Boy Skate

The site of the old Pacific Ocean Park in the beach area on the border of Venice and Santa Monica is something of a sacred legend within the skateboarding and surfing community. The area, which is nicknamed Dogtown, was immortalized in the 2001 skateboarding documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys, and later in the 2005 Feature Film, Lords of Dogtown, which was based on characters and events introduced in Dogtown and Z-Boys.

Dogtown and Z-Boys, directed by Stacy Peralta (himself a member of the original Z-Boys) and narrated by Hollywood star Sean Penn, tells the story of the board casters. The documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer / skateboarders in Santa Monica, known as the Z-Boys, and their influence on history skateboarding (and to a lesser extent, surfing) culture, using a mixture of film on the Z-Boys turned in the 1970s and more recently conducted interviews.

The aerial and sliding skate moves that the Z-Boys have invented the base of the antenna, skateboarding and snowboarding today always very popular. These are just twelve ordinary teenagers who hung out in the district of Santa Monica Dogtown who just wanted to surf and skate. They should never have that they would start a revolution by turning what was a recreational past-time in an extreme sport.

Regarded as the most influential team in skateboarding history, the Z-Boy movement continues to this day as an expression of performance, innovation and style.

Known officially as the Zephyr Skateboard Team, the Z-Boys began when they transferred their surf skills to drain pipes and pools empty with amazing results. Their acrobatic maneuvers inspired generations of youth to join the frenzy of skateboarding and catapult them to fame and fortune, the majority of the Z-Boys original played professionally. Bob "Bullet" Biniak retired from skating in 1980, but continued to play professional golf, while the only female member of the Z-Boys, Peggy Oki, rejected skating for surfing, and has participated in competitions Surfing the world. Jim Muir and Tony Alva has rejected two offers Skating large companies to establish themselves, and were the first to do skateboarders ever so.

In 2005, Stacy Peralta wrote the screenplay for Lords of Dogtown, which dramatically retold the Dogtown days. Starring Heath Ledger and Rebecca De Mornay, and featuring a cameo from perhaps the world's most famous modern skateboarding Tony Hawk, Lords of Dogtown more focused on relationships between the Z-Boys, looking at their friendships, how they coped with fame, and how they became more competitive towards each other. She has also focused heavily on the tragic loss of Z-Boy associate Sid, who lost a battle against brain cancer.

Skateboarders or surfers who want to a pilgrimage to the legendary Dogtown and emblematic for themselves can find a hotel in Santa Monica for their accommodation and, fortunately, the region has greatly improved since the Dogtown days.

The history of Dogtown and Z-Boys is a story inspired determination, rebellion, and friendship, and even those who have no interest in skateboarding and surfing, and had been conquered by this fascinating corner of American subculture.