DAVE HILL/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Third-year psychology
student Patrick Voller pops shove-its over a fun
box at a skateboarding demo on May 18 in Westwood Plaza.
By Scott Schultz
Daily Bruin Staff
They would hang out by a flat ledge wall all day long if they
could. They love curbs and smooth benches the way swimmers love the
pool and ballers love the Pauley Pavilion floor. Flying off
benches, they kick their skateboards into the air, crash land onto
the concrete, dust off and start all over again.
They are the skateboarding minority on campus, and they consider
their pursuit a sport. Others consider it a nuisance. While some
people blame skaters for damaging facilities and endangering
students, the skaters and their supporters feel they are being
unfairly singled out due to anti-skater biases.
“Everyone has this stereotype of skateboarders as being
uneducated and violent drug addicts, but that’s not always
the case,” said fourth-year psychobiology student Garrett
Booth. “I want to go to medical school and lots of my skater
friends are going to graduate school.”
Most of the skaters say that they practice their exercises
because it allows them to get a workout in a short amount of time.
Other skaters like the rush of the extreme action.
“It’s like a kid’s game, but it’s even
better as an adult,” said second-year electrical engineering
student Mike Manzano. “It’s a great break from classes
and you get a great workout without spending a lot of money. You
can get a real burn in five minutes if you want.”
Most skaters on campus claim to have injured themselves at some
point while skating. Most of their injuries are sprains and
contusions, but in extreme cases they have broken hands and ankles.
Unfortunately, bones are not the only things being broken by the
skaters.
The skaters who like to frequent areas with smooth surfaces like
the Los Angeles Tennis Center and in front of the Public Policy
Building are blamed by facility administrators for damaging benches
and the brick pavement, of which some bricks are 75 years old. The
bricks are unable to withstand the abrasive metal of the trucks,
which fastens the skateboard wheels to the board.
Some skaters, such as second-year student Dana Shayegan, claim
that there is a double standard when it comes to facility damage
sustained through skating as compared to other sports played on
campus.
“I don’t see a difference in rebuilding a ledge and
replacing grass on the football field. They’re both from
sports,” Shayegan said.
According to UCLA ordinances, “skateboarding is banned on
covered walks, bikeways, roads, curbs, parking lots, structures,
under-passes, interior, inside buildings, stairs, railings,
exterior balconies, and handicap ramps. Extreme stunts and acts are
also prohibited on campus.” Violators of the ordinance can
receive a fine of $104.
University police Sgt. Russell McKinney said that the police
tries to be fair with skaters and that they have a mutual
understanding with them.
 DAVE HILL/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Skateboarders, inline
skaters, and BMX bikers are the chief culprits for damage done to
rails, like this one in front of the Wooden Center. “From an
officer standpoint, there is no animosity with skaters,” he
said. “When an officer has an encounter with a skater, it
often depends on the attitude of the skater.”
McKinney adds that skaters in transit from point A to point B
are less of a problem than when they hang out and try tricks.
Booth wishes that the campus police would show more leniency
toward the skaters, but he acknowledges that they are generally
fair.
“I’ve only had one ticket, but I don’t how
many times I’ve been threatened,” he said with a laugh.
“Everyone is going to tell you it’s extremely difficult
to skate on campus, and it is, but the law is the law, and the cops
are doing their job.”
The skaters claim that they try not to bother other people while
they are skating, but John Daniels, a facilities worker in the
electrical shop, doesn’t agree.
“I think they’re pretty dangerous,” he said.
“They go buzzing through people, and even us, when
we’re carrying equipment.”
Daniels, who said he enjoyed skating when he was younger,
believes that the skaters should be given a designated area.
Sgt. McKinney says that as long as the skaters are respectful of
the laws and their surroundings, there should be no reason for
confrontations. However, when skaters get reckless, police will
issue citations.
“UCLA is an educational institution, and I have two ways
of educating,” he said. “I can give you a warning or I
can give you a ticket.”
Booth believes that the popularity of his sport will grow in
upcoming years. He also agrees with McKinney that if they’re
cautious of avoiding crowds and not loitering, skaters can find
peace on campus.
“Anybody who wants to skate on campus shouldn’t stay
in one place too long. Keep rotating because the cops won’t
catch you if you stay in motion.”