Skateboarding
Photo Credit: Kena
Tristen and Meason posing with skateboards
There are risks of getting hurt in every sport, but overall sports are allowed and encouraged thanks to the physical health benefits, team spirit and leadership skills acquired. However, not all sports are treated equally. Some students have gained finesse and confidence through skateboarding, yet it is forbidden on campus, which causes one to question: Is skateboarding safer than other sports? And if it is safe, why does Skyline not allow it?
School principal Aaron Jarnagin said, “It’s a danger and safety hazard to other students. Our task is to keep every student safe. Have you ever seen a skateboarder to skateboarding tricks? It’s not in like a little area. And one thing we want to do is keep the campus as clean as possible, and sometimes when they ride rails and things like that it can mark up things, but if you allow it and everybody brings a skateboard it’s crazy.”
Although skateboarding is fun and exciting, the risk of injury is high. Some of the most common injuries from skateboarding are sprains, fractures, broken noses, and concussions. Injuries mainly happen to people who are in the age group 15 to 24. According to hvsboardblog.com, over 70% of skateboarding injuries involve contusions, sprains, and fractures, 20% of injuries are to the head, and roughly 3% of the injuries are serious head injuries.
Despite the dangers, a lot of students have found lots of benefits of skateboarding and how if you use it properly you won’t get injured. There are more benefits then we know with skateboarding. Some of the benefits are it keeps you fit, reduces stress, and helps you have a high pain tolerance.
Tristen Crotteau(10) likes to skateboard here at Skyline even though it’s not allowed. “A basic skateboarding trick is an ollie. You need to be able to do an ollie before doing any other trick. You’re supposed to wear a helmet but I don’t wear a helmet because I don’t like to.” The worst injury he has gotten is a sprain. He had built his own skateboarding ramp and it’s here at Skyline.
Meason Frymire(10) will skateboard wherever there is a good set of stairs and tries to skateboard every day in the summer. “There is one competition here and it’s on Earth Day and I do compete in that.” Meason does not wear safety gear. The worst injury he had gotten is a broken foot.
Even though skateboarding is not allowed on campus, there are still plenty of other places to go. There’s a skate park at Tautphaus, a skate park in Shelley across from the high school on Hansen, and a skate park in Rigby at the “Pirate Park.” And if a skate park is not your thing because it’s too crowded or whatever the reason is, you can always just skateboard around town or wherever you find a good set of stairs or a good rail.
