More than 40 years ago, a new magazine encouraged skateboarders to “skate and destroy”. Today, a new Skate Club is trying to skate and create. 

The club is focused on teaching students how to use a unique mode of green transportation, in an accessible and inclusive community.

“Skating is green, it’s a daily exercise and it stops people from driving back and forth between [classes],” said Mason Ploszay, the club’s president. “It’s a great way to get to campus in a short amount of time.”

Ploszay is concerned that students – including those who live in Hammond’s dorms — depend too much on their cars to get around campus.

“I see people come out of the dorms, get into their cars, drive down the street to the parking lot over here… students sitting in their cars in the parking lot, then driving back to the dorms,” said Ploszay. “And they will drive back and forth from campus to the dorms between classes multiple times a day.”

He believes skateboards may offer a sensible alternative. 

“I’ve timed myself on my skateboard,” Ploszay said. “My fastest time to get from the dorms to SULB was under five minutes. At a nice leisurely pace, you could get there in around six or seven minutes. It’s a lot better than the 15-to-20 that some students have to allocate for walking.”

It is also environmentally friendlier than driving, he said.

Faculty advisor Heather Augustyn, a Writing professor at the Westville Campus, said she is excited to support the new club, particularly because it is an opportunity for students to meet each other and build community.

“I’m always excited to support new clubs on campus, and the Skate Club is definitely an important one for giving people a way to discover something new, or enjoy something they already love,” she said. “In the end, it’s all about community.”

The club has already attracted 20 students eager to learn how to ride a skateboard – something Ploszay said the group will do for free.

“This isn’t going to be just a group of friends getting together,” he said. “There are about 20 people so far who have joined … that just want to be a part of the club or learn how to skate. The club will mostly be people who do not know how to skate, learning the very basics.”The Skate Club is still getting organized. 

“Currently, I have not been able to start meetings because I want to make the club free and accessible to anyone who wants to be a part of Skate Club, and I am still waiting on accessing the funds for the club,” Ploszay said. “[Since] student safety is going to be very important in this club, I am waiting to have helmets, knee pads and wrist guards for people.”

He hopes to get the club up and running in the next few weeks before winter sets in.

“I know we’re going into the cold season, but when you’re exercising you’ll feel 20 degrees warmer,” he said.