JOHN STASER
Staff Writer
While skateboarding is one most widely practiced sports in Southern California’s surf settings, it does not enjoy popularity among businesses, private property owners and government-run parks and facilities since it is banned or prohibited from most public areas, Pepperdine included.
The university’s official policy is that riding skateboards, roller skates and Rollerblades is prohibited anywhere and anytime on campus, according to the Student Handbook.
Dawn Emrich, assistant director of Public Safety, said the prohibitions are not a result of one particular incident.
“They are a result of multiple issues, namely liability,” she said.
Some students agree the rule against skating is a positive campus policy.
“Skateboarders don’t really bother me,” freshman Jennifer Jones said. “But they should respect others’ property and skate in designated areas, just like all other sports.”
Similar bans exist in most local shopping areas like the Malibu Country Mart and Malibu Colony Plaza, which enforce these restrictions with private security, resulting in a shortage of places to legally skateboard.
Skaters at Pepperdine say they notice a lack of places to skate. “I haven’t skated in months,” said freshman Alex Vloka. “If you don’t have a car here you are pretty much out of luck.”
Although skateboarding has a fairly short history, its popularity is reflected in the demand for skate parks throughout the United States and especially in California. Skateboarding was born from the 1950s surf boom and gained popularity when people realized they could recreate the feeling of riding a wave on solid ground.
“I started to help with my surfing, you know, making cut-backs and pumping back and forth for speed,” freshman Justin Hupp said of his skateboarding.
Although Malibu enforces no-skating rules in most public areas and shopping centers, the city sponsors a skate park that is walking distance from Pepperdine.
Papa Jack’s Skate Park is a little known secret among students and is located on the corner of St. Cross Creek Dr. and Civic Center Way. The city-run park, which us across from the Malibu Country Mart was renovated in 2004. It boasts 10,000 square feet of skating terrain. It offers a great place to skate free of regulations and possible fines, and costs $2 per two-hour session.
“We get a few Pepperdine students coming through,” said Papa Jack’s employee Raul Lizarraga. “A lot of kids don’t know where we are located, or that we even exist,” he said.
Freshman Ryan Lysaught has gone to the park on a couple occasions this year and said that it is a good place to hang out.
“It is a great place to go and ride,” Lysaught said. “The place is really chill and perfect for getting away from it all and just relaxing with some friends.”
Despite Papa Jack’s discreet location, it offers a nearby, affordable and practical solution to the woes of skaters who feel stranded and without a place to skate at Pepperdine.
02-08-2007
