From Corpus Christi, Texas, Jimmy Gonzalez gave up skateboarding in 1985. At the time, he thought he was too old to continue his passion. Life took over, and 15 years passed, and then he found an indoor skatepark. Jimmy decided that he wanted to get back on a skateboard. Now, at 70 years young, Jimmy is following his dream and enjoying life to its fullest.
Jimmy began skatingboarding at the age of six. He made his own skateboard by using an old roller skate and attaching the wheels to a flat board. In 1959, that was how it was done. There were no fancy, painted decks, smooth polyurethane wheels, or protective gear. The skaters just had a flat board and some rusty metal wheels. If you remember the 1955 scene from “Back to the Future,” Jimmy’s board probably looked similar to the makeshift board Marty McFly used to escape Biff Tannen.
Jimmy has been back on his board for 23 years and shows no sign of easing up. You can see him in Texas frequenting the skatepark, wearing protective pads and a helmet. He has no trouble keeping up with the younger skaters at the skatepark in Cole Park.
Skateboarding has existed for centuries in various forms, but it gained popularity in the 1950s and 1960s due to California surfers. Urethane wheels came in the 1970s to offer skaters a much smoother ride. Advancements continue, streamlining boards and wheel assemblies to handle the intense tricks present-day skaters perform.
When he began skating all those years ago, Jimmy and his friends frequently snuck into empty swimming pools to use the sloped walls as makeshift skate bowls. Now, there are skateparks across the country. Skaters like Tony Hawk have brought the sport into the mainstream. Skateboarding was even on the schedule during the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 as an official sport.
Whether you enjoy a penny board, regular board, or a longboard, if you were a skater, you will always be a skater.
Here is a great video of 70-year-old Jimmy shredding:
You can find the source of this article’s featured image here.
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