'lhe UPEI SUN,Thursday,March 16,1978, page 19 
     
    
   
   
    
     SKATEBOARD SKINS SHINS'HH 
     
    
   
   
    
     Vickie Megrath (CUP) 
     
    

    
     From its nodest beginnings 
     
     in California in the 1960's, 
     
     the skateboard has rapidly 
     
     spread all over the world. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ' 'Ihe business has grown o- 
     
     ver the past decade and a 
     
    

    
     half, with sales exceeding 
     
     $57 millim‘ last (Jurist-mas. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Boards are more sophisti— 
     
     cated now, costing anywhere 
     
     from $10 to $140. Wheels 
     
     can be bought seperately 
     
     starting around $7. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Boards are being trade that 
     
     treasure up to seven feet and 
     
     powered by sails or motor. 
     
     West Germany has designed 
     
     the notorized skateboard 
     
     that requires a driving 1i- 
     
     cense to use. 
     
    
   
   
    
     'Ihe sport, despite lack of 
     
     facilities, exspense and . 
     
     high injury rate, is a boon- 
     
     ing success. Britain has more 
     
     than three million. school- 
     
     aged children interested in 
     
     the sport. ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     Britain's goverrment—fmd— 
     
     ed Sports Council has per-  
     
     suacbd municipalities to con— 
     
      ‘10ts‘, wasteland 
     
     and I   pools 
     
     into  areas. 
     
    

    
     In the United States. skate- 
     
     boards are,.a multi-million 
     
     dollar industry, not includ- 
     
     ing hospital bills. I 
     
    
   
   
    
     In Ottawa, there is a bylaw 
     
     prohibiting the use of skate- 
     
     boards on city streets and in 
     
     public parks. Skateboards are 
     
     only allowed in schOolyards 
     
     and on private property. 
     
    
   
   
    
     “A recently compleated sur— 
     
     vey estimated that two out of 
     
     every five skateboarders are 
     
     injured in the U.S. 'IwIenty- 
     
     four deaths occurred last 
     
     year. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In Australia, the fad de- 
     
     clined aboutzmo years ago 
     
     after three children died 
     
     within a mmth in skateboard 
     
     accidents. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The fad has made little im- 
     
     pact on people in Swthwest 
     
     Asia, but is booming in Hong 
     
     ng-  
     
    
   
   
    
     In Japan, more than 800, 
     
     000 people skateboard. Na- 
     
     tional Champianships are 
     
     held for both nen and wo- 
     
     men in slalom, giant slalan 
     
     and free—style events. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In South Anerica, skate- 
     
     boarding has become pros- 
     
     perous and 'has booted over 
     
     the last three years. The 
     
    
   
   
    
     - 9' 5 1 ' a V. 
     
     i assau‘u‘ Wu: D‘WQJ.‘ .... «an r .4‘ .. ...1 
     
    
   
   
    
     comtry claims the skate- 
     
     board speed record. ‘ 
     
    

    
     Eric Clark, a 14 year- 
     
     old Johannesburg schoolboy, 
     
     was recorded at 66.5 miles 
     
     per hour. 
     
    

    
     In France, the sport has 
     
     becare so popular that it 
     
     led to bitter contraversy 
     
     between the French Federa- 
     
     tims for surfing, sking 
     
     and roller skating oVer 
     
     who should run it when the 
     
     Ministry of Sports designa- 
     
     ted skateboarding as a re- 
     
     cognised sport. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Injury is part of the 
     
     gane in skateboarding.Jean- 
     
     Pdene-mrchand, 42 of Ion- 
     
    
   
   
    
     ‘ O O O O 
     
     ,  GET THE GOALS 
     
    
   
   
    
     don, England, had an accident 
     
     while attempting to break 
     
     the world speed record. 
     
    

    
     His skateboard begain to 
     
     wobble after he let go of 
     
     thecarhewasusingasa _ 
     
     launch pad. At 65 miles per 
     
     hour , Marchand took a fly- 
     
     ing leap and follmed with 
     
     six carumeels. He was saved 
     
     only by his protective equip 
     
     nent. 
     
    

    
     Companies such as Sears 
     
     and The Bay sell protect- 
     
     ive equiprent like helnets 
     
     and elbows and knee pads. 
     
     Some people just use hocky 
     
     equipnent because it works 
     
     just as well and can be 
     
     bouqht almost anywhere. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     OUR‘GOAL IS TO PLEASE 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     . We do it all