Did Peter Line really invent the skateboard kickflip?
There’s no denying that the kickflip is one of the most iconic skateboarding tricks of all time. It’s flashy, technical, and a staple in almost every skateboarder’s trick repertoire. But who really deserves credit for its creation? Many skateboarding historians have pointed to Peter Line, one of the world’s best snowboarders and avid skateboarder as the inventor of the kickflip.
It’s important to note that skateboarding has a rich history of borrowing, modifying, and progressing off of previous tricks. The kickflip, like many tricks before it, was likely born out of this spirit of innovation. But let’s dive deeper into Line’s claim of inventing the kickflip.
Line was born in 1975 and grew up in Bellevue, Washington. He began skateboarding when he was just a kid, but really began to develop his skills when he moved to California as a teenager. It was here that he started to experiment with aerial tricks, and it wasn’t long before he was pulling off impressive kickflips.
At the time, the trick was a relatively unknown maneuver that had only been performed by a few skaters. But it was a unique and quirky trick, and Line quickly became known for his ability to perform it with ease. In fact, he popularized the trick so much that it became known as the “Peter Flip” for a while.
So, did Line invent the kickflip? Well, it’s hard to say for certain. There are some other skaters who are credited with performing the trick before Line, but it’s also possible that Line independently invented the trick without any knowledge of its previous existence.
One of the earliest documented instances of the kickflip being performed was in a 1982 skateboarding video called “Future Primitive.” The skater in question was Rodney Mullen, who many consider to be the godfather of modern street skateboarding. However, Mullen’s version of the trick was slightly different than the kickflip we know today – he performed the trick with a 360 degree body rotation, which he called the “Kickturn Flip.”
Another skater who is often cited as being an early pioneer of the kickflip is Mike McGill. In his 1984 skateboarding video “The Bones Brigade Video Show,” McGill can be seen performing a trick that closely resembles the kickflip. However, it’s worth noting that his version of the trick involved catching the board with his front foot rather than his back foot, which is the way the trick is typically done today.
It’s possible that Line was inspired by both Mullen and McGill’s versions of the trick, but added his own spin to it to create what we now know as the kickflip. In interviews, Line has said that he was simply experimenting in his backyard ramp and stumbled upon the trick by accident.
Regardless of who truly deserves credit for inventing the kickflip, there’s no denying that Line played a significant role in popularizing the trick and bringing it into the mainstream skateboarding world. His unique style and technical prowess helped to showcase the trick’s potential, and his influence can still be seen in the way skateboarders approach the trick today.
The kickflip was just one of many groundbreaking tricks that helped to shape the modern skateboarding landscape. Whether or not Peter Line truly invented the trick is ultimately up for debate, but there’s no questioning his impact on the sport and his place in skateboarding history.
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