Capturing Communities in Words and Images:

A Bit of History on Skateboarders, BMX and Scooter Freestyle Riders

In the year 1958, “Bill Richards, the owner of a surf shop in North Hollywood, California, saw some boys riding surfboards to which they’d attached wheels. He ordered some wheels from a roller skate company, attached them to boards, and began selling “sidewalk surfboards.” Later that year, Jan and Dean recorded a hit song, “Sidewalk Surfing,” which gave the new sport nationwide exposure. It got a new name in 1959, when the Roller Derby Skateboard was introduced”. [1] This bit of history becomes apparent to you when you watch skateboarders do their tricks. Waves have been substituted by ramps, surfer shorts have been substituted by jeans, hoodies, and sneakers, but the language between the two is still kind of the same; you would hear some skateboarders call each other “Dude” and if someone does a nice trick some of them would say “That was SICK!!!”

Freestyle BMX had become pretty well established in the year 1983; a few years after BMX motocross racing became popular[2]. Back than people used to practice their tricks in abandoned skateboarding parks. Today you would find BMX riders and skateboarders together in these parks. In the past decade or so, when the foldable scooters came out, scooter riders have also joined them, doing some of their best stunts on these scooters that I once thought were a child’s toy. More »

Post by Danilda | December 15th, 2008 | Category: Final Project Essay and Photos | Comments (12)

Sunday, November 23 , 2008

These past couple of weekends have not been going my way.  It has been freezing to say the least and raining cats and dogs.  All in all, I still had to get out there and find my nontraditional community.  This past Sunday, I went to a site where skateboarders, skaters, bmx and scooter riders come together to show off what they made of.  It was about 29 degrees outside and some of them were just in hoodies, while others were just in their short sleeves.  I on the other hand was layered up, I had on two pairs of pants, three shirts, a hoodie, my scarf, my coat, and a hat, and I was still cold.  Usually, when I am shooting I do not wear gloves because they tend to get in the way, but on this occasion that had to change; I couldn’t feel my fingers.  A few minutes later, with gloves and all, I was back in the same situation.  I gave up and decided to just let my hands go numb; the things we must do for art.  Even, though my hands were in so much pain, I really did not feel it until I was done shooting.  These guys kept me entertained.  Not only with there tricks on their wheels but also with their personalities.  I cannot wait until I go back again, which would be this upcoming weekend.  Let’s see what else they have in store for me.

Post by Danilda | November 24th, 2008 | Category: Work-in-Progress | Comments (3)

There is something unique about the sound of a skateboard rolling down the pavement. Every time my dog hears it, he runs to the window and starts barking; he barks at anything on wheels. Skaters, whether they are on a skateboard or on roller-blades, are a nontraditional community all of their own. They all seem to have a lay back attitude, just taking it one day at a time, they all have a similar sense of style, which I call the punk look, and most important of all they all come together because of an interest, gliding on wheels as I call it.

I have started going around the spots where I have seen some of them and started to ask questions such as, would I be able to find you guys even though the weather is getting cold out, and where else can I find you guys? While I was asking my many questions, I found out that the cops are picking on skaters and giving them tickets for just doing what they love. Union Square on 14th street, one of the many places where you would see skaters, now has a “No Skateboarding” sign. It was a weird site going there and seeing people sitting on their skateboards being watched by the police instead of working on their tricks and putting on a show for the by-passers.

Now it is up to me to find other spots where skaters come together to do their thing and then give you a tiny glimpse of their world. I need to start fast before the bad weather comes and it starts snowing; if not, I will end up with nothing, nothing to show and an “F” in the class.

Post by Danilda | October 26th, 2008 | Category: Final Project Proposal | Comments (3)