Skateboarding as Pop Culture: The Mark of The Z-Boys

Carlos Delcompare

Shari Alvanas

Composition

10/18/05

English

Skateboarding as Pop culture: The Mark of the Z-Boys

The sport of skateboarding has been around for many years. The sport has gone from the early nineteen-hundreds to modern day society. The sport went from just being a hobby to becoming one of the most popular sports of today. Throughout the years skateboarding has been significantly modified to suit the skaters of the day.

Since skateboarding has been in existence for so long it has changed to maintain popularity over time. One of the most significant changes took place in California. The “Lords of Dogtown” as they where considered would change the sport of skateboarding forever. This was a group of kids that had a very hard upbringing and relied on skateboarding as a way of expression. Many of these kids had little or no money and needed to find something to keep them out of trouble. There were three young men that where highly regarded for their modified way of skateboarding and their “bad boy” attitudes. These three were Stacey Peralta, Jay Adams, and Tony Alva. These are the men that are responsible for the new wave of skateboarders that are making debuts in today’s sport.

Skateboarding has been practiced since the early nineteen hundreds and has made a significant change over the years. The first skateboard that was made featured roller skate wheels attached to a two by four. Most of the time the board had a milk crate nailed to it with handles sticking out for control. In the nineteen-fifties kids began to take off the crate and handles and just enjoyed riding the two by four on wheels. In the late nineteen-fifties surfing became a lot more popular. Most surfers tied the sport of surfing to skateboarding. As members of the Z-boys Jay, Stacey, and Tony were incredible surfers and looked at skateboarding as a tool to broaden their horizon. The Z-boys would hold practices to improve their skills and also to prove to the world that lower class kids also have what it takes to compete. The Z-boys decided to enter a competition called the Bahne-Caddillac Nationals in Del Mar, California in 1975. This is where Tony, Stacey, and Jay would not only change the sport of skateboarding but its image as well. These three would go on to perform moves that were ahead of their time.

The Z-boys also showed society that not all skateboarders are clean-cut and come from middle or upper class upbringings. Most of the moves that were performed at the competition are the reason why skateboarding is so popular today. Tony, Stacey, and Jay unleashed an array of maneuvers that were so incredible that they are still practiced in the world of skateboarding today. The Z-boys also brought the “bad-boy” attitude is still part the sport of skateboarding. Because of the Z-boys disregarded the rules and regulations of the sport, more and more skaters aspired to have the same impact on the sport as these rebels of skating. More of today’s skaters have the “tough guy” appearance along with the attitude of a rebel against a conservative society.

While the Z-boys as a whole had a great impact on the world of skating there are three main individuals that are always kept in mind! Stacey Peralta, Tony Alva, and Jay Adams. Stacey was born in 1957 and is considered one of the pioneers of skateboarding. Stacey is credited with the founding of the skateboarding