"I find it a lot more fun and challenging," Pat Hamm, A&S '08, says. "You can just take your skateboard with you anywhere: class, work, or even the bar. When it's nice out, it's just my favorite way to get around."
Some may find this "nice out" notion to be utterly unfamiliar, particularly with the stormy, freezing week we have just seen and an extra six groundhog-predicted weeks of winter. Vasquez and others naturally look forward to the warmer months of spring when they can break their boards out more often, but in the meantime they do not let the cold hinder their fun.
"There's not really an off season for skating," she says. "If it's raining and snowing, you're bummed out, but once it's clear, you're out again. It's more of a lifestyle than a sport with seasons."
Hamm agrees, seizing as many opportunities as he can. "If it's dry enough, I'll skate now," he says. "I also just learned how to snowboard this year with the Ski and Snowboard Club."
For career-oriented students reluctant to tackle yet another activity in their heavily scheduled lives, skateboarders insist on giving it a try. Vasquez plans to apply her marketing degree to the extreme sports industry and get more women involved, and Hamm wants to keep it in his life as long as possible. Sumner recognizes the focus skateboarding requires, which can be helpful during the stressful weeks of finals.
"Skateboarding offers more avenues toward tricks and where to do them, so one benefit is the amount of possibilitiesavailable," he says. "Mentally, it takes a deeper focus because you have to deal with time, technique, commitment, and perseverance … We are called to work hard by the sweat of our brow all the days of our lives."
The issue of whether BC students in particular will be receptive to skateboarding has apparently lessened in recent years. Now in his fourth year at BC, Hamm has noticed that skateboarding today is not as exclusive as it used to be. There has been a recent increase in the student body's acceptance of the hobby, but Hamm thinks it will take something big to attract more students.
Spring Break
