While walking to class, there are often several students who are passing by on their skateboards, roller skates or Rollerblades. Some students skate just to get to their classes faster, but others further immerse themselves in skate culture.
Freshman Joao Stable started skating when he was 8 years old and learning tricks at 12 years old. While visiting friends in Hawaii, he went to a skatepark that allowed him to get comfortable with doing more than just coasting.
“It [skateboarding] definitely helped me realize that in many things in life, there’s always a mental barrier that makes you believe that you can’t do something,” Stable said. “And it’s when you really trust in the process and go through the process of things that you realize that maybe you’re more capable of doing things that you didn’t think you could possibly do.”
According to Stable, skaters typically struggle with learning to drop in, the act of going from a flat platform into a steep transition. At most skate parks, there are rails, staircases, ramps and a “bowl.”
Skaters stand at the edge of the bowl and drop in when they’re ready to skate. Bowls vary in depth and can be daunting.
“I remember the first time I was just standing there basically the whole day, trying to overcome that mental barrier,” Stable said.
While there aren’t any bowls on campus, there are other obstacles that skaters frequent. There are stair sets, benches and rails. The parking lot by the College of Business is popular for its curbs.
Freshman business administration major Ryan Lopez likes skating stairs. The staircases by Brotman Hall and the eight-stair by the theater building are some of his favorites.
Lopez started skating when he was in fourth grade but took a break. He picked it up again during the pandemic.
“You could do whatever you want with it. It’s you versus yourself,” Lopez said.
Lopez is currently perfecting his ollie but also skates with his friend Ashton Noyes, a freshman psychology major. Noyes has been skating for seven years, picking it up after a friend of his started skating.
“It’s a good way to just like relax and just get a clear headspace,” Noyes said.
Noyes’ favorite trick is kick-flips, but he wants to work on his treflip. He has been using an eight-five board, which is heavier than the board he used before. He is getting used to doing the treflip on it.
Not all students have been skating since they were kids. Sophomore political science major Rohan Bhardwaj has been skating for about four years.
Bhardwaj uses a longboard to get to his class, which takes him five instead of 15 minutes to get to the Kinesiology building from his dorm. On top of longboard being efficient for travel, it gives him a good workout and opened the door to other recreational activities.
“I learned a lot about snowboarding through skating and skaters,” Bhardwaj said. “A lot of that [skating and snowboarding] goes hand in hand, like the muscles you use.”
Regardless of at what point students picked up skateboarding, it has provided them with experiences that are not only special to them but convenient.