OCEANSIDE — The California Surf Museum acknowledged some of the founding fathers, and mothers, of skateboarding in the 1960s and 1970s over the weekend.
An event held at Oceanside’s Veterans Association of North County on Saturday honored eight people with the “Silver Skater Award,” presented by the museum “to skateboarders who have made significant contributions to the culture, evolution and support of the skateboard community and whose life has also inspired others by their example.”
“At the dawn of the 1960s, when the waves were flat, surfers were skateboarding,” said Jim Kempton, executive director of the California Surf Museum. “Skateboarding at the time was the “boom within the boom” as interest in both surfing and skateboarding skyrocketed. A development in one informed and advanced the other.
“This event is designed to celebrate those early years by honoring individuals who helped make it happen long before surfing and skateboarding ascended to become Olympic sports.”
Those who were honored include: Linda Benson, Joey Cabell, Ricky, Rene and David Carrasco (the Flying Carrasco Brothers), Ed Economy, Jim Ganzer and Randy Lewis.
Proceeds from the “Rolling from the 60s into the 70s” event support the work of the California Surf Museum and the Skateboarding Hall of Fame Museum.
