Unit 1 · A Board With Wheels

California is a state by the ocean. In the 1950s, many people there loved to surf. To surf, you stand on a long board. A wave pushes you toward the beach.

Surfers need waves. Some days the ocean is flat. A flat ocean has no big waves. On flat days, the surfers had nothing to ride. They had to wait on the sand.

Waiting was hard for them. They wanted to feel that ride every day. So some of them asked a question. Could they ride a board on land?

Long ago, kids had roller skates. Roller skates have wheels on the bottom. Some people took the wheels off old skates. They fixed the wheels under a flat piece of wood.

Now the wood could roll! A person could stand on it. That board with wheels was an early skateboard. Many people made their own at home.

Who made the very first one? Nobody knows for sure. People tell many stories about it. But no one person is known as the inventor.

Riders stood on the board like a surfboard. They leaned one way, and the board turned. They leaned the other way, and it turned back. It felt like riding a wave.

So people gave it a name. They called it sidewalk surfing. A sidewalk is the path next to a street where people walk.

This was in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Many early riders rode with bare feet, like surfers. Today riders wear flat shoes to grip the board.

The first wheels were made of metal or clay. They were very hard. They did not grip the ground well. They made a loud, rattling sound.

Hard wheels feel every bump. A tiny pebble could stop a wheel fast. Then the rider might tip off the board. Riding was shaky and slow.

Later, people made wheels from softer stuff. Softer wheels roll over small bumps. The ride got smoother and quieter.

At first, people built their own boards. Then companies started making skateboards. Around 1959, you could buy one in a store.

A store board was ready to ride. You did not need old skates or a saw. More kids could get a board this way.

Soon, lots of kids were riding. By the mid-1960s, there were skateboard teams and contests. A contest is a game where people try to do their best.

Skateboarding began in California. Now people skate all over the world. Kids skate in Brazil. Kids skate in Japan. Kids skate in England and in Illinois.

In 2021, skateboarding was in the Olympics for the first time. The Olympics are big games with people from many countries. The games were in Tokyo, Japan.

Some winners were only 13 years old. Momiji Nishiya of Japan won a gold medal. Rayssa Leal of Brazil won silver in the same event. Sky Brown of Great Britain won bronze in park skating.

An old board was a plank of wood. It had hard metal or clay wheels. Riders often had bare feet and no helmets.

A board today has a curved deck and soft wheels. Riders wear flat shoes. Skaters today wear a helmet that fits and is buckled.

Some things did not change. You still stand on a board. You still lean to turn. You still need balance, which means staying steady so you do not tip.

The big flat part is the deck. You stand on the deck. Your feet go on top of it. The deck holds you up while you roll.

Most decks are made of wood from maple trees. Thin sheets of wood are glued together. Most decks have seven thin sheets. The sheets make the deck strong but light.

A deck is not perfectly flat. It dips down a little in the middle. The dip helps your feet stay on the board.

A deck has two ends. The front end is the nose. The back end is the tail. Both ends curve up a little.

The tail is very useful. When you step down on the tail, the nose lifts up. Skaters use the tail to turn and to start tricks.

The nose and tail can look almost the same. Often the nose is a little longer and curves up a little more. Some skaters mark the nose so they can tell.

Rub your hand on top of a deck. It feels rough and scratchy. That is grip tape. It is a sticky sheet that covers the top of the deck.

Grip tape is rough like sandpaper. Your shoes rub on it and hold tight. So your feet do not slide off when the board moves.

Grip tape works best when it is dry. Water makes it slippery. Skate on dry days, in dry places.

Turn a skateboard upside down. You will see two metal parts. These are the trucks. One truck is near the nose. One truck is near the tail.

Each truck holds two wheels. Small bolts hold each truck onto the deck. Riders put their feet over the bolts to stand steady.

Trucks also help you turn. When you lean, the trucks tilt. Then the wheels point a new way, and the board turns.

A skateboard has four wheels. Two wheels are on the front truck. Two wheels are on the back truck. Four wheels keep the board steady.

Wheels today are made of a soft, strong plastic. They roll smooth and quiet. They hold on to the ground well. Old metal wheels could not do that.

Some wheels are softer. Soft wheels roll well on rough sidewalks. Some wheels are harder. Hard wheels slide more easily at a skatepark.

Look inside the middle of a wheel. You will see a small metal ring. That is a bearing. Each wheel has two bearings, one on each side.

Inside a bearing are tiny steel balls. The balls roll around and around. They help the wheel spin fast and easy. Without bearings, the wheel would rub and stick.

Bearings do not like water or sand. Water can make them rust. Sand can make them grind. Keep your board dry and clean.

Let’s count the parts. One deck holds you up. Two trucks hold the wheels and help you turn. Four wheels roll. Eight bearings help the wheels spin.

Each part has a job. If a wheel is loose, the board may wobble. If a bolt falls out, a truck can come loose. A board needs every part.

Before you ride, check your board with a grown-up. Spin each wheel. Look at each bolt. Then put on your helmet and buckle it.