When I began skateboarding in 1962, it was merely a way to practice surfing. With crude chunks of 2×4 and metal roller skates nailed to them, there were few maneuvers open to us. So, we merely rode over the smooth surface of the Montebello High School tennis court, practicing surf turns while waiting to be freed from our inland prisons and get to the beach for the real thing.
And we weren’t the only ones using that wicked “toy” while pretending to ride waves. Surfers from up and down both coasts and, I assume, in Hawaii and various foreign lands, were doing the same. Those who could afford $19.95 bought boards by Roller Derby (1960), Val Surf (1962) and Makaha (1963). An alternate name for the skateboarding was “Sidewalk Surfin’,” and that pretty much summed things up at the time.
Advancements in decks and truck and clay wheels improved things a bit, but it was the introduction of the urethane wheel in the mid-1970s that got things rolling toward ramps, empty swimming pools and eventually long flights of stairs.
Over the decades skateboarders broke away from water-based moves and took to the air. It was then that the sport forged its own identity, performed its own tricks and paid surfing back by loaning it the high-flying maneuvers surfers practice to this day.
Sponsored by Vans shoes in 2009, the Skateboarding Hall of Fame began honoring skateboard’s greatest practitioners and inventors. That first event, which was no bigger than a neighborhood birthday party, celebrated the achievements of skateboarding pioneers Bruce Logan, Tony Hawk, Danny Way and Tony Alva.
Last Friday evening I attended the 16th annual Skateboarding Hall of Fame at Vans headquarters in Costa Mesa, along with 1,400 skateboarders and skateboarding fans of all ages. While I skateboarded a little in my time, I’m pretty sure I was the worst skateboarder in attendance that evening.
And so, I sat quietly, like a crasher at someone else’s high school reunion. Nonetheless it was a brilliant night as the legends of skateboarding presented the living history of a sport that changed our world.
In attendance was a member of the First Family of Skateboarding, Brian Logan. Brian, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame several years ago, holds that honor with his brother, the aforementioned Bruce Logan and his sister, Robin.
Brian understands skateboard history better than most anyone else because he not only witnessed its origins but contributed to its progress by being one of the top slalom racers of his day and heading up one of skateboarding’s biggest companies in the ’70s, Logan Earth Ski.
For those seeking a fun evening while mixing with skateboarding’s pioneers and learning of skating’s wild roots, you are invited to attend the third annual Silver Skater Fundraiser. To learn more or to purchase tickets, call 760-721-6876. I’ll see you there. Just don’t ask me to ride one of those newfangled contraptions.
