Page 4A • Thursday, January 28, 1999
A
GGIELIFE
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A&M skateboarders endure hardships in pursuit of hobby
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BY AMY DAUGHERTY
The Battalion
s darkness descends upon the quiet
^own, the elusive creatures make their
way through the moonlight and what fol
lows is a frenzy unlike any other.
If a glimpse can be managed, then the
viewers can count themselves among the lucky
few to see them in all their crowning glory.
The skaters can be seen on campus riding
their boards as they make their way to class,
but their activities on campus in the evening
provide more entertainment.
At the Grove, where some skaters gather at
ERIC NEWNAM/Tim Battalion
Jeremy Scott, a freshman electrical engineering
major, rides his long board. Long boards are
typically used for transportation purposes.
night, easy access to a variety of ramps has
recently been taken away.
People make assumptions about them as
a whole, and brand them as troublemakers.
Ryan Taylor, a freshman ocean engineering
major, said he has been skateboarding for five
years now and said he has been stopped and
questioned by police officers.
“A couple of times me and my roommate and
some guys from down the hall were in front of
the MSC,” he said. “A cop shined his lights and
asked our names.
Jeremy Scott, a freshman electrical engi
neering major, said he also has been stopped by
police while carrying his skateboard.
Adreon Henry, buyer for The Factory, which
primarily sells skateboard paraphernalia, said
skate boarding can keep kids out of trouble be
cause it offers them an alternative to negative
peer pressure.
“We have a skate team that pretty much all
skates, and every so often we go to Austin and
go to skate parks,” he said. “We’re trying to do
something positive.
“Some kids aren’t going to play basketball or
football,” he said. “They’re really talented and
can ride a skateboard, which is hard. They just
want something to do.”
Henry said the residents of College Station
need realize not all skateboarders cause prob
lems in the community.
“It’s about time this town started changing
their views, and I hate to say it, but be more
like Austin,” he said. “It’s just disgusting the
way they [skateboarders! are treated.
“People need to realize it’s not just a punk
thing. Cops bother you for carrying a skate
board and in-line skaters don’t get even half
as much heat as skateboarders.”
Skateboarders say that despite it all, they
continue to practice their hobby, due, at least
in part, to the adrenaline rush they experience
when a trick is landed.
Taylor said some of the tricks he performs in
clude heel flips, tail grinds and olley hand
grabs.
“For me, it’s kind of like, you get a rush af
ter you land a trick or something,” Taylor said.
“When someone sees you and you’ve landed
something, well, it’s just pretty cool.”
Taylor said he usually skates on campus,
even though the cobblestones walkways
throughout campus sometimes prove to be a
problem.
He said he skates about five hours a week
and he enjoys skating and the versatility of the
sport.
“1 grew up in Hawaii and it was either surf
ing or skateboarding,” he said. “It’s fun, recre
ational and it doesn’t cost money, except for
buying the board. You can do it wherever you
want, as long as you don’t get kicked out and
whenever you want.
“It’s just fun, you get kind of a workout too,
especially your knees, legs and back.”
Scott said he started skating last year and
skateboards on campus throughout the week.
“I skateboard to and from every class be
cause I’m usually late, and every other night I
skate around also,” he said. "There’s not one
day I’m not on my board going somewhere.”
Henry said The Grove was an ideal location
to skate, but the people who kept items, such
as ramps, there were told their equipment
would be confiscated if it was found there
again.
“We’re looking for another place to put the
stuff,” he said. “It’s ridiculous to think they can
make us stop doing something we love.”
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Taylor , a freshman ocean engineering major,sfh
on the A&M campus.
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The TAMU Buck Weirus Spirit h\ declared preside
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Sponsored by the Association of Former Students
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Wednesday, Bi
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Buck Weirus Spirit Award Applications are now available I ago in his inau
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?king the Wh:
President’s Office, 8th Floor Rudder
The Association of Former Students Reception Desk
Vice President for Student Affairs, 10th Floor Rudder
Office of the Dean of each College
Office of Graduate Studies
Student Activities Office, Suite 125 Koldus Building
Multicultural Services Department, Suite 137 MSC
Commandant’s Office, 102 Military Sciences
MSC Student Programs Office, 216 & 223 MSC
taken center sk
While he n
mains undecic
1
This Award recognizes students for outstanding contributions^
student quality of life program at A&M and honors Richard 1|
Weirus ‘42. Highlight accomplishments of Mr. Weirus: Se
Executive Director of the Association of Former Students from |
1980, established the first computerized alumni association
country, established the Century Club, the initiation of the Presi
Endowed Scholarship program and the Visitor Information C?]
was an active member and past president of the San Antonio ;
Club.
Applications Due by 5:00 p.m., February 9, 1999 at theCIa) 1 ]
Williams Alumni Center Reception Desk. Cook Luck.
J