| Skateboarding started around 1955 as a kids' past | | | | Cove.' The Z-Boys were surfers who, when there |
| time, just another trendy popular toy for youngsters. | | | | were no waves, used old school skateboards to |
| Little did the world know how this newly popular past | | | | skate around town, creating their own 'cement |
| time would grow into the global industry and | | | | playground.' They actually performed amongst |
| competitive sport it is today! | | | | themselves, just by doing their own thing on their |
| This 'toy' began in the 50's, became more trendy in | | | | own boards. They were not thinking that they were |
| the 60's, but lost popularity after only a couple of | | | | performing for anyone or for any reason but for |
| years. Then in 1971-2, it started coming back as a | | | | their competition. This was not a trend, but their way |
| popular past time again, but this time was now | | | | of life - they lived this lifestyle; it was their way of |
| thought of as an anti-social, anti-mainstream past | | | | having fun with the purpose of proving themselves |
| time of kids with no goals and nothing else to do. | | | | to one another. They were like family to each other, |
| Boards were not being manufactured as they had | | | | surfing and skating together. They all had their own |
| been in the mid-sixties, so in order to skateboard, | | | | individual style - inspired by surfing, and put to the |
| you had to make your own. This new trend was the | | | | test on these unique old school skateboards. |
| beginning of a 'revolution' in the industry that lead to | | | | The Z-Boys were a cultural phenomenon, inspiring and |
| the development of what are now called old school | | | | influencing today's extreme skaters. In their day, |
| skateboards. | | | | they shredded the competition with an aggressive, |
| The founders of old school skateboards began their | | | | in-your-face style that revolutionized skateboarding. |
| unique 'movement' surfing in the West L.A., South | | | | Back in the day, during the California drought, most all |
| Santa Monica, Venice areas (called Dogtown) at an | | | | public and private swimming pools were being |
| old abandoned, run down amusement park called | | | | emptied. This provided a 'cement playground' for |
| Pacific Ocean Park Pier (known to locals as P.O.P.) | | | | skaters and was another method that boosted the |
| which flourished in the twenties, ending in the late | | | | birth of extreme skating. It once more pushed the |
| sixties. Kids from basically broken homes who lived in | | | | creative genius and classic individual style of icons Jay |
| this Dogtown neighborhood formed a surfing team | | | | Adams, Tony Alva, and Stacy Peralta. These skaters |
| known as the Zephyr team, and were known as the | | | | created history from doing their self-driven personal |
| Z-Boys. Here at the P.O.P they would surf waves in | | | | best for no other reason that just that! |
| the middle of this abandoned park where there were | | | | Old school skateboards represent a unique 70's style |
| broken pilings from the old pier, jutting out of the | | | | with a wider board deck creating more balance and |
| water in a 'U' shape just off the beach. This area | | | | stability than the feeling of the boards today. |
| formed a sort of cove, and the locals called it 'The | | | | |