founder
Stephen Hill vert skateboarding on a large
half-pipe. During the 1970s, vert skateboarding had its genesis in "pool riding": the riding of skateboards in an emptied backyard
swimming pool. As riders moved from general
street skateboarding and occasional "pool riding" into purpose-built skate parks, vert skateboarding became more popular. Skateboarders began to develop, and then practice, tricks and techniques specifically for vert skateboarding. Vert skateboarding became a common
style of skateboarding and was introduced into many competitions and events, including the
X Games and the
Maloof Money Cup. In 2008,
ESPN and X Games organizers announced that vert skateboarding would be removed from X Games competitions in favor of free-movement skate-park-style courses where participants would still be able to perform vert skateboarding tricks but would need to do so in combination with other street skateboarding elements. After public condemnation from
professional skateboarders
Bob Burnquist,
Tony Hawk and others, organizers re-instated vert skateboarding. ==Skateboard set-up==