Geography of Skateboarding: Urban Adventurists Resisting Privatized Spaces

*A lot of necessary background info*

Skateboarding first emerged out of Southern California in the late 1950’s.  In their primitive beginning, skateboards had no official name – they were just wooden boxes affixed to roller blade wheels.  Of course, the sport has undergone tremendous evolution since then.  Originally, skateboards were only intended for simple cruising down sidewalks as their early designs were quite limited in capability.  However, as boards improved, their purpose shifted to produce an experience similar to surfing; skaters would carve around the contour of drained swimming pools as if they were catching a wave.  At this point in its history, the spaces in which skateboarding took place were mainly backyard pools in suburban neighborhoods.  

Then in the late 1970s, Stanford engineer George Powell and famed surfer/skateboarder Stacy Peralta founded the Powell-Peralta skateboarding company.  Powell-Peralta revolutionized the skateboarding industry and the culture at large.  The company assembled a skate team composed of extremely talented skaters that would go on to be known as the Bones Brigade.  These individuals were: Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain, Mike McGill, Tommy Guerrero, and Rodney Mullen - each of them have invented tricks that are still fundamental to every skateboarder’s catalog.  

At the same time, a young skater named Natas Kaupas was exploring new ways of utilizing the urban landscape of Santa Monica.  While his friends were skating vert (vertical) terrain like pools and half pipes Kaupas envisioned street terrain including railing, benches, stairs, and even fire hydrants as skateable obstacles.  The Bones Brigade, along with Kaupas, played a critical role in establishing the boundaries in which modern-day skateboarding take place.  Throughout the 80s and 90s, Powell-Peralta produced several ground-breaking skate films.  One of which features Kaupas, and is titled The Search for Animal Chin.  In the film, Kaupas and the Bones brigade set out on an adventure to find a fictional legendary skater named Animal Chin.  Their journey leads them to California, Nevada, and Hawaii, where they explore a myriad of urban locations that are conducive to skating.  Some examples include the hills of San Francisco and a concrete irrigation ditch in Hawaii.  At these locations, Natas Kaupas and the Bones Brigade redefined what could be done with a skateboard, and this galvanized a migration of skaters out of the backyard pools and into the streets.

*Okay, here’s where the element of resistance really comes into play*

                                                        Skaters kicked off private property 

As a result of these pioneers, contemporary skateboarders have flocked to urbanized spaces like plazas, college campuses, parking lots, and courtyards.  These skatable locations are referred to in skate culture as skate spots.  While the skaters enjoy these spaces, business owners and neighborhood residents often grow furious with their presence on the premise that they are either trespassing or loitering on private property.  Some locations put up signs that indicate ‘no skateboarding allowed,’ while other locations have a security guard or faculty member ask skaters to leave. Several locations including Ohio University have resorted to 'skate-stoppers,' which are small metal pegs that prevent skaters from accessing rails and ledges.

Ledge with skate-stoppers

 In many cases, skaters are reluctant to obey such demands, often landing themselves a fine or legal trouble.  However, this behavior cannot be written off as simple disobedience.  In many towns within the US and around the globe, people who enjoy skateboarding do not have access to public skateparks or any kind of space where they can skate without fear of legal prosecution.

With nowhere to go without being incriminated, the skateboarding community has demonstrated great resistance against the privatized, capitalist powers that be.  This resistance is observable in three big ways.  First, the mere act of resistance is heavily ingrained into skateboarding culture and lifestyle.  Just watch a recently released skate video.  I can almost guarantee it will feature a clip along the lines of a security guard attempting to impede on a skater jumping down a staircase, who is ultimately thwarted as the skater succeeds in clearing the stairs and rolls away scot free.  Not only is this imagery empowering against the construct of privatized space, but it looks cool too!

Second, skaters give new names to notorious skate spots, claiming the spaces as their own.  For example, the name '3rd and Army' was given to this walkway/pier overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Third, Skateboarding icons Tony Hawk and Rob Dyrdek have both made tremendous contributions to resisting privatized spaces that condemn skaters.  The Tony Hawk Foundation has constructed skateparks in all 50 states of the US, including the skatepark here in Athens.  Without the diligent work of his foundation, many towns would have no spaces at all to accommodate skaters.  Additionally, Ohio Skateboarder Rob Dyrdek’s “Safe Spot Skate Spot” program has provided multiple skate plazas across Los Angeles County in which skaters can enjoy the obstacles of the street within a contained environment, away from police and private security.  These plazas are integrated into already existing public parks.

Promotional video for Dyrdek's Safe Spot Skate Spots:


A Case of Extreme Resistance: Skatetopia
Just a 30-minute drive from Athens, this self-governing 88-acre DIY skatepark rejects American cultural norms and embraces an identity of pure punk/counter culture-fueled chaos.  Lighting ramps on fire to causing cars to explode, this community of skaters is committed to the preservation of their space and the culture that exists within it.

Thanks for reading! :)






Insightful links:

Academic Study of the Geography of Skateboarding - https://hugeog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/HGvol3no3-WEB12.pdf

More about the Bones Brigade members - https://bonesbrigade.com/cast/

About the Tony Hawk Foundation - https://tonyhawkfoundation.org/about/

The History of Street Skating https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccf0ENQBee0