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.

Topic: Professional

Super Lead Dog "Quick" 2012 Iditarod sports card

2012 Iditarod sports card of super lead dog, Quick, sponsored by Happy Trails Kennel which is owned and operated by musher, Martin Buser. Buser emigrated to Alaska from Switzerland in 1979 and opened his sled dog breeding and training facility, the Happy Trails Kennel.
Description (Brief)
2012 Iditarod sports card of super lead dog, Quick, sponsored by Happy Trails Kennel which is owned and operated by musher, Martin Buser. Buser emigrated to Alaska from Switzerland in 1979 and opened his sled dog breeding and training facility, the Happy Trails Kennel. Buser chooses dogs from sprint racing champions and breeds them with dogs that are athletically well built and then trains them for long distance races such as the Iditarod. He had many skeptics in the beginning but has run in every Iditarod since 1986, winning four times so he must be doing something right. Buser has won the Leonhard Seppala Award for the most humanitarian care of his dogs in 1988, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2014.
The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is an extreme sports challenge that tests the skill and endurance of competitors while celebrating Alaska’s sled dog culture and history. Teams of 12 to 16 dogs, primarily Alaskan Huskies, and their musher experience harsh terrain and weather conditions during the 1,150 mile run from Anchorage to Nome. In its modern iteration as an extreme sport, the Iditarod takes an intense physical toll not only on the human competitors but also on the sled dogs. The race follows a large network of Native trade and travel routes which travelers used when gold was discovered in the isolated town of Iditarod. This discovery led to a “rush” of miners and settlers from across the country, transforming the trail into the region’s main mail and supply route. The area’s harsh winter conditions made sled dog teams the main source of transportation along the Iditarod Trail and it is this rich history which the Iditarod race celebrates today. In 1978 Congress designated the 2300 mile Iditarod Trail as a National Historic Trail recognizing its importance in the shaping of America. Through its beginnings as a regional story, the Iditarod provides us the opportunity to explore the American Experience through the origins of the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the transformation of the Alaskan sled dog culture into an international sport. The Iditarod is now the largest and most prominent sled dog race in the world, attracting international competitors and world-wide media attention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2012
ID Number
2013.3036.26
nonaccession number
2013.3036
catalog number
2013.3036.26

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
2017.0044.02.38
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.38

Poster art for the cover of Cave Homo II featuring professional skateboarder Brian Anderson

Poster art for the cover of Cave Homo II featuring professional skateboarder Brian Anderson is a black and white photograph by Steven Harwick.
Description (Brief)
Poster art for the cover of Cave Homo II featuring professional skateboarder Brian Anderson is a black and white photograph by Steven Harwick. Brian Anderson first gained notoriety in the skateboarding world in 1996 with his appearance in the “Welcome to Hell” video put out by his then sponsor, Toy Machine. Three years later he would win the World Cup of Skateboarding and be named Thrasher magazine’s Skater of the Year. Anderson is one of the best street skaters of his generation with his aggressive yet graceful style, he breezes his six-foot three frame through every possible obstacle with ease. After riding for Toy Machine for a few years, he joined Girl Skateboards in 1999 and skated for them for little over a decade. Wanting to express more of his creativity in fashion and board design, he left Girl in 2013, to begin his own company, 3D Skateboards and in that same year collaborated with his sponsor, Nike SB, to produce a signature shoe. Using sketches drawn by Anderson, Nike designers created a skate shoe with a “runner-like upturned toe” that is designed specifically for flip tricks. Due to creative differences, 3D disbanded in 2016 and Anderson was picked up by Anti Hero Skateboards.
In that same year Anderson became the first, most high-profile and successful professional skater to come out as gay, something he never thought he would do while still skating. Afraid to come out when he was younger, he knew that the skate community was not ready for a gay skater in the mid-1990s. In an interview with Vice, Anderson remembers hearing gay slurs all the time which made him think at a young age that is was ‘really dangerous’ to talk about his sexuality. Thinking it would have a negative effect on his career in the male dominated skate community, Anderson put his rage and frustration into his skating, “I think a part of me was so irritated and angry from holding that in, so it made me more of an animal on my skateboard.”
Historically known for its homophobic views, skate has made great strides in recent years to be more accepting and Anderson’s recognition has made him a symbol for the LGBTQ community, leading him to take an active role in public awareness. The proceeds from sales of his Cave Homo skatezine, a publication that explores Anderson’s journey as an openly gay man, are donated to the LGBTQ suicide prevention non-profit, The Trevor Project.
Location
Currently not on view
depicted
Anderson, Brian
ID Number
2019.0056.07
accession number
2019.0056
catalog number
2019.0056.07

Skateboarder Magazine

This September 1999 edition of Skateboarder Magazine featured a memorial tribute to skateboarder Tim Brauch who died suddenly from a childhood heart condition.
Description (Brief)
This September 1999 edition of Skateboarder Magazine featured a memorial tribute to skateboarder Tim Brauch who died suddenly from a childhood heart condition. Skateboarder Magazine was first published as The Quarterly Skateboarder in 1964 but was changed to Skateboarder Magazine in 1965. It was only published for another year before the first wave of skateboarding ended but began publishing again in 1977 with Warren Bolster as the editor. Bolster was a photographer who specialized in skateboard photography and made Skateboarder Magazine the ‘standard’ during the second wave of skateboarding in the mid-1970s. The publication went ‘on hiatus’ during the 1980s as skateboarding’s second wave came to an end but was relaunched in 1997 with guest editor Tony Hawk. This helped establish the magazine on a bi-monthly basis once again and it continued to be published until 2013 when Grind Media closed the magazine down permanently.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
depicted
Brauch, Tim
ID Number
2011.3085.278
nonaccession number
2011.3085
catalog number
2011.3085.278

Package of skate wheels designed for professional skateboarder Leo Baker

Package of Spitfire Formula Four Classic skate wheels designed by Leo Baker. 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)
Package of Spitfire Formula Four Classic skate wheels designed by Leo Baker. 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
depicted
Baker, Leo
ID Number
2018.0276.09
accession number
2018.0276
catalog number
2018.0276.09

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

Proof page for the cover of "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 cover of "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
2017.0044.02.01
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.01

Mohegan Sun Arena

associated
Connecticut Suns Basketball Team
ID Number
2006.0134.12.18
accession number
2006.0134
catalog number
2006.0134.12.18

DeeDee Jonrowe 2012 Iditarod sports card

2012 Iditarod sports card of musher DeeDee Jonrowe and one of her sled dogs sponsored by the Shell Oil Company. DeeDee Jonrowe moved to Alaska in her teens and began competing in sled dog races in 1978.
Description (Brief)
2012 Iditarod sports card of musher DeeDee Jonrowe and one of her sled dogs sponsored by the Shell Oil Company. DeeDee Jonrowe moved to Alaska in her teens and began competing in sled dog races in 1978. She ran her first Iditarod in 1980 and consistently finishes in the top 10 or 20 and winning both the Copper Basin 300 and Klondike 300 races. She is most proud of the awards she has won for dog care including the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian award given by the veterinarians of the Iditarod for the musher who has provided the best care and treatment to their dogs. She is the founder of M.U.S.H. with Pride, an organization that assists with training of kennel owners on the fair treatment of dogs. Her public battle with breast cancer in 2002 has cast Jonrowe as the inspirational role model for many and in 2003 she became an honorary chairperson for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Jonrowe lost her home and kennel in 2015 during the Sockey Wildfire but managed to save all of her dogs and is currently rebuilding.
The Iditarod Sled Dog Race is an extreme sports challenge that tests the skill and endurance of competitors while celebrating Alaska’s sled dog culture and history. Teams of 12 to 16 dogs, primarily Alaskan Huskies, and their musher experience harsh terrain and weather conditions during the 1,150 mile run from Anchorage to Nome. In its modern iteration as an extreme sport, the Iditarod takes an intense physical toll not only on the human competitors but also on the sled dogs. The race follows a large network of Native trade and travel routes which travelers used when gold was discovered in the isolated town of Iditarod. This discovery led to a “rush” of miners and settlers from across the country, transforming the trail into the region’s main mail and supply route. The area’s harsh winter conditions made sled dog teams the main source of transportation along the Iditarod Trail and it is this rich history which the Iditarod race celebrates today. In 1978 Congress designated the 2300 mile Iditarod Trail as a National Historic Trail recognizing its importance in the shaping of America. Through its beginnings as a regional story, the Iditarod provides us the opportunity to explore the American Experience through the origins of the Iditarod National Historic Trail and the transformation of the Alaskan sled dog culture into an international sport. The Iditarod is now the largest and most prominent sled dog race in the world, attracting international competitors and world-wide media attention.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2012
depicted
Jonrowe, DeeDee
ID Number
2013.3036.13
nonaccession number
2013.3036
catalog number
2013.3036.13

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
2017.0044.02.47
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.47

Black American Racers jacket worn by Leonard W. Miller, 1976-1977

Black American Racers jacket worn by Leonard W. Miller in the 1976-1977 racing season.
Description (Brief)
Black American Racers jacket worn by Leonard W. Miller in the 1976-1977 racing season. This was worn while Tommy Thompson was the driver in the Formula Super Vee class for the Black American Racers team.
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
user
Miller, Leonard W.
ID Number
2016.0359.17
accession number
2016.0359
catalog number
2016.0359.17

Program for the roller derby bout between The Vice Squad vs. The Iron Curtain

Program for the roller derby bout between The Vice Squad vs. The Iron Curtain. Emily Langmade, as Fisticuffs, started her career with the Tucson Roller Derby and later joined the Gotham Girls who went on to become four time champions at Women's Flat Track Roller Derby.
Description (Brief)
Program for the roller derby bout between The Vice Squad vs. The Iron Curtain. Emily Langmade, as Fisticuffs, started her career with the Tucson Roller Derby and later joined the Gotham Girls who went on to become four time champions at Women's Flat Track Roller Derby. Langmade saw the sport change from a hard hitting free for all to a serious sport with worlds class athletes.
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. Moore was a co-founder of the Women's Flat Track Association which helped define modern roller derby. 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
user
Langmade, Emily
ID Number
2016.3170.08
nonaccession number
2016.3170
catalog number
2016.3170.08

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Barbie doll

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Barbie doll is a brunette, African-American and is dressed in a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader outfit and is holding pom poms.
Description (Brief)
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Barbie doll is a brunette, African-American and is dressed in a Dallas Cowboy 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
2017.0042.12
accession number
2017.0042
catalog number
2017.0042.12

Photograph of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Carrie O'Brien-Sibley

Color photograph of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Carrie O'Brien-Sibley wearing an original uniform with white leather fringe cuffs and holding a cowboy hat.
Description (Brief)
Color photograph of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, Carrie O'Brien-Sibley wearing an original uniform with white leather fringe cuffs and holding a cowboy hat. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have been cheering the team on since the Cowboys football team 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
2018.3045.03
nonaccession number
2018.3045
catalog number
2018.3045.03

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
2017.0044.02.29
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.29

Bio panel featuring the original 1972 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading squad

Color bio panel featuring the music selection for the first game for the original 1972 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading squad.
Description (Brief)
Color bio panel featuring the music selection for the first game for the original 1972 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading squad. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have been cheering the team on since the Cowboys football team 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
2018.3045.12
nonaccession number
2018.3045
catalog number
2018.3045.12

Photo print of Jaime Reyes, professional skater for Rookie Skateboards

Photo print of Jaime Reyes, professional skater for Rookie Skateboards is black and white affixed to foam core. Reyes is one of the pioneering women of 90s street skating and only one of three women ever to appear on the cover of Thrasher magazine.
Description (Brief)
Photo print of Jaime Reyes, professional skater for Rookie Skateboards is black and white affixed to foam core. Reyes is one of the pioneering women of 90s street skating and only one of three women ever to appear on the cover of Thrasher magazine. She grew up in Hawaii skating A’Ala Park, an old roller derby rink before skateboarders showed up. Skating in the X-Games in the mid-90s she was one of three women competitors earning only a portion of what the male skaters were taking home. She turned pro in 1993 skating for Real but moved to New York City and began skating for Rookie Skateboards in the late 90s. Reyes has had her own shoe line and many different sponsors over the years but after 9/11, skating in New York City was suffering and Reyes lost many of her sponsors. She quit skating in 2009 after her father passed away although she has picked it back up in the last few years and is skating everyday.
Rookie skateboards, a company owned and operated by women was founded in New York City in 1996 by Jung Kwan, Elska Sandor and Catherine Lyons supplying skate gear and fashion specifically to women. The entrepreneurial skaters were tired of wearing clothes designed for women by men. Sandor explained, ''All the designs made for girls were being made by guys, so you either end up with something that was either porn or really cutesy.'' Skirts, form fitted pants and comfortable shirts became Rookies signature look along with the ‘no pink’ mantra. Rookie was often heralded for having both their boards and apparel manufactured in the United States but after 911 they struggled, due to their close proximity to ground zero, and began manufacturing their goods in Canada. Catering to street skaters in their urban New York City setting, Rookie sponsored some of the best pro street skaters of the era - Sean Kelling, Tino Razo and Jamie Reyes to name a few. No longer in business, Rookie left their mark on the NYC skate scene and continue to influence the skate market which has fostered its relationship with the growing number of female skaters.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
ID Number
2018.0271.09
accession number
2018.0271
catalog number
2018.0271.09

Power Edge Structure Chart

The Power Edge Structure Chart is a two page document which breaks down skateboarding tricks into different categories. This is "Power Edge" magazine's maneuver chart which was published two years after Michael Hays developed his.
Description (Brief)
The Power Edge Structure Chart is a two page document which breaks down skateboarding tricks into different categories. This is "Power Edge" magazine's maneuver chart which was published two years after Michael Hays developed his. It is slightly different and more accurate to actual connectivity between maneuvers but is interesting to compare to his original. The original was a ten page, handwritten document has descriptions of many different skateboarding tricks and the directions on how to execute them. These definitions were written by Michael Hays in preparation for the shooting of the "Street Survival" video. As Michael Hays explains, "One of the most complex issues to confront when teaching skateboarding is the highly unusual names for maneuvers. They are glossy and represent interesting cultural suggestive ideas, as opposed to giving the maneuvers actual scientific names, based on chronological roots." For instance a McTwist, created by Mike McGill is actually an aerial 540 degree flip but is easier remembered by the McTwist nickname which also ties it to its creator.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1988
1980s
ID Number
2013.3045.05
nonaccession number
2013.3045
catalog number
2013.3045.05

Canuck TV Derby sticker

Canuck TV Derby sticker. As in skateboarding, stickers are an inexpensive and productive way to spread the roller derby culture throughout the world.Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions name.
Description (Brief)
Canuck TV Derby sticker. As in skateboarding, stickers are an inexpensive and productive way to spread the roller derby culture throughout the world.
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
2016.3108.21
nonaccession number
2016.3108
catalog number
2016.3108.21

First women's pro model snowboard designed by professional snowboarder Shannon Dunn

Sims Sunflower snowboard is the first women's pro model designed by a woman proving women would buy women's specific product, 1994. The board includes Dunn's personal designs of a sun and sunflowe on the surface of the board.
Description (Brief)
Sims Sunflower snowboard is the first women's pro model designed by a woman proving women would buy women's specific product, 1994. The board includes Dunn's personal designs of a sun and sunflowe on the surface of the board. The board is white on the bottom with a yellow sun and sunflower graphic and the top surface of the board is orange with the same graphics throughout. According to Dunn, “My pro model was named the S. Dunn Sunflower Board. It was designed for a smaller, lighter rider, specifically for women. I was not involved in the board shape design on this board--only the graphics. I drew both the top sheet and base graphics. The company told me the graphics were too feminine and they hired an artist to paint an alternative graphic. I disliked the art that they offered and told them, it was either my sunflower/sun design or I would forfeit the pro model. Gaylene Nagel was the marketing director and she pushed for sunflower graphic, and made it happen. Gaylene Nagel also ran into problems with the reps because they all refused to sell it initially. They said the sunflower graphics were too feminine and bold, and they doubted there would be any interest from women. Gaylene decided to purchase $5,000 in boards herself--she convinced the company to produce the boards and she promised to sell them. She called snowboard retailers and asked if they would put my pro model on consignment, promising to take them back if they didn't sell. They agreed, and every sunflower board flew off the shelves, and girls were calling the shops asking for them. The Sims Sunflower Board sold more than any other single board in the Sims board line that year. It was the number one talked about board that year in 1994 and opened the floodgates to other women's products in snowboarding--it proved there was a women's market in snowboarding for other products as well.”
Shannon Dunn (Downing) began snowboarding in 1988 at age 16, in her hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colorado when the sport was just gaining traction on an international level. In 1985, snowboarding became more relevant as a competitive sport with the arrival of sport specific magazines and videos, the introduction of international snowboard competitions and the acceptance of snowboarding in more resorts throughout the United States. By the late 1980s, women were beginning to enter contests hoping to spark a desire in younger girls to participate. Dunn began competing a year after she started snowboarding and took first in the 1989 Halfpipe Rocky Mountain Amateur Series and second place overall. By 1990 she was competing in the pro circuit and won third in the 1990 Body Glove Snowbout. From 1991 through 1997, Dunn was a consistent first place finisher at the pro contests and won gold in halfpipe at the first ever Winter X Games in 1997. She went on to earn a spot on the inaugural Olympic snowboarding team and became the first American athlete to medal in snowboarding winning the Bronze medal in half pipe at Nagano. Dunn continued her domination of the medal stand on the pro circuit until the 2002 Salt Lake City games where she came in fifth as American Kelly Clark to gold. After the 2002 Games Dunn retired in order to concentrate on her family. Dunn co-founded “Boarding for Breast Cancer” in 1996 and continues her philanthropic work.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1994
user
Downing, Shannon
maker
Sims
ID Number
2021.0071.01
accession number
2021.0071
catalog number
2021.0071.01

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
2017.0044.02.52
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.52

Race cachet letter for the Trail Breaker Sled Dog Club, 1990

Race cachet carried by a sled dog team of the Ohio based Trail Breakers Sled Dog Club over the race course in the tradition of sled dog teams of the past. The art work for the cachet was designed by Jona Van Zyle.
Description (Brief)
Race cachet carried by a sled dog team of the Ohio based Trail Breakers Sled Dog Club over the race course in the tradition of sled dog teams of the past. The art work for the cachet was designed by Jona Van Zyle. This cachet pays homage to the early history of the original purpose of the sled dog which was to provide mail and supplies for early settlers and is carried by each musher during the race.
Jon and Jona Van Zyle are both artists who live outside of Anchorage and have raised sled dogs for many years. Jon has been a supporter of the Iditarod since it beginnings and ran the race in 1976. Jon produced the first official poster for the Iditarod in 1977 which was such a huge success he was voted official artist of the Iditarod in 1979, a position he holds to this day. Jona also contributes her artistic talents to the race by designing logos for the Junior Iditarod and race cachets for the Iditarod and personal cachets for various mushers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990
artist
Van Zyle, Jona
ID Number
2014.0116.03.2
accession number
2014.0116
catalog number
2014.0116.03.2

Bonneville National 24th Annual Speed Trials trophy

Bonneville National 24th Annual Speed Trials trophy has a wooden base with a rock from the salt flats mounted to the surface.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Bonneville National 24th Annual Speed Trials trophy has a wooden base with a rock from the salt flats mounted to the surface.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0092.12
accession number
2017.0092
catalog number
2017.0092.12

"Scars and Stripes, The Culture of Modern Roller Derby" by Andreanna Seymour

"Scars and Stripes, The Culture of Modern Roller Derby" by Andreanna Seymore the official photographer for USA Roller Derby at the First World Cup in Toronto, Canada, 2011.
Description (Brief)
"Scars and Stripes, The Culture of Modern Roller Derby" by Andreanna Seymore the official photographer for USA Roller Derby at the First World Cup in Toronto, Canada, 2011. Seymore is a freelance photographer who joined the Hellions of Troy in 2008 and became a member of the close knit, roller derby community.
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
2016.3110.10
nonaccession number
2016.3110
catalog number
2016.3110.10

Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader Barbie doll

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Barbie doll is a brunette, Latina and is dressed in a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader outfit and is holding pom poms.
Description (Brief)
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Barbie doll is a brunette, Latina and is dressed in a Dallas Cowboy 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
2017.0042.13
accession number
2017.0042
catalog number
2017.0042.13

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.