A cluster of people huddle around the UBC skate park. Music from 70s rock to hip hop and reggae blasts out mixed with the percussive slap of skateboards on cement and the charcoal smell of barbequed hot dogs. The crowd eagerly anticipates the next big trick from the competitors announced by Stirling Bell. A big flip down the stair set is met with roaring approval and a new skate deck is the prize.
This setting encapsulates the growing UBC skateboarding community, spearheaded by the campus skatepark and the UBC Skate Club.
“It’s grown five to six times the size. It’s definitely on an upward incline,” said UBC Skate Club President Kade Philps.
With The Calendar’s involvement and its massive campus following, the size of the UBC Skate club jam has also boosted. “We want to reflect everything that’s happening on this campus,” said Calendar representative Bhavya Mandloi. “I think it’s important to bring up the smaller clubs.”
The UBC skate park, which opened in 2013, is the first on campus skatepark and hosts the UBC Skate club jam annually. Phillips was quick to praise the success of the park and was hopeful the idea would catch on elsewhere.
“We love it and I’m sure all the other universities would too.”
For many students, it is the perfect spot for a quick study break. “All those random hour gaps between classes. I just come skate and tons of people do that,” said Phillips.
The success of the skate jam and the skatepark itself demonstrates the large skateboarding community at UBC. Given this success, Phillips hopes to have the club host more events in the future whether it’s beginner nights, filming for a skate club edit or perhaps a trip abroad.
With an on-campus skatepark, some help from The Calendar and another successful skate jam under its belt, it’s hard to call UBC Skate a small club anymore. It’s part of an ever-growing UBC skateboarding community turning campus into a student skaters’ utopia.
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