Kings Mountain Road Skateboarding

by Dave Diegelman

Title

Kings Mountain Road Skateboarding

Artist

Dave Diegelman

Medium

Photograph - Archival Photographs

Description

Kings Mountain Road Skateboarding

In 1972 while I was a freshman in high school, I broke my arm when I fell off a simple mantle maneuver on my parent’s chimney. The thing is, I did this move daily as an exercise and it was only six feet off the deck but the difference this particular day was fried chicken. A mantle is a climbing technique where a climber gains traction on a ledge, or in this case, a sloping ledge, with little to no holds above. The objective is to pull up until you can angle your elbow towards the sky, then push it out to bring up your feet and ascend to the next section. Unfortunately, having recently consumed fried chicken, my hands were greasy, leading to a fateful descent and a broken wrist.

During the subsequent weeks in a cast, boredom set in, and with climbing out of the question, I, like any sensible-minded teenager with a cast, ventured into skateboarding with my friend Augie's little brother, Frankie, aka "Frunk." Skateboard wheels in those days offered two choices: clay or steel. Clay, being the better option, lacked sufficient grip, especially on the steep hills in Woodside where Frunk lived. Like skiing, you could slide off speed by turning sharply and thus navigate the steeps However, the main challenge was small pebbles that would abruptly halt the board's movement, often resulting in an unceremonious ejection and a destiny to sort out, good or bad, but usually not so good.
The game changed when Super-Surfer and Cadillac introduced urethane wheels, ushering in a new realm of possibilities. Our initial wheels had open bearings, and if they overheated, they'd spontaneously eject from the casing, propelling you onto the cement at a speed usually faster than you could manage on foot, with consequences that weren't particularly pretty, especially on extended downhill runs where heat accumulated more. Then, in 1973, came the Road Rider urethane wheels with sealed bearings. These were a game-changer, making it feasible to conquer much longer and steeper roads. Continued ( http://tinyurl.com/ydbxeysv )

If you're interested in acquiring a mural-sized wall covering of this piece, feel free to inquire via email. It's a part of my Limited Edition series, with only 100 prints available. Please note that the price increases as it sells. Just like all my editions, you can obtain certificates of authenticity by providing proof of purchase and your mailing address. Please send the necessary information to ddiegelman@gmail.com.

Photo & Text All Rights Reserved © Dave Diegelman

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Uploaded

February 3rd, 2024

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