Skateboarding wins the award as the sport that stopped as quickly as it began. It was popular for less than ten years before we saw the demise of the hobby due to poor quality skateboards and the possibility that injury may occur.

The fad was created in the 1950’s with the rise in popularity of surfing. Surfers wanted a method to feel as if they were riding a wave on land – thus came the invention of the skateboard. Surfers nurtured the popularity of the product creating a niche market and an instant demand.

In the 1960’s there were finally companies that had the design, the market and the means to mass-produce the skateboard and the trend was in full swing. Companies were sponsoring local skateboard professionals and competitions were occurring all the time. Sales were remarkable. In a three year period there had been more the fifty million skateboards manufactured and sold. There had been many reinventions of skateboard parts such as the transition from clay wheels to urethane wheels which would increase the safety and manoeuvrability of the board.

The 1960’s also brought the downtown of the demand for the skateboard. Safety professionals had declared war on the skateboard professing it unsafe for use and with this lowered the demand immensely. Stores were enticed not to sell the product and parents were scared about purchasing the product for children. It had seemed that as fast as the product had been developed it had been taken from the shelves by the hands of these so called, “experts”.

10 years later skateboarding would rise to popularity, and begin an industry that now has influenced generations and sub cultures, and earned billions of dollars selling everything from the skateboard itself to trucks, wheels, bearings, Hollywood movies and licensing for skateboarding video games. It doesn't look like skateboarding is going away again any time soon.