Skateboarding - Facts for Kids

History & Origins

Skateboarding was invented in California in the late 1940s by surfers who wanted to “surf” on land when the ocean waves were flat!

The first skateboards weren't actually boards at all – they were roller skate wheels attached to wooden boxes or planks!

The first mass-produced skateboards were sold by the Roller Derby Skate Company in California in 1959.

The first skateboarding competition ever held was in 1963 at Pier Avenue Junior High School in Hermosa Beach, California!

The ollie, one of skateboarding's most important tricks, was invented by Alan "Ollie" Gelfand in 1978!

The first skate park in the world opened in 1976 in Florida, and it was called "Skateboard City"!

Tony Hawk became the first skateboarder in the world to land a 900-degree spin (two and a half mid-air turns) on June 27, 1999 at the X Games in San Francisco — and he did it after many tries during the same event!

Skateboarding became an Olympic sport for the first time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021)!

The longest skateboard ever made was 36 feet, 7 inches long – that's longer than a school bus!

The first skateboarding video game, "720°," was released in 1986 and helped popularize the sport among kids!

Equipment & Gear

A standard skateboard deck is usually about 30–32 inches long and about 7.5–8.25 inches wide, with around 8 inches wide being very common — that size helps riders balance and do tricks well!

Skateboard wheels are made from polyurethane, a special type of plastic that was first used in 1973 to replace clay wheels!

The grip tape on top of skateboards is actually made from the same material as sandpaper!

Professional skateboards have eight bearings – two in each wheel – that help them roll smoothly!

A typical skateboard deck is made from seven layers of maple wood glued together!

The trucks (metal parts that hold the wheels) on a skateboard can be adjusted to make turning easier or harder!

The world’s largest skateboard ever made is enormous — over 36 feet long and weighs more than 3,600 pounds, heavier than many cars!

Skills & Techniques

The basic skateboarding stance is called the "regular stance" with your left foot forward, but about 30% of skaters ride "goofy" with their right foot forward!

A kickflip makes a skateboard flip 360 degrees along its long axis (from nose to tail), and the modern version of this trick was invented by Rodney Mullen in the early 1980s (about 1982) when he added a flick of the front foot to make the board spin in the air!

The highest ollie ever recorded was 45 inches – almost as tall as a refrigerator!

Professional skateboarders can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour going downhill!

The longest skateboard manual ever recorded was 224.33 metres (about 736 feet) — that’s like balancing on your back wheels while riding from one end of a big skate park to the other!

Skateboarders on a vert ramp can launch many feet above the top of the ramp when they catch air — some pros get about 10–12 feet above the ramp top during big airs!

The fastest speed ever reached on a skateboard standing up was 91.17 miles per hour, set by Peter Connolly downhill in Quebec, Canada.

A basic kickturn requires turning your shoulders, hips, and board all at the same time!

The world record for the most kickflips in a row is 1,546 consecutive kickflips, set by Zach Kral.

Famous Skaters & Records

Tony Hawk has invented many skateboarding tricks — over 80 and possibly more than 100 tricks — especially on vert ramps — during his long career!

Rodney Mullen, called the “Godfather of Street Skating,” invented many of the skateboard tricks we still do today — dozens of them!

The youngest professional skateboarder was Sky Brown, who turned pro at age 10!

Tony Hawk landed his last 900-degree spin at age 48, proving you're never too old to skateboard!

Leticia Bufoni holds the record for most X Games medals in Women's Street Skateboarding!

Ryan Sheckler became a professional skateboarder at just 13 years old!

Nyjah Huston won his first X Games medal when he was only 11 years old!

Patti McGee was the first female professional skateboarder — she started skateboarding in the early 1960s, won the first women’s skateboarding championship in 1964, and turned pro in 1965, becoming a pioneer for women in the sport!

Andy Anderson is famous for wearing a helmet during all competitions to promote safety!

Rules & Competition

In skateboarding competitions, tricks are scored based on difficulty, style, and execution!

Street skateboarding competitions give skaters 45 seconds to perform their best tricks!

Park skateboarding runs last 40 seconds in Olympic competition!

Skateboarders get two 45-second runs in most competitions to show their best tricks!

Competition skateparks must include rails, stairs, ramps, and boxes for diverse tricks!

Olympic skateboarding judges score runs from 0 to 100 points!

The X Games is considered one of the biggest skateboarding competitions in the world!

n skate competitions, if you fall off your board instead of landing a trick — that’s called a bail — and judges usually give no points for that trick attempt because it wasn’t landed cleanly!

In pro skateboarding, skaters compete in main styles like street, park, and vert — and there are also big‑air events on mega ramps that push tricks to the extreme!

Street League Skateboarding (SLS) is the biggest professional street skating competition series!

Bonus Fun Facts

The first skateboarding magazine was called “The Quarterly Skateboarder” and was published in 1964!

Skateboarding burns about 150-500 calories per hour!

The longest distance traveled by skateboard in 24 hours is 261.8 miles!

Skateboarding in the rain can damage your board's bearings and should be avoided!

The force of gravity helps skateboarders perform ollies by pulling them back to earth!