Longboarding got its start same as time skateboarding did around the 1950’s in Hawaii. They were invented by surfers for when they couldn’t go out on the water could go to the urban streets to mimic the same movements they do on the waves. The first longboards were made from a plank of wood with metal wheels attached, that way they could “surf” …show more content…
Many competitive racers call Vancouver their home Because all the hills and roads that it has. Mant board businesses in Vancouver will have a van that taxi’s riders up to there favorite hills or roads. These areas have become an epicenter or birthing place for this high-octane sport that many people love. Riders compete in the men’s, women's, and junior's world championship that take place in these hills along with many others. Every year over 1,000 riders sign up for the International Gravity Sports Association(IGSA) longboard events every year. The sport of longboarding is a fast growing sport that more and more people join in. About a decade ago a mailman named Lyons, who now owns his own longboard company and always remains excited, decided to organize an event for people who enjoyed longboarding like him. The first event he organized was a cruise around Vancouver's Seawall path, which attracted fewer than a dozen riders. Now that longboarding has grown there is an armada of riders who push their way around the seawall every year to celebrate their “once maligned fraternity”. People who do fast downhill and racing usually have a little different boards and setups, Downhill boards are usually symmetrical on the front and back and have a deeper concave then most boards to give them a little more control and stability. The trucks and the wheels are different too. The trucks are usually tightened a little more the help the control at fast speeds and the wheels are stronger than most for the speed and pressure put on them going around corners and riding on its own. Special gloves are made more this sport that help riders when going round corners and helping them on stability. The gloves are like regular gloves except they have hard plastic palms and or hard plastic fingers that riders can put on the asphalt without ripping their hands up going that