year or have been riding for many years, knowing where it all came from provides context and perspective to the sport/art/culture.

learn more>> history of Skateboards

When Did Skateboarding Begin? The Origins of Skateboarding

Skateboarding has its origin well back in the 50’s when surfers in Southern California wanted something to do when they could not go surfing because of flat waves. Simply put, they wanted to add a feeling of gliding and freedom on the water to their daily lives. As such, it should come as no surprise that the development of modern skateboarding is closely connected to surf culture. In fact, skateboarding used to be known as “sidewalk surfing” in the olden days of the sport.

The first skateboards were initially created by attaching roller-skate wheels to wooden planks, but it was the early pioneers of skating that began forming a subculture surrounding these boards. Pretty basic, right? However, the core of skateboarding was present from the beginning. It was all about freedom, and creativity to create a solution of the flat days for some extra surf time. It was only a matter of time the this grew and moved from something surfers were doing to just getting a thrill on the roads.

How Surf Culture Helped Shape Skateboarding

Skateboarding originated in surf culture, so it makes sense the two that have always been interlinked. This started where you had street skaters mimic the moves of surfers, carving and turning as if on a wave.

You can see it in the spirit of skateboarding even to this day: It still has that laid-back, beachy ethos inspired by surfing across places like California where both sports are very much alive and well.

Fun Fact #1- Skateboarding was inspired by Surfing!!!

Learn more>>  How surfing influenced Skateboarding

Skateboarding Evolution: Sidewalks to Skateparks

So how exactly did skateboarding evolve from those bare-bone wooden planks into resource-heavy sticks of modern-day?

The stylistic evolution of skateboarding has been an interesting one, intertwined with trends common.

In early times, skateboards were very basic. Not only did these wooden planks have no real sway over boards with no wheels or metal skates, but whenever one of them was stuck on the mud road as he rode it, the ride often proved quite harsh. But that did not deter the riders.

Curious about how skateboard designs have evolved through time?

Learn more>> The invention and evolution of skateboards

The Game-Changing Era in Skateboarding History

Another biggie in the mold of game-changer: Urethane Wheels.

Before that era, skateboarding ran on a spring-loaded plastic board with hard little metal roller-skate wheels ( Picture 1940s surfboard and go! ) so you can understand why in the early 1970’s when urethane wheeled boards came along it was perhaps one of the most profound developments ever to shape skating. If you’ve ridden a skateboard on these, then you know how much smoother and quicker they allow the ride to be.

These wheels had more grip than the clay or metal ones that were used before and they lasted considerably longer as well, which suddenly meant skateboarders weren’t just cruising down the street — instead of skateboarding actually became maneuverable so you could carve around turns and even begin to develop a few tricks.

Urethane, the type of material wheels are made out is often spoken about as why we have skateboarding today. It wasn’t long before riders gained more control of their boards, and that unleashed a new era for skating because now they could do tricks on the street. And the game quickly blossomed from being just for fun into much more.

Skateparks & The Inevitability Of Trick Skating

Other pivotal moments in the history of skateboarding have included introducing skateparks into the mix during the mid-1970s. Prior to this, skaters were limited to abandoned swimming pools and whatever obsolete urban obstacles they could identify. However, with spaces dedicated like skateparks skateboarders had a space to experiment push thier abilities and perfecting their tricks.

These parks had ramps, bowls, and some very interesting obstacles to skate. It was around this time that a new form of skating appeared, one which wasn’t just about how you rode, it was what tricks you could do while riding. This changed the face of skateboarding culture forever, where competition and creativity were now a part of it as opposed to minimal video segments.

A major part of this new style was influenced by the legendary skate crew, Tony Alva and the Z-Boys from Venice Beach, California. Their pool skating was aggressive and original, putting it directly in the mainstream.

If you are a skateboarding culture enthusiast, you probably know them. They made huge contributions to skateboarding and were responsible for the sport breaking out into a mainstream solo-headlining event in the 1970s.

Read more>> History Of Skateboard Pioneers

The Popularization of Skateboarding: 1970s to Now

The increasing popularity of skateboarding did not only occur over night It grew slowly over the course of the 1970s, and exploded into mainstream attention in the 1980s. As skateboarding began to mature, it wasn’t just a way for surfers or rebellious youth to kill time; now there were events/contests and pro skaters — even an industry surrounding the sport was well on its way.

The Power of the Skate Media

As it was, the media were one of skateboarding’s greatest allies. Skateboarding made its way into movies, TV shows and video games by the late 80s/early90’. Skateboarding tapes of accomplished skateboarders like Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen were floating around, urging a new crowd to get going with their own board.

In addition to advanced tricks, these videos also depicted the skateboarding lifestyle and culture. It came with the music, the fashion and that “I don’t care what you think about me” swagger.

Skateboarding became more than just a simple wooden board that one would ride, it was about expressing the soul, breaking molds and defying society.

The Real Cultural Impact of Skateboarding: It’s not Just a Sport

And here, I am not referring to a sport when skateboarding. I’m talking about a movement. Skateboarding became more than just about riding a board.

It has inspired everything from clothing to music and expressive artwork, a way for people to show some individuality or creativity.

Skateboarding and Fashion

For those of you who have ever seen a skateboarder in action, that probably didn’t come as much of a surprise. Grunge of the Early 90sFrom skate shoes like Vans and Nike SB to baggy jeans and graphic tees, streetwear was also deeply influenced by the rise of sports.style skating involved in culture. This is not relevant to today, but if you were to look into a lot of the most popular labels in streetwear they were started by skaters or are at their core very influenced.

The Perfect Marriage of Music and Skateboarding

Songs have also formed a very significant part of skateboarding culture. From the scorching opening notes of punk rock and then hip hop, to more recent tunes, what skaters listen has played such a huge part in their life.

The 90s was a time when skate videos helped break music genres to young ears.

Skateboarding and music remain interwoven; playlists make the difference in contests, soundtrack lives on videos.

How Skateboarding Gets Represented In Media and Movies

Put skateboarding in lots of movies and TV shows. It was advanced by films like Lords of Dogtown and Thrashin’ which displayed the activity, therefore becoming an essential component to common culture as time has moved on. At the same time, immediate classics like Tony Hawk Pro Skater are here to stay and 1 player-perf-set of a whole generation (meach!) to get into skating.

Learn more about the intersection of skateboarding and fashion in our post on

Read Next>> How Skateboarding Revolutionized Streetwear

Modern Skateboarding Trends: Technology and the Global Skate Scene

What does that new era of skateboarding look like?

As technology advances, and new video parts can be filmed for Instagram or Snapchat via smart phone, anyone who wants to learn something on a skateboard now has accessibility that did not exist before the rapid growth of social online-sharing platforms. Now, the skaters across continents are connected to each other and sharing skills using internet.

Skateboarding and Social Media

A new wave of skateboarders thanks to platforms like Tiktok, Instagram and YouTube. Now anyone can just upload their skate tricks and be known by millions without ever having to enter in any standard contest.

This has made the sport more accessible to a global audience, on which in awarded skaters all around the world some level of influence and opportunity at basing their career off skating.

New Skateboard Technologies

The radical changes in skateboard design are also very significant for the skateboarding culture. As a result of the above mentioned technological advancements, boards are much lighter yet stronger and with greater response. Skaters now have more control thanks to new materials like carbon fiber and upgrades trucks and wheels allowing for even trickier tricks.

Today, there are diverse facets of skateboarding such as street skating and vert skating with longboards also increasing in popularity. Skateboarding caters to everyone; if you like grinding rails or just cruising down hill,skateboarding has a place for you.

You can read more about how social media has changed skateboarding

More here>> how digital platforms changed flyboarding culture

Olympic skateboarding: A brave new world

Skateboarding reached one of its peak moments in 2020 when it made an appearance at the Tokyo Olympics. It was a moment of validation for many, the sport finally getting its due respect as more than some side hobby. After years in the making — this was skateboarding going global.

The discipline of skateboarding is broken into two forms in the Olympics, Street and Park. In the street event, skaters perform tricks on man-made urban-style obstacles such as stairs, rails and ledges. Set in a park event, which is basically what it sounds like–a huge concrete bowl with ramps all over the place (not literally), letting skaters do all sorts of pyrotechnical tricks off curves.

The First-Ever Olympics For Skateboarding Was A Proud Moment For The Community Rather, that it was not the medals itself but a reflection of many years worths of creativity and talent as well as commitment to what they have done so far in their careers.

Skateboarding’s Road to the Olympics, Explained

Learn more>> how skateboarding became an Olympic sport

Closing Thoughts: From Niche to Mainstream—Why Skateboarding Continues to Thrive

From its humble roots in the 1950s, skateboarding has come a long way. A practice that began just to pass the surfers’ time between waves has now evolved into such a global cultural phenomenon.

Definitely, skateboarding is a beautiful cultural phenomenon that touches many aspects of our lives; fashion, music and the ways we express ourselves are among them.

Now skating is more than an activity, it’s a way of living; life mode.

And whether you are watching Olympic athletes stick amazing tricks or scrolling through a skater’s IG feed, it remains obvious that skateboarding earns more and more space for itself on high-public ground.

That said, as long as there are streets to rip through and bowls that beg for a little rubber against their walls we’ll just have to hope skateboarding will inspire the future generations in carving up some urban terrain and pushing boundaries.

Want to learn more about skateboarding’s journey to the Olympics?

Learn more>> The latest trends in skateboarding today

Internal Links Summary:

• Surfing and Skateboarding
• Skateboard Design Innovations
• Top 10 Skateboarders of All Time
• Skateboarding in the Olympics
• Top Skateboarding Competitions Around the World
• The Best Skateboarding Tricks for Beginners
• How to Choose the Right Skateboard for Your Style

History of Skateboarding FAQs