By Kate Janse van Rensburg
Rhodes University students surfing the streets of Grahamstown have become an increasingly common sight. Between lectures these skillful individuals race to meet their schedules. Over the weekend they showcase their talents by hitting the social skating scene. The sport has become a popular alternative to Grahamstowns? notorious watering holes. The search for adrenaline is a great break from the everyday momentum of the academic syllabus.
Skateboarding is a form of transportation, recreation and art. The evolution of the skateboard has become a streamlined phenomenon where decorative doodles and designs make each skateboard an original. ?Graffiti sketches?, the art form that is often associated with skate parks, are a favourite in town. No one is precisely sure of the skateboards? origin, however, the reason for the sport beginning is clear. Surfers wanted to surf when the weather did not allow the waves to shape in their favour. Wheels, instead of waves, became the popular solution.
The most popular boards on campus are skateboards and longboards. Samuel Mirkin, regularly freebords for recreational purposes. ?I enjoy the kick of adrenaline,? said Mirkin, who uses a red and black freebord, with bright yellow wheels that make for a vivid contrast with the dull tar road. ?The motion or the feeling when riding is also cool,? he said.
The freebord is designed to simulate snowboarding. It has six wheels: four appearing similarly to those on a normal skateboard, while the two added centre wheels make the freebord unique. These allow for the skater to do a 360 degree rotational slide. Slides can be used to stop completely and to navigate the freebord in the desired direction. Two bindings attached to the top provide riders with extra foot support and control.
Oliver Evans uses a longboard as his form of transportation both on and off campus. His dad encouraged him to start longboarding when he was 14 years old. According to Evans, skateboarding is a timeless sport. ?You can always push yourself to do crazier stuff,? he said.
Skateboarding was previously associated with a distinctive enshrined culture. It is no longer a male-dominated arena, as evidenced by both male and female students skating around campus. Flat peak caps, over-sized shirts and baggy pants are no longer the only fashion synonymous with the sport. Indie alternatives are cottoning onto the idea of the skateboard as the ultimate form of entertainment and relaxation after a long day of lectures.
Jason Higgins remembers his predilection for skating beginning when the thirteen-year-old version of himself was subjected to a skateboarding craze. He disagrees with the stereotypical associations people attach to those who skate. ?It is silly to adopt a style or a persona to a skateboard,? said Higgins, who is wearing a grey hoodie and blue jeans. ?You should just do it for fun!? Agreeing that skateboarding should not come with a distinct culture, Mirkin notes that, ?It should just be an activity?.
Ramping road imperfections and dodging traffic is part of the landscape that is freebording and longboarding. Evans, Mirkin, and Higgins prefer skating in the late afternoons in the suburbs of Grahamstown, where they concentrate on improving their skills and having fun. Looking out for each other and warning when a car looms in the distance gives the activity an added touch of camaraderie. Evans, Mirkin, and Higgins have a particular allegiance to a long hill with a fairly steep gradient. This slope is suitable for gaining the necessary speed for achieving maximum adrenaline.
They are in high spirits as they glide down the hill in a swift fashion. Conversation continuously flows between them as they comment on what each is doing right and wrong. The scene would not be savoured if the skater returned without a few scratches and scrapes to prove their dedication to the sport. Evans recalls coming off his skateboard quite a bit in the beginning. ?I loved it but I used to fall a lot,? he said.
One pair of gloves alternate between the three students. These protect their hands from the road?s rough surface. Mirkin says that the risk of getting hurt makes the sport fun. ?It gives you that bit of a thrill,? he said.
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