Just a Plank with Wheels?
From Mod Mania
Task Two: Consumer Communities 2 - Reconfigured Zachary Beal s3237520
Just a Plank with Wheels?
It was lucky, back in the 1960, that people stuck it out with the skateboard. The skateboards at the time were so crude and unrefined that riding them was near impossible. Over time as skateboarding has rapidly grown into communities around the world, the quality and production of the skateboard has increased dramatically.
The rise in popularity of many varying forms of skating such as Street, Park and Vert skating, has allowed for huge amounts of flexibility within each board. Globally over 50 million people skate. There are many skateboarding brands from all around the world. There are hundreds of skateboard companies for almost everything; Clothing, Skate Shoes, Decks, Trucks, Wheels and Bearings. There are over 130 professional skateboarding sponsors who actively contribute to advertising and supporting skateboarders in the many large skateboarding championships across the world. Skateboarding has become quite a lucrative business. Along with the many skateboarding accessories and improvements, merchandise sales and safety equipment, there is a huge market.
The Skateboarding community also actively supports and perpetuates activities such as graffiti and images of rebellious punk like behaviour. Many styles of music are popular within the skating community, who all actively support the skateboard industry.
There has always been a strong rivalry between the skateboarding industry and community and the long boarding community. Long Boarding uses longer boards and larger wheels to simulate a surf board on concrete. The long board established itself within the surfing culture and skating became a more urban moment. Long Boards are used for cruising, downhill and slalom racing, as well as a form of transportation. As the industries make different parts for each type of board, it opened up a whole new industry sector of long boards, in which there are many independent companies invested in. a popular long board company, Sector 9, sells products from the $300-$600 range, where as a normal skateboard would probably cost around $150-$200.
People have been taking advantage the fact that each part can be purchased separately, and therefore they can customise and change their boards to suit there unique skating style and personality. Many people also paint their own graphics onto their boards as a personal statement, and there is a huge following for skate art on and off the board. Some old original boards costing upwards of $10,000 at auction.
As Skateboarding has become more mainstream and commercial, there has been a push towards more creative ways to skate. Being influenced by the creativity of skateboard art, many people wanted to take skateboarding out of its original context of a transportation devise. Popular sports such as Tramp Boarding were formed. By removing the trucks and wheels off a board it can be placed onto a trampoline and bounced, giving the participant time to do tricks. Swing Boarding first started when a skateboard was placed on a wing and the user supported themselves on the chain, however this is quite dangerous. A harness has been designed to allow for Swing Boarding as an exercise equipment. The board is mounted to a frame and a harness which assures the user does not fall out. This piece of equipment is said to imitate the feeling of surfing a wave or skating in a half pipe. Snow Skates have been designed to be used in the snow, and grip the ice or compact snow like a snowboard. This again can be used for transport as well as used for racing and tricks. Dirt Boarding has become a popular sport, using large boards and large tires and foot grips like a snowboard.
People can easily modify their skate board which makes them active in the design of their own board. As all the parts can be sold separately is is easy to create your own board using second hand parts, cutting your own board or attaching trucks to other objects. I have seen modifications of skateboards, turning them into a park bench, lights and other decorations. Trucks can be attached to a cabinet to give it mobility. A deck could be used to create a balance board.
People do not only skate for transport, but do so for the love of skating, and the convenience. You do not need to lock it up and it can be easily carried. In a way, the skater uses the environment around them and modifies it to suit their style of skating. Combining the curb, the lip of a road and other obstacles you do not notice if you are just walking. A classic example of creative skating is using empty swimming pool bowel to skate around. Taking this relatively useless structure, and turning it into a lively centre of action and interaction, the pool has been taken out of its perceived use, which challenges what its original purpose was. This challenging buy the skating community often crosses legal boundaries, are has been known to challenge authority and skating in unsafe or restricted areas. Skateboarding was banned in Norway for 11 years, from 1978 till 1989, as a reaction to the high number of injury rates caused by the boards. At avoid police many skaters constructed ramps and parks in forests and secluded areas, which symbolises the rebellious side of what it means to skate.
The energy and culture surrounding the skateboarding scene is appealing. It opens doors for many people, and for different reasons. Visiting a Melbourne skate shop called, Fast Times, it was clear what the skating culture was about, relaxed music and friendly staff. I also noticed that most staff had tattoos. At the end of the counter was a large grip area equipped with tools to tighten and loosen trucks and a machine to re grip old boards. These tools are open for anyone to use and if help is needed the staff will help you without charge. There is also a strong market for second hand parts. As the shop is quite small and independently owned it buys second hand parts from the public and sells them back, or trade with similar second hand items. This ensures all parts of the skateboard can be recycled, which means they are cheaper and there is less waste.
From its beginnings as a piece of wood and wheels, the skateboard has evolved and developed into a portable, environmentally friendly mode of transport and exercise which is loved all over the world.
