Angelina WagnerClink, clank. Clink, clank. These are the sounds that can be heard outside of New Residence Hall and Xavier residence halls in the late afternoon.
As students walk down the path to Xavier and New Residence Hall they can see a group of guys skateboarding on Residential Drive. They can be found outside just about everyday skateboarding until the sun goes down.
Freshmen Dan Squire and Ian Lightcap are just two of the guys found in this group of skateboarders. Squire started skating in 1996 while Lightcap started skating in his freshman year of high school off and on due to an injury. Lightcap said, “I hurt my ankle skating and I stopped for a while but when I got to Cabrini I started skating more often.”
The two skaters say that their older brothers, MTV and all the skateboarding footage they showed, influenced them. Lightcap’s favorite skater is Jamie Thomas. Lightcap says, “Jamie Thomas is the only skater I would play Tony Hawk’s latest video game with.”
Both met at freshman orientation and realized they both had a passion for skateboarding. Luckily, when housing came up, they both ended up living in the same wing in the Xavier residence hall. Squire said, “The whole north hall is full of skaters.”
Squire and Lightcap take their skateboarding very seriously. All the guys that come together to skate in the afternoons are passionate about their skating. They all come together to become better friends and to learn each other’s different moves.
The different moves are the characteristics that distinguish one skater from another. Squire explained how skating is so diverse. Squire said, “There are older guys like Tony Hawk skating and at the same time there are teenagers skating in order to be on the level Tony Hawk is at.”
Andy Blecha, sophomore, added on to their manifesto. Blecha said, “I think skateboarding could be considered art because it is a skill that is hard to master and involves much commitment. In order to get very good like anything, if you practice enough, you will become better.”
Skating at Cabrini has opened many doors for these young men. They have not only found new friends with the same interests but more time to skate as well. Squire said, “I love skating here because I can skate with a group. At home not many people skate as much as I do but here at Cabrini I can walk down the hall and ask anyone to skate.”
Students interested in learning how to skate should know in order to skate they must first master the ollie. An ollie is when a skater jumps in the air with their skateboard under their feet and land back on the skateboard.
Once the ollie is mastered potential skaters can learn just about any move. On the other hand if the potential skater is creative they can build a new move, which would be a spin-off from the basic ollie.
SKATEBOARDING TERMS
OLLIE
Invented on ramps by Ollie Gelfand and brought to the streets by Rodney Mullen. A trick performed in the air without using your hands. The basis for most skateboarding tricks and the one that should be learned first.
BACKSIDE
Turns or rotations in the direction your toes point toward, so that your back is facing the outside of the arc.
FRONTSIDE
Turns or rotations in the direction your toes point toward, so that your front is facing toward the outside of the arc.
GRIND
Moving along an edge with your trucks, scraping your trucks against the object being grinded as you skate.
Posted to the web by Angelina Wagner
