Skateboarders push administration for ‘skate-friendly’ parks

Andre Balka, Senior in LAS, performs a kickflip with his skateboard in a parking lot in Champaign.
Christopher Davis The Daily Illini

With their vast repertoire of tricks, University skateboarders have come to learn the ‘Impossible’ and the ‘No Comply’ perhaps a little too well.

As a continuously growing sport and culture, skateboarding — and the students choosing the four-wheel medium as a means for self-expression — struggle to find a safe and worry-free venue for their craft.

“There’s a sense of ‘watch your back,’” said Matt Glista, sophomore in Engineering and president of the Illinois Skateboarding Society, or ISS. “We’ve had some run-ins in the past where members have had to face disciplinary action for doing flat-ground tricks on a parking lot.”

However, that’s not to say that such disciplinary action was unmerited. Part 6 of Article II in the Student Code states that using a skateboard for means other than transportation on campus is prohibited and can result in consequences from the University and/or police.

Many students, however, said they do not believe the punishments fit the crime.

“The policy could be revisited,” said Andre Balka, senior in LAS, who was issued a citation his freshman year for skating on campus and had to go to a two hour class as a result.

“It wasn’t skateboarders,” Balka said. “There were people there for like, aggravated assault.”

University Police Lieutenant Skip Frost said a punishment like Balka’s would be unusual, and said that officers have a typical protocol for addressing inappropriate skating as discussed in the Campus Administrative Manual.

“The first time, you’re provided with the information, we get your name and address, and you’re warned,” Frost said. He said the second time a skater is caught, the officer will fill out a report and forward it on to the University. Unless the offender was not compliant with the officer, he or she will not face major disciplinary action until a third offense.

Frost said he empathized with students frustrated with the policy.

“I get it,” Frost said. “I used to ride a skateboard when I was a kid. But if we didn’t enforce this policy and allowed this kind of activity anywhere and everywhere, it would cause us a lot of headaches.”

Bruce Ackerman, junior in Engineering, was caught skating last year near Illinois Street Residence Hall and had to meet with a dean of students, which resulted in a reprimand from the University.

“He basically said that because they had problems a few of years ago with people grinding and ruining a bunch of ledges, that we were placed in that category,” Ackerman said.

The Office for Student Conflict Resolution was unavailable for comment.

Tyler Hassert, sophomore in ACES, said that he has often been told by police to go to the 18,000-square foot Champaign Skate Park about two miles from the Quad near Spalding Park, though he does not see this as an adequate solution.

“I didn’t feel safe after dark,” Hassert said. “On top of that, whoever built it had no idea what they were doing. All the transitions and stuff aren’t rideable at all.”

Glista said the park turns off a lot of the skaters in ISS.

“It’s flat-out dangerous. I’ve heard stories of people getting mugged there,” Glista said. He echoed Hassert’s feelings that the park isn’t very skate-friendly, likely because the park wasn’t built by skaters.

“It has really, really harsh transitions. It’s kind of fun to cruise around, but there are these big strange things that are really kind of impractical,” Glista said. Hassert and Glista agreed that the park did feature a bowl that was skateable.

In their search for a viable venue, Glista said the ISS met last year with representatives from Campus Recreation and University Police. One location was proposed: the old tennis courts on the corner of Wright Street and Springfield Avenue, but unworkable gravel surfaces brought the proposal to a halt.

“It didn’t really do anything productive, but we have tried to reach out (to the local authorities),” Glista said. Nevertheless, ISS and local skaters are not done spinning their wheels in the search for an appropriate site.

Dustin Stuart, co-owner of the Board Boutique in Champaign, has recognized the wandering tribe and has explored various sites in Urbana that could be suitable for a skate park, but apprehension from community members has set hurdles for the project.

Stuart said that a major problem with the skateboarding community is the plethora of stereotypes that riders have to overcome.

“It’s all stereotypes,” Stuart said. “I mean, we’re talking antique stereotypes from the 80s. They need to get it together.”

However ironic, it is this set of antiquated stereotypes that gives the skaters a sense of solidarity and identity.

“It’s a subculture,” Hassert said. “If the University embraced it, it wouldn’t exactly be a subculture anymore. That being said, it would be nice to skate without being hassled or ticketed.”