1976 THROWBACK: "SKATEBOARDERS"
In the early 1970s, Frank Nasworthy started to develop a skateboard wheel made of polyurethane, calling his company Cadillac Wheels. Prior to this new material, skateboards wheels were metal or "clay" wheels. The improvement in traction and performance was so immense that from the wheel's release in 1972 the popularity of skateboarding started to rise rapidly again, causing companies to invest more in product development. Nasworthy commissioned artist Jim Evans to do a series of paintings promoting Cadillac Wheels, they were featured as ads and posters in the resurrected Skateboarder Magazine, and proved immensely popular in promoting the new style of skateboarding.
In the early 1970s skateparks had not been invented yet, so skateboarders would flock and skateboard in such urban places as the Escondido reservoir in San Diego, California. Skateboarding magazine would publish the location and skateboarders made up nicknames for each location such as the Tea Bowl, the Fruit Bowl, Bellagio, the Rabbit Hole, Bird Bath, the Egg Bowl, Upland Pool and the Sewer Slide. Some of the development concepts in the terrain of skateparks were actually taken from the Escondido reservoir.
Many companies started to manufacture trucks (axles) specially designed for skateboarding, reached in 1976 by Tracker Trucks. As the equipment became more maneuverable, the decks started to get wider, reaching widths of 10 inches (250 mm) and over, thus giving the skateboarder even more control.
A banana board is a skinny, flexible skateboard made of polypropylene with ribs on the underside for structural support. These were very popular during the mid-1970s and were available in a myriad of colors, bright yellow probably being the most memorable, hence the name.
In 1975 skateboarding had risen back in popularity enough to have one of the largest skateboarding competitions since the 1960s, the Del Mar National Championships, which is said to have had up to 500 competitors. The competition lasted two days and was sponsored by Bahne Skateboards and Cadillac Wheels. While the main event was won by freestyle spinning skate legend Russ Howell,
a local skate team from Santa Monica, California, the Zephyr team, ushered in a new era of surfer style skateboarding during the competition that would have a lasting impact on skateboarding's history. With a team of 12, including skating legends such as Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Peggy Oki and Stacy Peralta, they brought a new progressive style of skateboarding to the event, based on the style of Hawaiian surfers Larry Bertlemann, Buttons Kaluhiokalani and Mark Liddell.
Craig Stecyk, a photo journalist for Skateboarder Magazine, wrote about and photographed the team, along with Glen E. Friedman, and shortly afterwards ran a series on the team called the Dogtown articles, which eventually immortalized the Zephyr skateboard team. The team became known as the Z-Boys and would go on to become one of the most influential teams in skateboarding's history.
Soon, skateboarding contests for cash and prizes, using a professional tier system, began to be held throughout California, such as the California Free Former World Professional Skateboard Championships, which featured freestyle and slalom competitions.
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I was the only girl skater in our crew when I was young. I could build my board, do rotation tricks, skate goofy or regular and skate the half pipe, and I have scars from head to toe to show it! My mother used to say ,You're going to regret those scars! But I really don't. It means I was tough and daring.
@daystar4909
2 жыл бұрын
SK8ordie! you have my respect girl!
My dad is the guy with the curly fro - thank you so much for uploading this / having this archive. Im literally his twin it’s so cool! I love watching this footage - im blown away every time. Thank you❤️
@michaelpanagiotis7109
Жыл бұрын
David was a great skateboarder !
@jose828
10 ай бұрын
That's rad, you're David Ferry's daughter! Do you know if your father's friend Jerry Valdez has seen this?
@crookedtool
10 ай бұрын
You're your own father's sibling? That's twisted.
@crookedtool
10 ай бұрын
So you're the product of him and his mother? How could you have been born at the same time, though?
@allenglasco6077
3 ай бұрын
Nice! Your dad, David Ferry is a skateboard legend. I was imspired by him as a kid in the 70's.
King Crimson. Nice!
I skated in the 80’s and remember all the shit we took from cops, security guards, business owners, etc! I had my board confiscated more than once by the fuzz!
I skated from 87 to 92. Great time to be alive. Thanks for the upload:)
Not even Califormia skateboarders said "like" every 4th word back then!
@daystar4909
2 жыл бұрын
That is so Rad!
Love this vintage stuff!
I'm 12 and me and my friends love skating. But the new generation's skating clothes are much more different then in the 1970's. Now we wear pants. But they used to wear short shorts. I love skating!!!
It’s the Jer.
Wow a young jerry Valdez what style get em jer the ripper
Great Footage!
Simon Napper and I owned a Skuda LA, how jealous I am still to today that I could skateboard again and live in California.❤❤❤
@ron8935
3 ай бұрын
What is a Skuda LA ??
Someone knows if this place still exist I would like to go to skate this place one day
Those knees lol 😂
Valdez!
Is that Jerry Valdez?
The Jer
Yeeeeeeeeeeettttt
Commenting to boost.
Indoor gaaaames, INDOOR GAAAAMES!
What was that place called?
@tsee9013
Жыл бұрын
Toilet bowl
Did the one guy actually suggest paying to enter parks? I don't think he's thought that one through.
The news crew sure found some guys that loved skating but were not very good and kinda lame. I was eleven in 1976 and had been skateboarding since i was five and at eleven i was better than those guys. But, I also grew up following the Zephyr/ Dog Town guys around the Westside of L.A. trying to find secret pools and ramps and skating any place that had banks to ride. Cool old footage though
No helmets :|
Real skateboarding is only about 8 years away kids.