Sports & Leisure

Tennis Racket

The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—at NASCAR races, kiddie soccer matches, and countless other contests. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, the roughly 6.000 objects in the Museum's sports collections bear witness to the vital place of sports in the nation's history. Paper sports objects in the collections, such as souvenir programs and baseball cards, number in the hundreds of thousands.

Leisure collections encompass a different range of objects, including camping vehicles and gear, video games, playing cards, sportswear, exercise equipment, and Currier and Ives prints of fishing, hunting, and horseracing. Some 4,000 toys dating from the colonial period to the present are a special strength of the collections.

Backpack used by professional skateboarder Leo Baker

White canvas backpack with a black leather bottom and a red embroidered rose on the back. Baker began skating at an early age, winning bronze at the 2006 X-Games at 15. It took 8 years to finally win gold but when they did, it was on their own terms, as a queer skater.
Description (Brief)
White canvas backpack with a black leather bottom and a red embroidered rose on the back. Baker began skating at an early age, winning bronze at the 2006 X-Games at 15. It took 8 years to finally win gold but when they did, it was on their own terms, as a queer skater. Baker went on to win the Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship in 2016 but it was 2017 that proved to be a pivotal year for Baker. Earning a spot on the Nike team, creating the first women’s skate shoe for Nike SB, quitting their day job as a graphic designer and moving to New York City whose ‘melting pot of communities feels like the right fit,’ are just a few changes they made once they dedicated themself, full time, to skate. They are sponsored by Meow Skateboards, a company owned by women, representing women skaters which Baker hopes is a growing entity in the sport.
Baker is also involved with Brian Anderson and his Cave Homo zine which they say, “helped me feel validated and seen for who I am beyond my skateboarding identity. That’s really important for me, because for a long time the industry wanted to shape me in a way that wasn’t me.” Wanting to keeptheir long blonde hair and be ‘more feminine’ were the stereotypes Baker could not represent as a queer skater and while leaving sponsors could be devastating to skaters, they refused to compromise their integrity and it has paid off immensely. Baker relates, “To be unapologetic about my image and who I am and then to have people acknowledge how important that is in the skate industry… I can’t even describe how that feels. To bring together girls who skate, queers who skate… and let those worlds collide. I’m lucky to be here.”
Skate is still working on its acceptance of gay or queer skaters but many of the girls who Baker skates with are queer or gay and her guy friends didn’t care if they were gay, so they felt accepted although their male counterparts deal with a “toxic masculinity” where there is a greater need to be masculine. Their hope for inclusion is contagious, “I would love to just carve out a bigger space for women who skate, and queer people who skate and gender non-conforming people… and just like, really open up that space for people like me, and people that understand what it’s like to experience life this way.”
Location
Currently not on view
user
Baker, Leo
ID Number
2018.0276.04
accession number
2018.0276
catalog number
2018.0276.04

Skatedeck used by professional skateboarder Leo Baker

Lacey (Leo) Baker pro model skate deck through Meow Skateboards. Baker began skating at an early age, winning bronze at the 2006 X-Games at 15. It took 8 years to finally win gold but when they did, it was on their own terms, as a queer skater.
Description (Brief)
Lacey (Leo) Baker pro model skate deck through Meow Skateboards. Baker began skating at an early age, winning bronze at the 2006 X-Games at 15. It took 8 years to finally win gold but when they did, it was on their own terms, as a queer skater. Baker went on to win the Street League Skateboarding Super Crown World Championship in 2016 but it was 2017 that proved to be a pivotal year for Baker. Earning a spot on the Nike team, creating the first women’s skate shoe for Nike SB, quitting their day job as a graphic designer and moving to New York City whose ‘melting pot of communities feels like the right fit,’ are just a few changes they made once they dedicated themself, full time, to skate. They are sponsored by Meow Skateboards, a company owned by women, representing women skaters which Baker hopes is a growing entity in the sport.
Baker is also involved with Brian Anderson and his Cave Homo zine which they say, “helped me feel validated and seen for who I am beyond my skateboarding identity. That’s really important for me, because for a long time the industry wanted to shape me in a way that wasn’t me.” Wanting to keeptheir long blonde hair and be ‘more feminine’ were the stereotypes Baker could not represent as a queer skater and while leaving sponsors could be devastating to skaters, they refused to compromise their integrity and it has paid off immensely. Baker relates, “To be unapologetic about my image and who I am and then to have people acknowledge how important that is in the skate industry… I can’t even describe how that feels. To bring together girls who skate, queers who skate… and let those worlds collide. I’m lucky to be here.”
Skate is still working on its acceptance of gay or queer skaters but many of the girls who Baker skates with are queer or gay and her guy friends didn’t care if they were gay, so they felt accepted although their male counterparts deal with a “toxic masculinity” where there is a greater need to be masculine. Their hope for inclusion is contagious, “I would love to just carve out a bigger space for women who skate, and queer people who skate and gender non-conforming people… and just like, really open up that space for people like me, and people that understand what it’s like to experience life this way.”
Location
Currently not on view
user
Baker, Leo
ID Number
2018.0276.02
accession number
2018.0276
catalog number
2018.0276.02

Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls"

Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.27
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.27

Photograph of Ben Levine receiving the Point Trophy

Black and white photograph of Ben Levine, manager of the Metroplitan Association A.A.U. Boxing Team, receiving the Point Trophy upon winning the team trophy at the National Boxing Championships in April of 1958. Levine is receiving the trophy from Neck J.
Description (Brief)
Black and white photograph of Ben Levine, manager of the Metroplitan Association A.A.U. Boxing Team, receiving the Point Trophy upon winning the team trophy at the National Boxing Championships in April of 1958. Levine is receiving the trophy from Neck J. Barack, first vice president, National A.A.U. and Chairman of the National A.A.U. Boxing Committee. Pictured are, left to right: Joe Fariello, Coach, Empire Sporting Club; Nick J. Barack; Harry Donnelly, Coach, P.A.L.; Ben Levine, Manager; Pete Mollo, Head Coach, Catholic Youth Organization. Levine was a participant in the development of amateur sports competition from 1902 as a boy of 13 when he went to work for James Sullivan, President of the Amateur Athletic Union until his retirement from the A.A.U. in 1968. Levine's primary contribution was to Amateur boxing, which he first promoted prior to 1920. He staged the first Golden Gloves and was the Assistant Manager of the U.S. Boxing teams at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games and an international jurist in boxing at the Olympics in 1932.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1958
depicted (sitter)
Levine, Ben
ID Number
1991.0049.30
accession number
1991.0049
catalog number
1991.0049.30

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Barbie doll

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Barbie doll is a blond, caucasian and is dressed in a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit and is holding pom poms.
Description (Brief)
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Barbie doll is a blond, caucasian and is dressed in a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader outfit and is holding pom poms. Originally designed by Leslie Van Wagoner of the Lester Melnick store in Dallas, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders signature uniform is a carefully guarded trademark. Specifically tailored to fit each individual cheerleader, the signature blouse, vest and shorts were hand made by Leveta Crager until the mid-1990s and are now made by Lisa Dobson.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have been cheering the team on since the Cowboys football team’s inception in 1961 but it wasn’t until 1972 that the iconic uniforms were created. With the distinctive uniforms and specialized dance moves, the cheerleaders soon became icons of popular culture producing the first poster to feature cheerleaders in 1977 and appearing in three television shows that same year. They began their international activities in 1978 when the NFL wanted to promote American football abroad and they chose the cheerleaders as their ambassadors. Their show group travels the world demonstrating their Texas spirit and pride in their football team and their country.
A decidedly American invention, cheerleading has its origins in sports and education. Beginning as early as 1877, fans organized cheers in the stands at Princeton football games but it was not until the 1930s when Gussie Nell Davis, a physical education teacher at Greenville High in Texas, saw the need to involve girls in physical activity. Participation in organized sports was not readily available to girls at this time - the Flaming Flashes and later, the Kilgore Rangerettes of Kilgore College in Texas, both organized by Davis, provided a sense of unity and empowerment through athleticism. Until Title IX, cheerleading was among the few sports available at the high school and collegiate levels that provided opportunities for women.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0042.11
accession number
2017.0042
catalog number
2017.0042.11

Hillerich & Bradsby Louisville Slugger pattern bat for McGee

date made
1921 - 1929
maker
Hillerich & Bradsby Co.
Hillerich & Bradsby Co.
ID Number
2016.0369.01
accession number
2016.0369
catalog number
2016.0369.01

Special Olympics sports card featuring Vincent DeBarnardo in baseball

Special Olympics sports card featuring Vincent DeBarnardo of New York in baseball.From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the o
Description (Brief)
Special Olympics sports card featuring Vincent DeBarnardo of New York in baseball.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2018.3010.356
nonaccession number
2018.3010
catalog number
2018.3010.356

Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls"

Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.13
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.13

Duncan Tournament Yo-Yo

This green wooden "Duncan Tournament" yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company from about 1960-1965. It is known as a “crossed flags” model, because of its gold leaf stamped seal featuring two crossed flags.
Description (Brief)
This green wooden "Duncan Tournament" yo-yo was made by the Duncan Toys Company from about 1960-1965. It is known as a “crossed flags” model, because of its gold leaf stamped seal featuring two crossed flags. The yo-yo is an example from the last wooden "Duncan Tournament" line produced before Duncan went bankrupt in 1965. .
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Duncan
ID Number
2007.0158.12
accession number
2007.0158
catalog number
2007.0158.12

Cross country skiing

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-02-02
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.083
catalog number
2014.0112.083
accession number
2014.0112

Bobby DelVecchio

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.222
catalog number
2014.0112.222
accession number
2014.0112

Lawn Dart Game

Lawn darts (also known as jarts) were a popular backyard lawn game during the 1980s. This lawn dart set sold by DP Superdarts is composed of three yellow darts and three red darts, with two plastic circles as targets.
Description
Lawn darts (also known as jarts) were a popular backyard lawn game during the 1980s. This lawn dart set sold by DP Superdarts is composed of three yellow darts and three red darts, with two plastic circles as targets.
ID Number
2014.3006.02.1
nonaccession number
2014.3006
catalog number
2014.3006.02.1

Postcard of Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1898
associated institution
University of Pennsylvania
publisher
Arena
Mobius, E.
maker
Moebius, E.
Arena
ID Number
1982.0568.186
accession number
1982.0568
catalog number
1982.0568.186

Wooden Mexico Yo-Yo

Green, hand-carved wooden yo-yo reading “Mexico.”Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Green, hand-carved wooden yo-yo reading “Mexico.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2007.0158.11
accession number
2007.0158
catalog number
2007.0158.11

National Skateboard Review, Vol. 1, No. 3, June-July 1976

National Skateboard Review, Vol. 1, No. 3, June-July 1976The National Skateboard Review was the first nationwide grass roots publication for local skaters.
Description (Brief)
National Skateboard Review, Vol. 1, No. 3, June-July 1976
The National Skateboard Review was the first nationwide grass roots publication for local skaters. The Review included race results, interviews, skateboarding tips, safety lessons, skateboard related advertisements and black and white photographs of tricks, contests and skaters. This publication was written and published by Di Dootson, a slalom racer who began keeping times for the local races and decided a publication about the local competitions and skateboarding in general was needed. In 1975, Dootson skated at LaCosta with many influential people in the skate world including Frank Nasworthy, the designer of the urethane wheel; Dominy and Balma, the inventors of the wide truck; the Bahne Brothers, Caster, Gordon & Smith and Bobby Turner, all manufacturers of skateboard decks; Warren Bolster, the editor of Skateboarder Magazine; and O’Malley and Graham, the builders of Carlsbad Skate Park. They all did their R&D testing at LaCosta and their pros used Black Hill to improve their skills and test new products. The National Skateboard Review was created by Dootson and Peggy Turner, the wife of SummerSki designer Bobby Turner to update racers on their stats and provide information to other racers and skaters across the country. As publisher and editor of the National Skateboard Review, Dootson invited skaters to send in contest results, park news, skater news, legislation news, pro gossip and skateparks provided local information. The first advertisers were: G&S, Tracker Trucks, and Logan Earth Ski. Advertisers would get 100 copies of the newspaper to mail out with shipments to retailers across the country. NSR, as it was referred, was published monthly for the next three years. As Dootson explains, “By early 1979, the insurance industry had effectively closed many skateparks across the country. With the loss of skatepark retail shops to provide sales opportunities, manufacturers had to cut expenses. Ads to the NSR eventually dwindled. By summer, 1979, it was painfully clear the NSR days were numbered. I printed a farewell in the April/May, 1979 issue.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
editor
Rose, Di Dootson
ID Number
2013.0163.04
accession number
2013.0163
catalog number
2013.0163.04

Helen Filkey

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
publisher
Underwood & Underwood Illustration Studios
ID Number
PG.67.88.00018
catalog number
67.88.00018
accession number
270586
publisher number
CH73823-42

Goggles worn by Mike Schultz in the MotoCross event at the Adaptive X-Games

Goggles worn by Mike Schultz in the MotoCross event at the Adaptive X-Games. Mike Schultz is an extreme sports athlete who in 2008, was involved in a snowmobiling accident which fractured his knee and ultimately led to the amputation of his leg above the knee.
Description (Brief)
Goggles worn by Mike Schultz in the MotoCross event at the Adaptive X-Games. Mike Schultz is an extreme sports athlete who in 2008, was involved in a snowmobiling accident which fractured his knee and ultimately led to the amputation of his leg above the knee. Schultz soon developed a special prosthetic that allowed him to continue to participate in extreme sports. The Moto Knee was designed and developed by Schultz in 2009 and a year later he had founded the company BioDapt, Inc. which specializes in producing high impact adaptive sports prosthetics. In 2013 the Versa foot was developed and named one of the ten best inventions of that year. Schultz continues to compete as a three-sport X Games athlete with the most adaptive gold medals in XG history; he has 6 between Moto X Racing Adaptive and SnoCross Adaptive. Schultz competed in his first Paralympic Games in 2018 earning a gold medal in snowboard cross and a silver in banked slalom. He also won the ESPY award for best male athlete with a disability.
user
Schultz, Mike
ID Number
2016.0060.04
accession number
2016.0060
catalog number
2016.0060.04

Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls

Autographed copy of "Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls" by Shelley Calton. Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions name.
Description (Brief)
Autographed copy of "Hard Knocks: Rolling with the Derby Girls" by Shelley Calton. Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions name. In 2002, the Texas Rollergirls were formed from 65 members of the first BGGW teams after a disagreement over management practices caused a permanent split. BGGW took the remaining 15 skaters and became the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls forming a banked track league. The flat track derby uses a not-for-profit organizational model with skaters running the leagues and using their own money to buy rink time, produce tournaments, print programs and putting any money earned back into the organization.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2016.3108.09
nonaccession number
2016.3108
catalog number
2016.3108.09

Silver medal awarded to Special Olympian Marty Sheets

Special Olympics silver medal with a red braided cord belonging to Marty Sheets.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports.
Description (Brief)
Special Olympics silver medal with a red braided cord belonging to Marty Sheets.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0134.18.02
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.18.02

Ticket for volleyball during the1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games

Ticket for volleyball during the1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.The 1996 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad were held in Atlanta, Georgia with 197 countries, 6,797 men and 3,523 women athletes participating.
Description (Brief)
Ticket for volleyball during the1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad were held in Atlanta, Georgia with 197 countries, 6,797 men and 3,523 women athletes participating. These Games saw the debuts of beach volleyball, mountain biking, softball, and women’s soccer. These Games also saw the American women, who had taken full advantage of Title IX legislation, excel in Olympic competition. The women’s gymnastics, soccer, softball and basketball teams all won gold, propelling the US women athletes into the global spotlight and beginning their dominance in Olympic competition. Atlanta benefitted from the Games as Centennial Olympic Park led to the revitalization of the downtown area and the Olympic Village became residence housing for area universities. These games marked the first time since 1984 that the United States topped the medal count with 101.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1996
ID Number
2018.3010.378
nonaccession number
2018.3010
catalog number
2018.3010.378

Jay Adams Model Z-Flex skateboard autographed by Jay Adams

Jay Adams model, Z-Flex skateboard deck made of green fiberglass with red and dark green swirls in the fiberglass throughout, a small kicktail and is signed by Jay Adams.
Description (Brief)
Jay Adams model, Z-Flex skateboard deck made of green fiberglass with red and dark green swirls in the fiberglass throughout, a small kicktail and is signed by Jay Adams. Adams (1961-2014) began his career as a surfer on the Zephyr surf team which was based out of Jeff Ho Surfboards and Zephyr Productions, created by Jeff Ho, Skip Engblom and Craig Stecyk. In 1975, the second wave of skateboarding was well under way and when the Z-Boys heard about the Bahne-Cadillac Del Mar Nationals skateboard contest, they switched to skating. Adams brought the fluid and assertive moves of a surfer to the sport of skateboarding and became one of the original innovators of the sport. The Z-Boys became known for their aggressive style of skating which contrasted wildly from the freestyle moves of the 1960s skate scene. It helped that the new urethane wheels made skating smoother and the California drought emptied swimming pools across southern California. Adam’s and the Z-Boys spent the better part of two years ‘breaking in’ to people’s yards and skating their empty pools which the state of California had mandated to by empty due to the severe drought of the mid-1970s. Adam’s was one of the true pioneers of “pool” skating which would usher in a new generation of vert skaters.
The history of Z-Flex Skateboards also begins with Jay Adams and the Z-Boys of Dogtown. Once the Z-Boys were firmly established in the skateboarding scene the Zephyr owners approached Adam’s stepdad, Kent Sherwood to produce a new kind of skateboard. Sherwood worked with fiberglass in Dave Sweet’s Surf Shop and was more than willing to take on the challenge. After six months, problems arose and Sherwood took Adam’s and a few of the other Z-Boys and founded EZ-Ryder Skateboards. Within six months the name was change to Z-Flex and the company has been an innovator ever since. They were the first to use a concave on the board’s topside and developed a smoother type of wheel which most of the modern wheels of today are based.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970s
1975
ID Number
2014.0022.02
accession number
2014.0022
catalog number
2014.0022.02

Racing Go-Kart

A truly "grass roots" sport, organized "go-karting" arose in the late 1950s.
Description
A truly "grass roots" sport, organized "go-karting" arose in the late 1950s. In the 1930s and late 1940s, various types of smaller open-wheeled race cars had been developed for certain classes of organized racing on oval tracks, including the "midget racers" - diminutive but full-fledged, single-seat, high-speed cars. But for would-be racers of limited means in the 1950s, even these midget race cars were out of financial reach. Meanwhile, marketers of leisure-time products had started producing small, motorized "karts" for pre-teens. Such a kart, intended for driving on paved surfaces off the public roadways, had a light frame made of tubular steel, no "body" at all, a rudimentary open seat, and was equipped with a small gasoline engine mounted behind the driver and tiny tires. Adults thought up the idea of installing more-powerful motors, and the racing "go-kart" was born. Racing of such karts by kids was soon organized -- but racing classes for adults were created as well. Such races were sometimes held at regular paved race tracks but were usually run on specialized, short paved courses designed and built expressly for the karts. In the early days, races ran on large parking lots, with courses marked off for the day with stripes and rubber cones.
Many racing drivers who became well known in the 1970s, '80s, and through the present -- such as NASCAR's Jeff Gordon, 'Indy 500' drivers Al Unser, Jr. and Michael Andretti, and European 'Formula-1' drivers -- learned their early skills by becoming champion kart drivers in the classes for pre-teens.
Elwood "Pappy" Hampton (1909-1980), however, was one of thousands who took to the sport as adults. He was a Washington, DC, machinist who became interested in go-kart racing as a hobby. He built several karts, each time refining their design and improving their performance.
This kart is one made about 1960, which Hampton raced frequently from 1960 through 1962 to first-, second-, and third-place finishes, mostly at the Marlboro Speedway in Maryland. In 1962, he won the East Coast Championship. At age 51 in 1960, "Pappy" was one of the oldest successful kart racers in the mid-Atlantic area, hence his nickname.
The kart has a duralumin chassis (duralumin for strength with extreme lightness) made especially for racing karts by Jim Rathmann of Indianapolis (the winning driver in the 1960 Indianapolis 500), and a drive train engineered and made by Hampton. The engine is one made in England, fueled on alcohol.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1960
maker
Hampton, Sr., Elwood N. "Pappy"
Rathmann, James
ID Number
1997.0378.01
accession number
1997.0378
catalog number
1997.0378.01

Surfboard shaped by Craig Stecyk at Dave Sweet's Surfboards, Santa Monica, 1966

This is a single glassed, lightweight surfboard with a single fin, and two fin boxes. According to the donor, Craig Stecyk, "the board was shaped by me in December of 1966.
Description (Brief)
This is a single glassed, lightweight surfboard with a single fin, and two fin boxes. According to the donor, Craig Stecyk, "the board was shaped by me in December of 1966. It was manufactured by Dave Sweet Surfboards, Santa Monica, CA (Sweet pictured here holding a board similar to the one donated by Stecyk). It was single glassed (less fiberglass than usual) to promote lightweight and flexibility (ditto for lack of a central strip). The fin is a Reynolds Yater #2 design from the Tom Morey Finworks. It is polypropylene in construction. The board features a stepped deck (for better sensitivity and control when riding on its front third). It has two fin boxes allowing for repositioning of the fin. (This will change the riding characteristics of the board. The center position is "normal". The outside position is the variable position). The bottom color design was also done by me and is typical of the "plastic fantastic" period. This board is entirely created from plastic materials and is a typical "stringerless" surfboard from 1966-1967. A stringer is slang for the wood center strip common to most surfboards." Stecyk is another eccentric character that lives in the surf and skate world. He is one of the people responsible for the creation of the Zephyr Surf team and the Z-Boys skate team and for bringing surf and skate art to the forefront of that distinctive culture. Stecyk was a writer for “Skateboarder Magazine” during its resurgence in the mid-1970s and spread the word about these growing sports throughout the globe providing his distinctive insight and first person narrative. Stecyk continues to practice his craft as a multimedia artist and still has a direct impact on the graffiti and street art cultures he helped create.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1966
maker
Stecyk, Craig R.
ID Number
1988.0256.01
accession number
1988.0256
catalog number
1988.0256.01

Black American Racers Association membership t-shirt

Black American Racers Association membership t-shirt was issued to thousands of BARA members across America. The logo was designed as an embroidered patch for members too.
Description (Brief)
Black American Racers Association membership t-shirt was issued to thousands of BARA members across America. The logo was designed as an embroidered patch for members too. BARA was the support group and a national networking association for the Black American Racers Formula Super Vee and Formula 5000 endeavors on the race track and other African American auto racing campaigns in various classes throughout America.
In 1969, Len Miller and his brother Dexter for Miller Racing to race hot rods on the drag racing circuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Northeast. With success on the racetrack he formed Vanguard Racing in 1972 and was the first African American to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. He then went on to found the Black American Racers Association in 1973. The goal of the organization was to “unify African-American drivers in all types of racing – stock car, open wheel, and drag racing -- pave the way for greater success and introduce race fans to African-American’s history in motorsports.”
Later that same year the Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) was formed with Benny Scott as their second generation African-American driver. Also in 1973, BAR became the first team to have an African American driver compete in England. In 1975, BAR driver Benny Scott would break the color barrier at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when the team entered a Formula 5000 car in the inaugural race. Len and Benny Scott were inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame for their achievements in motorsports in 1976. In 1978, BAR experienced a setback when their driver Tommy Thompson was killed in an accident at the Trenton Speedway. Many of the team members took a break after this tragedy and in the 1980s the team turned toward stock car racing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
user
Miller, Leonard W.
ID Number
2016.0359.19
accession number
2016.0359
catalog number
2016.0359.19

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