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  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.”

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