The Poser Test
Think you’re pretty gnarly but worried you might be a poser? Our Chicago skateboard history quiz will give it to you straight.
By Natalie Slater
California may go down in the history books as the birthplace of the skateboard, but Chicago shaped the sport skateboarding since the 60′s. Think you know your Chicago skateboard history? Take our Poser Test and find out.
1. Chicago Roller Skate Company invented the following revolutionary skateboard equipment:
A. Griptape and curb wax
B. Skateboard wheels and double-action, adjustable trucks
C. Bearings and Shoe Goo
D. Helmets and kneepads
2. In 1975, grassroots businessman Art Harris began selling skateboards out of the back of his Evanston hobby shop, Tom Thumb. He went on to found:
A. Thrasher Skateboard Magazine
B. The International Association of Skateboard Companies
C. AWH, one of the country’s first skateboard distributors
D. The International In-line Skating Association
3. Chicago’s first public skate park was Burnham Skate Park at 31st St. and Lake Shore Drive. Due to rough cement and several cracks in the bowls, many local skateboarders refer to it as a _______-square-foot waste of space.
A. 10,000
B. 5,000
C. 17,000
D. 20,000
4. In 1975 McHenry, Ill. company Jessup produced:
A. The first silicon carbide grip tape
B. The first polyurethane skateboard wheels
C. Over 2 million skateboard trucks per year
D. Gourmet jelly beans
5. Skateboarder-owned and -operated Uprise Skateshop opened in which of Chicago’s still-rough neighborhoods in 1997, quickly becoming of the most respected shops in the country.
A. Humboldt Park
B. Pilsen
C. Wicker Park
D. Uptown
6. In June, 2006, more than 3,000 skaters took to the Chicago streets to celebrate:
A. The opening of a new skate park
B. Go Skateboarding Day
C. National Hug Day
D. Drive Safe Month
7. Chicago skateboarding veteran Steve Dread rode for this team, as documented in one of the sport’s most notorious photographs:
A. Team Alva
B. Team Steam
C. The Bones Brigade
D. The Shred Lords
8. This professional skateboarder never called Chicago home:
A. Jesse Neuhaus
B. Johnny Fonseca
C. John Lucero
D. Mark Gonzales
9. This historical roller rink was home to a popular skateboard park in the 70′s.
A. Fleetwood Skating Rink
B. Playdium Roller Rink
C. Rainbo Roller Rink
Sweetwater Roller Rink
10. This Chicago-based company was one of the first mainstream retailers to carry skateboards:
Sears
Marshall Fields
Wilson Sporting Goods
Jewel
Answers:
1.) B. Prior to these innovations, surfers attached roller skate wheels to planks of wood, which made for a bumpy ride.
2.) C. In the earlier years, skateboard equipment had to be ordered directly from manufacturers. AWH is now the 3rd largest distributor in the country.
3.) D. Although Mayor Daley is an advocate for public skate parks, several of them, including this one, suffer from poor planning and faulty equipment, according to many local skaters and skate park review websites.
4.) A. To date, Jessup has gripped more boards than all the other griptape companies combined.
5.) C. Recently remodeled to celebrate its 10th year in business, Uprise is Chicago’s oldest and most-respected skateboard shop.
6.) B. Founded by the International Association of Skateboard Companies, Go Skateboarding Day is celebrated every June 21 as skateboarding’s official holiday.
7.) A. Skateboarding legends don’t get much bigger than Tony Alva. One of the original Z-Boys, he changed the face of skateboarding forever with his aggressive style and his skateboard company, Alva Skates–the first skateboard company owned by a skater.
8.) D. Skateboarders are nomadic by nature, but Mark Gonzales is the only one who never settled in Chicago, even for a little while.
9.) C. This Uptown roller rink had clear quarter pipes for skateboarders and was a favorite spot of many Chicago skaters in the early 70′s.
10.) A. Sears sold completes, or fully assembled skateboards, making them available to tens of thousands of Midwestern skateboarders who didn’t have the luxury of a local skate shop.
Scores:
Give yourself one point for each correct answer.
8-10 points: You rip! You really know your Chicago skateboard history. Consider taking this quiz to Uprise and asking for a job!
5-7 points: Pretty gnarly. These weren’t easy questions and you did pretty well.
Less than 5 points: Poser! Sorry, dude, you blew it. Your score is totally suitable for Rollerblading, though.
Poser Test .pdf from Echo Magazine
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