European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 08, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Eon the thrill of spills. Stunt skater wearing proper gear. Accidents by reckless skateboard surfers have skyrocketed. Previous year to 71.438 the product safety commission reported before Christmas lust year that skateboards ranked third in accidents among children s toys following bicycles and roller skates. The period covered however was Only through june of 1976, and the skateboarding crate has clearly accelerated dramatically since then. Manufacturers report sales running two to three times the record Pace of last year. Skateboard accidents tend to produce fractures of the lower Arm contagious and abrasions of the lower Arm. Strains and sprains and lacerations. Or. James Nicholas director of the Institute of sports Medicine and athletic trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan better known As Joe Namath s knee doctor said skateboard accidents were increasing but added we think they Are Good fun and develop agility and bal Ance. But unless one is equipped with these there is a High potential risk of the Well equipped skateboarder will usually Wear from $115 to $75 Worth of safety equipment a crash helmet wrist guards and Palm Elbow and Kne pads. High spa id racers Wear full leather suits like motorcyclists. But Oji on the Street such equipment is Seldom seen and More often than not. Skateboarders Are seen Careen ing Down sidewalks and roadways shirtless and in Short pants a sure invitation to a bad scrape. Some cities have outlawed skateboards Mon Clair n.j., for example bans any single platform on wheels with no mechanical or other device with which to steer while others have opened skate Board Parks to keep riders out of traffic. In Elk Grove. Iii., youngsters circulated Coo to 800 petitions urging the City to build a skateboard Park. An Ana Heim calif., Park Cost $160.000 to build others Range Down to $10.000, but almost All require extensive landscaping and paving. This is the hottest thing since senior citizens said Jack Claes Anaheim Parks director. These Are Nice youngsters and they re doing a Heck of a Public relations Job they be gotten the to people into it. They re paying $w-$5a$60 far a skateboard and they want someplace to skateboard prices Range from a bargain basement minimum of about $10 although Many say $20 should be an absolute minimum up to about $100 for Standard models. There is even a motorized Model for about $230, although some cities frown on their use cafes shopping centers in Europe Stock three skate Board models priced $13.50. 20 and $29 the fancier riders lean to items like special wheels and mountings and occasional fillips like pin striping. The ride itself is the dry land equivalent of surfing a lop 40 radio hit of the 1960s wag called sidewalk surfing by Jan and Dean and practitioners quickly become addicts. Ray o Brien a 32-year-old new York City police offi cer says he skateboarder As a youngster and that As Rookie to used to skateboard at 2 o clock in the morning out at cold Spring Harbor. By i was coming Down those Hills maybe 20 Miles an he recalled. I was scared i knew if i fell i would get greatest thing about it was it being 2 in the mom ing. Many a night you d go along and you d wonder where your Friend was and you d find out he hit a pothole he d just re standing up there alone and there s nothing Between you and the Roadway but that piece of Wood. You get that freewheeling feeling with the wind in your face. It s that Little daredevil in everybody. Why do you race a car climb a Mountain it scares you and you love skateboarding develops and requires bal Ance and coordination and riders under 13 Yean old May simply Lack the development accessory for trick Riding. But even experts inevitably take spills so safety equip ment is essential a helmet the motorcycle or football variety is . Will minimize head injuries knee and Elbow pads basketball Typ and a pair of Ordinary gloves will do the same for sprains and scrapes. Short of this two pairs of blues cans help As does a heavy jacket. Skating shirtless and in shorts invites disaster. Don t do rutted cracked surfaces and stay out of traffic. Don t modify the skateboard no matter what the Hotdog kid next door says. You la still be Riding when he s swaddled in bandages. Would you believe a motorized skateboard the stars and stripes Page 15
