1 The Importance of Skateboarders in Red Square

Luca Fu, Minjun Jung, Avery Martin

The sport of skateboarding has always been about creativity. As a fairly new sport, there are not many rules or limits on it. You can skateboard anywhere as long as you have a board. This allows for a ‘blank canvas’ to work from. Some skateboarders talk about seeing spaces and imagining how they could pull off a new trick on it. They’ll take in every part of the space and play out in their heads how they could use it. This comes into play when we talk about spaces like the Red Square at UW. It’s a wide open space with stairs and curves- it’s essentially a skateboarder’s paradise. There are so many things you can do to create new tricks in the Red Square.

The Youtube Video at the bottom shows the creativity in skateboarding. You don’t have to have a plan going in: you see a great space, and you grab your board. What’s ironic is that in the video, the skateboarders are stopped by the police and asked to leave. When we talk about the Collegiate Way, we talk about the flow between students and universities. We, ideally, want there to be a balance between the two. However, this video shows how in some aspects, like skateboarding, the wants of the student are not met. When I think of the Red Square at UW, my mind immediately goes to the people who are out in the square when it’s busy and vibrant. The students walking to class, the student groups that are looking for new members, the food trucks, and, of course, the skateboarders.

While many support skateboarding on Red Square, there are some that think otherwise. One student at UW says that one reason why people may dislike skateboarders is that sometimes when they are trying to do a trick, they can lose their skateboard and possibly hurt someone. However, as long as they are cautious and make sure to keep themselves and others safe, the student had no issues and claimed that skateboarding allows people to do a fun outdoor activity. Additionally, it appears that UW may not want skateboarders on red square or on campus. The photo to the right shows skateboard stoppers on the edges of the seating area. These stoppers prevent skateboarding from doing tricks and limits their creativity and are placed throughout red square as well as throughout campus. What many people fail to understand is that skateboarding can be very beneficial to students. In fact, according to a study conducted by USC, skateboarding “improves mental health, fosters community, and encourages diversity and resilience” (Los Angeles Times). In other words, it helps promote a positive environment on campus and is part of why UW is a thick institution.

Skateboarding in Red Square at UW can help students communicate together by providing a shared source of inspiration and excitement. As one student expressed, “When we see each other trying new tricks or cheering each other on, it creates a positive atmosphere that encourages us to connect and communicate.” The physical space of Red Square, known for its vibrant energy and student gatherings, serves as a natural hub for fostering connections among skateboarders, which is essential for a thick institution. It allows students to come together, form friendships, and engage in dialogue through their shared passion for the sport.

This video shows a video of a guy skateboarding in red square. It shows how creative skateboarding really is and how imaginative tricks can be. It also shows that UW frowns upon skateboarding and that they may not fully understand why its important.

References:

1. Los Angeles Times. (2020, February 26). Skateboarding improves mental health, helps build diverse relationships, USC study says. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-02-26/skateboarding-improves-mental-health-helps-build-diverse-relationships-usc-study-says
2. YouTube. (2020, May 30). Street skateboarding at the University of Washington. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtCUZmzd3s0&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fuw.pressbooks.pub%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=MichaelDorgan