The day of the year when skateboarding is king
Skate

22 June 2021

The day of the year when skateboarding is king

The day of the year when skateboarding is king



It was in 2004 that June 21st became more than just the day of the summer solstice. IASC, the International Association of Skateboarding Companies, decided to create Go Skating Day to celebrate the sport. The aim is to encourage everyone to try out the extreme sport, encourage competitions and generally promote skateboarding.


The day, celebrated worldwide, was yesterday and all over the country skaters celebrated with various events. More than a celebration, Go Skating Day is a day of activism where skate culture shares its values. Lagos, Faro, Setúbal, Ovar, Leiria, Viana do Castelo and Lisbon are some of the cities that let themselves be infected by this radical sport that, for the first time, will be part of the Olympic Games. BZR was not indifferent, so today we bring you a little more about this sport and the skateboards available in our skateshop.


Before continuing, we have to tell you that the approach of this post is very general and more for those who want to know more about this world. If you need more technical information and equipment, we advise you to stop by Bazar Desportivo.


It is not known for sure when skateboarding emerged, but it is estimated that it was in the mid-1960s in California. Surfing was on the rise and those in the sport wanted to surf even when the tide wasn't right. The solution: take roller skate wheels and put them on a wooden board. Thus was born sidewalk surfing - surfing on the road.


Skateboarding did not take long to gain fame among the younger community. Free style dominated the sport which had no rules. In 1965, the first championships began to appear and in the 70s, due to a great drought in the United States of America, vertical skateboarding appeared, a sport practised inside empty swimming pools. Over the years, the manoeuvres that became the basis of the sport emerged, with key figures such as the Z-Boys, Alan Gelfand, Tom "Wally" Inouve, Rodney Mullen and Tom Hawk.





There are eight skateboarding disciplines: Street, Freestyle, Half-Pipe, Pool Riding, Big Air, Downhill, Boardcross and Longboard. We will talk about the first two, the most popular among skateboarding enthusiasts. First of all, we have the famous street skateboarding, where skaters use the city's architecture as a track. If you've ever seen someone skateboarding around your city, doing tricks on stairs or railings, then you've seen someone practising Street style. Then there's Freestyle, which consists of a sequence of manoeuvres usually performed on the ground. This modality is considered the first of all and the kickflip, the 360 flip, the inwardheelflip and ohardflip are some of the manoeuvres that can be done.



 

Skateboarding in Portugal


The history of the sport in Portugal started a little later. Due to fascism, it is estimated that skateboarding, as well as other sports and music styles, only appeared after the 25th of April. Probably brought by immigrants, returnees from the former Portuguese colonies or by foreigners, skateboarding arrived in Portugal in the late 70's or early 80's.


Due to its counter-culture, anti-system stance and non-existence of rules, the sport became very popular. The rebellious culture of skaters meant that they were seen as criminals. It also didn't help that there were no facilities to practice the sport. So many skaters would go to buildings under construction, where they built ramps with whatever material they could find. It was only in 1986 that the first skatepark was built in Portugal. The site chosen was Quinta da Balaia in Algarve.


As the years went by, skateboarding started to be recognized as a sport. The television show "Portugal Radical" broadcast on SIC was a great booster of the sport, having stimulated the appearance of skaters all over the country. Almost two decades later, 2018 was the year zero of skateboarding under the tutelage of the Portuguese Skating Federation (FPP), an entity that organised the first national skateboarding championship that year. This is where Gustavo Ribeiro, the Portuguese federated athlete who will compete in the Tokyo Olympic games next July, comes from. At the age of 20, the athlete occupies third position in the competition ranking, just behind North American Nyjah Huston and Japanese Yuto Horigome.


But now let's get down to business. There's a lot to take into consideration when buying a skateboard. Firstly, the size of the board. The board is the wooden board that sits on the wheels. It consists of the nose, the raised part in the front area, the tail, the raised part in the back area, and the concave, the part that sits between the nose and the tail. When choosing a board, you must pay attention to the concavity of the concave. The more concave it is, the more adhesion you will have when making movements.


On the contrary, if it is less concave, you will have a greater sense of freedom. Furthermore, you have to choose the length of the board according to your height. The taller you are, the bigger your board should be.





Another factor to take into consideration is the distance between trucks. The trucks are the metal structures where the wheels are. The shorter the wheelbase, the less stability you have, but on the other hand you can make tighter turns. Also, one of the most important measurements is the width of the board. The wider the board, the greater the stability of the skateboard, which may mean less radical moves. You can also choose between various types of wheels. The size of the wheels and the type of terrain influence grip, acceleration and speed. In general, smaller wheels are better for smooth surfaces because they generate more speed and on uneven surfaces, such as asphalt, larger wheels have more grip and stability. Finally, the shape of the board is a purely aesthetic choice, but full of personality. We have many skateboards and boards available from a variety of brands such as Birdhouse, Nomad, Primitive, Santa Cruz and Tony Hawk.


Explore our skateshop and find out everything you need to live the skate culture.




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