This was me riding my skateboard way back in 1964, the same year the Beatles made their first appearance on Ed Sullivan, which I saw LIVE! This footage was shot by my dad, in color, but the quality isn’t great. But then again, this footage is 46 years old! Anyway, this was my first “real” board, which had the “Chicago” clay wheels that had just come out!
You would go FLYING if you hit even the smallest little pebble! I loved this board though. This was also more than a decade before the Z-boys started their group. I know my riding wasn’t much, but I had no idea of the possibilities that would come later. I did improve a lot when the urethane wheels came out. No footage of that unfortunately.
Yep, my hair turned dark brown about age 12-13. But blond or brown, I’m just glad to still have it! Here’s me today with my current board, lol. Old school, but then again…so am I, haha! (I sued to surf too, a LOT! (last pic)
I did the whole metal to clay to urethane wheel thing. After a while those clay wheels would just crumble apart.
I had this red skateboard with white printing with metal wheels does anyone else recall those? We used to race them around the block. That’s about all they were good for.
MA, I’m starting to worry about what you HAVE video taped more than what you haven’t video taped. Geeze, home ‘filming’ ( back then video was a noun not a verb) was pretty cutting edge for 1964. What was that filmed on? Super 8?
I remember steel wheels. My first skateboard was a Roller Derby branded one; it was like a shingle with steel rollers. Urethane with sealed bearing was super plush…
This is the model board I used to compete in slalom races with. Being for racing is why there is little space between the trucks and the ends of the board.
What you can’t see in the picture is that it had positive camber it bowed upwards so it flexed like snow skis.
I also put a picture of what the races looked like. I was one of the few people who raced with their feet parallel, instead of front and back.
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