SRU is full of parking lots, curbs and sidewalks that students love to skateboard on. In a recent survey, several students shared their favorite spots to shred.
“Every single road on campus is skateable,” Matt Usavage, a student who likes to longboard, said.
Six students claimed the hill behind the Smith Student Center was their favorite place to skate, while others cited the hill in front of Boozel.
More entries included North Hall’s front steps, near Weisenfluh, next to the totem pole, behind Swope Musical Hall and several other places.
“A good spot is usually smooth and consistent terrain, with a downhill grade. So the road outside of Boozel is pretty good, except for the manhole covers, [I fell] off one of those, and the area farther down,” Usavage said.
Multiple respondents agreed that smooth terrain is beneficial when skateboarding.
“For me, a good spot is somewhere that I feel super comfortable on and that gives me that rush of adrenaline,” student skater David Bryant said.
Some skateboarders claimed the campus is a particularly good place for the hobby due to all the parking lots and hills that surround it.
“SRU has a bunch of stuff that you can do with your skateboard, so you can incorporate your tricks with it, with the terrain of the area,” freshman skater Andrew Bassett said.
When asked why they enjoy the activity, respondents provided a variety of answers.
“It’s a mix of excitement and risk. Almost like riding a roller coaster. Very individualistic too, no coach telling you what to do,” skater Ryan Chippich wrote. “Also, gets you places faster.”
Bryant agreed, stating, “I like to go fast.” Others reported the sport has social and emotional benefits.
“It’s a great way to get around campus and I enjoy the subculture,” sophomore Evan Luffey said.
SRU skaters were asked to describe the subculture at large and at SRU.
“If someone sees you [fall], they’ll try and help you out. If something breaks, or you need a skate tool, they’ll try and help you out. So once someone helps you out, you feel compelled to help anyone else out,” Usavage said.
Students created an informal group chat to organize skate meetups on and off campus. Members will occasionally travel together to Zelienople Memorial Skate Park.
“This semester I met some others who skated and joined the community and they all seem like great people,” Bryant said. “It is definitely a group hobby for me.”
Additionally, SRU skaters described the stress-relieving properties of the hobby.
“It’s a nice way to get your negative energy out,” Usavage said. “You can remove all of the energy that would otherwise turn into anxiety.”
A freshman skater named Charlie said that for him, the hobby is more of a distraction. Luffey felt similarly.
“Skateboarding is like an escape from real life sometimes. It’s nice to feel the wind in your hair. I particularly like the feeling of speed wobbles, because you must stay calm in the middle of stress. It’s therapeutic in that way, “ Luffey said.
