I've heard that they were one of the first skateboarding teams in the world…..
Yes, they were one of the first skatetboarding teams indeed. They started out in Michigan in the late 1980's by a fellow named Jerry Larsh. He later recruited Jayson Gonzales and Roger Hanson as secondary members, as well as others. The symbol, a smiley face, was directly paying homage to the 1970's smiley "have a nice day" smiley face. The smiley face on the skateboard meant that you were worthy enough to be sponsored by Team Smiley. The militant skate group was in part based on the philosophy of Buddism, in which deep concentration was one of the major factors of the team. You were asked to concentrate on skating only and keep up with current skating concepts in order to keep your sponsorship and recieve all the groups amenities. Also, all sports of any kind were considered to be a distraction to the group and prohibited, as well as a reason to have your sponsorship swiftly taken away. The leader of the team, Jerry was so strict, that if he found you that you weren't skating enough, or that you participated in sports other than skating, you were instantly kicked off the team. You were given a soft-spoken firing, and off the team you went. The now defunct skate team were never able to stay around for long, or gain much exposure partly due to Jerry's impossible demands. Despite the early demise of Team Smiley, they still continue to inspire young skaters today.
Dec 20
December 20th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Yes, they were one of the first skatetboarding teams indeed. They started out in Michigan in the late 1980's by a fellow named Jerry Larsh. He later recruited Jayson Gonzales and Roger Hanson as secondary members, as well as others. The symbol, a smiley face, was directly paying homage to the 1970's smiley "have a nice day" smiley face. The smiley face on the skateboard meant that you were worthy enough to be sponsored by Team Smiley. The militant skate group was in part based on the philosophy of Buddism, in which deep concentration was one of the major factors of the team. You were asked to concentrate on skating only and keep up with current skating concepts in order to keep your sponsorship and recieve all the groups amenities. Also, all sports of any kind were considered to be a distraction to the group and prohibited, as well as a reason to have your sponsorship swiftly taken away. The leader of the team, Jerry was so strict, that if he found you that you weren't skating enough, or that you participated in sports other than skating, you were instantly kicked off the team. You were given a soft-spoken firing, and off the team you went. The now defunct skate team were never able to stay around for long, or gain much exposure partly due to Jerry's impossible demands. Despite the early demise of Team Smiley, they still continue to inspire young skaters today.
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