Building a community through skateboarding

New skate club helps students develop their skills, share passion for the sport

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 8^th, 2024

Editor's note: This is article is part of an ongoing series highlighting active student clubs on campus.

Of all things, it was an anime TV series called “Sk8 to Infinity” that convinced Marcila Diaz to give skateboarding a try last fall.

“It really just brings skateboarding into a whole new perspective,” she said. “It’s so dramatic and exaggerated. It shows the fun, crazy side of skateboarding. I wanted to give it a shot.”

At the time, a skate club called the Skater Society had just been established at CSUB. She decided to join, despite being concerned about how the other students in the club would perceive her.

“I was very apprehensive going to a skate park, but as soon as I walked into one, there was just this sort of comfortability,” she said. “I thought I would go in feeling judged or people would laugh if I fell, but being there, none of my fears happened. I had people there supporting me, giving me tips.”

Now Diaz is the one providing that support to newcomers. The business major had such a great experience with the club that when the time came to choose officers for the spring semester and she was recommended to take over as president of the club, Diaz jumped at the opportunity.

“I figured that I could help boost the student involvement here with the skate community and CSUB,” she said. “I wanted to bring my passion to the club to get more people interested in it.”

Skater Society, which currently has about a dozen active members, typically meets at least once a week at local skate parks around town, such as the ones at Beach and Planz parks. Sometimes the club will do trips outside of Bakersfield to skate parks in cities such as Arvin and Tulare.

“We’re trying to build a community where we can all have fun doing something that we all have a shared interest in and just have that socialization,” Diaz said. “Skating is a great way to exercise and build your confidence.”

Club members are a mixture of veterans who have been skating for years and students who have less than a year of experience, or sometimes no prior experience at all. One such student is junior Eduardo Martinez, who has been skating since joining the club at the beginning of the semester.

“I really wanted to be active this year,” he said. “I wanted to try something out and get more involved with school activities. After learning about this club during Club Day, I thought it would be exciting to join.”

Martinez said he’s enjoyed his experience with the Skater Society so far and that he’s learned a lot about how to skate over the past few months. He has also appreciated getting to know the other club members.

“The sense of community here at the park is great,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing that this club is available to students. It can help students get out of their bubble and find a community for themselves.”

Freshman Carlos Flores took up skateboarding about six months ago. He decided to join the club after a skater friend recommended it.

“It’s been a great way to meet new people,” he said. “I usually skate alone, so it’s been cool to have other people to skate with. Everyone is really friendly.”

While he hasn’t been skating for long, Flores has already developed a passion for it. He’s suffered a few minor injuries, but that hasn’t stopped him from continuing with it.

“It looks really simple, but it’s a lot harder than it looks,” he said. “I get joy from every little thing I’m able to improve on, and it beats walking everywhere. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

The safety of the club members is one of Diaz’s biggest concerns as president. She makes sure everyone knows how to skate safely before starting a session. The club has some gear they can loan, but often other members are willing to share some of their own personal equipment, whether that be a skateboard, helmet or knee pads.

Diaz acknowledges that skating is an inherently risky activity and that there is only so much someone can do to protect themselves from an injury.

“The thing with skateboarding is that sometimes you just get hurt no matter what you do,” she said. “I always tell people it’s not IF you fall, it’s WHEN you fall, and it’s knowing how to fall that’s important. We tell them the best ways to fall and the things you can do to avoid serious injury.”

Diaz carries a first aid kit in case of emergencies, but there luckily has not been a need for it yet. She said none of the club members have suffered any serious injuries, partly because she tries to ensure that students aren’t skating beyond their ability level.

“We start with whatever they feel most comfortable with and work them up to the more challenging tricks,” she said. “A lot of people are hesitant to join the club because they fear they’re not good enough. I always remind them that even if you’ve never touched a skateboard, you are more than welcome to join the club because we will walk you through to where you reach that comfortability.”

Dispelling stereotypes

For master’s student Josh Bravo, skateboarding has been a fun way to relax and be physically active since he took up the hobby at the beginning of the year. His biggest challenge is trying to find time to skate between being a full-time student and working as an administrative assistant to Stewards Inc. CEO Andrae Gonzales.

“These weekend skating sessions definitely help out,” he said. “The skate club’s been pretty welcoming. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”

Bravo is one of the older students in the Skater Society, despite only having started skating at the beginning of the year. A big part of that is because of his upbringing.

“When I was younger, my mom would never let me partake in skateboarding,” he said. “I know sometimes skating has this reputation of being a rebellious hobby, but this is a diverse group of people. Just look at me — I’m a master’s student, I work for the vice mayor and I skateboard.”

Diaz agrees that there is often a negative connotation given to skateboarding and those who do it, and that skate parks are often stereotyped as a breeding ground for crime. Those assumptions are something that the club is trying to challenge.

“I think that this stigma of skate parks being this scary place filled with bad people definitely is something that the club is trying to change,” she said. “We want to show we’re not all following this stereotype about skateboarders and that we’re actually a very tight-knit community.”

Diaz hopes that as the Skater Society continues to develop, students will become less hesitant to join and will see the club as a great opportunity to make friends while doing something they enjoy. She’s already seen that happen with the club’s current members.

“Getting to see their development and their improvement has definitely been one of the more exciting parts of doing this,” she said. “I just hope that they get an enjoyable experience out of this and that they can take something from it, whether that’s how to build up their confidence or create new friendships.”

Dr. Moises Gurrola, assistant professor of history at CSUB, is a longtime skater who helped establish the Skater Society last year. He has also enjoyed seeing the students interact and improve on their skating abilities since it started.

“Seeing the students progress every session we have is awesome. They keep getting better and better. We try to keep them motivated and don’t let them get discouraged,” he said. “It feels great to be able to offer this. It’s really rewarding.”

Dr. Gurrola hopes to see the club grow in the coming years. He would also love to one day see a dedicated skate space at CSUB so students can skateboard on campus. The only skating students usually do on campus is just to get around from class to class. Dr. Gurrola hopes to present a proposal to the university once private funding has been secured.

Diaz plans to stay president of the Skater Society next semester and is already planning some excursions. She would like to take the club on a trip to a skate competition so they can see how it’s done in the hopes that one day, CSUB students could actually enter a competition themselves.

Dr. Gurrola is happy to see that Diaz wants to continue leading the club and believes she has been a great president.

“She's knowledgeable about how clubs work on campus and she has the charisma to bring people to the organization,” he said. “She’s introduced members to the club who are eager to learn to skate and are excited about what the club provides: camaraderie, support and fun. She'll continue to be a great president.”

Diaz will have to continue to juggle her involvement in other clubs on campus, such as the Native and Indigenous Student Coalition, which she is also the president of. While leading both clubs while managing her classwork is a lot of work on her part, she said they have enriched her CSUB experience.

“I definitely think they’re important,” she said. “With each of these clubs, I think they all have something unique to offer to the students here. They not only have a big impact on the campus life but can also impact the community here in Bakersfield.”