August 15, 2018 11:44 am

Tonight, Rediscover the Physics of Skateboarding with Chuck, Gary, Dr. Skateboard, and Othello Clark

I remember it vividly. Well, I remember it as well as I can for being 7-years old. I was up past my bed time but there was no chance I was going to miss Tony Hawk pulling off the greatest skateboarding trick the world had ever seen: the 900. It’s one of the most memorable moments in X Games history and if you haven’t see it, you can watch it right here.

After re-watching all of my favorite X Games and street skating videos from the early 2000s, now I can finally understand the science behind it all. For this week’s episode of Playing with Science, we revisit the physics of skateboarding. Our hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly are joined by former skateboarding and snowboarding pro Othello Clark and Bill Robertson, PhD, a.k.a. Dr. Skateboard, 2x US Master’s Champion.

Want to learn how Tony Hawk garnered enough speed to pull off the 900? On this episode, you’ll find out the science behind dropping into a half-pipe and how skaters maximize their state of mechanical energy while transitioning from potential energy to kinetic energy.

We also cover the basics. You’ll find out what goes into executing an ollie, the basic foundation trick for all of skateboarding. We discuss the importance of parabolic arcs in skateboarding tricks. Then, take a tour through history as we look at some of the revolutionary ideas that shaped the skateboarding world, like precision bearings and urethane wheels.

If you want more insight about the history of skateboarding, I recommend watching the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, chronicling the 1970s Zephyr skate team, directed by Stacey Peralta, one of the most influential skateboarders in history.

Lastly, Othello gives us an inside look on how sponsorships influenced his development as a professional, and Bill tells us how he uses skateboarding as edutainment in order to make science more fun in the classroom.

Please join us tonight for Physics on Wheels, with Dr. Skateboard & Othello Clark (Repeat) right here on our website, as well as on our Playing with Science channels on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen