Bravado on skateboard

CEBU, Philippines – They are becoming more and more a familiar sight - young people taking over whatever concrete space they can find, sweating it out and looking like they're having fun… on their skateboards.  For many of them, what they do is much more than merely a leisure pastime. It is their very way of life, their culture.

 And, yes, skateboarding may be viewed as a form of youth culture. Skateboarders have their own ways - the group has its own aesthetic style and code of conduct, a shared mindset of sorts. One is likely to recognize a skateboarder when he sees one, even without the ubiquitous skateboard.

The skateboarder is more than just a person who rolls on a piece of wood. He is oftentimes driven by desire to be an accomplished skater. It is not enough to know how to skate. It is also important to know the proper place where to skate.

And there has since been an added part to the story. There are now particular outfits and accessories for skateboarding, not to discount the fact that the skateboard itself has its own levels of stature. There's even a certain trend in skateboarder hairstyle, as well as preferred kind of music.

The external markers help further define the skateboarder identity, alongside cultural values - values viewed by adult society as somewhat rebellious, or at least unduly daring. True, their personal bearing and behavior can look noticeably a bit different from that of the mainstream youth.

Skateboarding, it seems, is more than just physical activity. Being a skateboarder is also about the asserting a characteristic attitude, and an unmistakable bravado. The behavior can be quite important to young children seeking to establish their place among their peers. For the older, more committed youth, it is a "lifestyle."

Like other so-called "extreme" sports such as snowboarding, windsurfing and parcours, skateboarding is less organized or institutionalized than mainstream sport; like basketball, for instance. It is undoubtedly a highly competitive activity, although skaters will argue that the competition is more with oneself, or with one's past performance, than with other skaters. Certainly, it is opposed to traditional forms of competition, in which there are clear winners and losers.

Skaters tend to present their sport as one in which "there are no rules, referees, set plays, nor coaches."  They make it appear as a purely cooperative pursuit, in which participants themselves - rather than external authorities - create their own definition of excellence. And the more they are sneered at by the adult community, the greater their bravado to assert themselves.

There is clearly a lack of proper places for skateboarding, especially in cities where the activity in most in vogue. This takes skateboarders to the street sides. They find no better place to do their thing.  At the street sides the pavement is smooth solid concrete, and - just as ideally - they are highly visible to passersby, a value that really matters in their efforts to assert their identity.

Here the real problem emerges. Considering the daring of the young skateboarders and their close proximity to the street, it is not farfetched for the skateboard to swerve into the vehicular traffic. The danger is very real, indeed.

And there is yet another problem looming. Given the fact that skateboarding by the street sides is not sanctioned by the authorities render the kids very vulnerable to abuses. In a system where even adult drivers get victimized by errant traffic personnel, what guarantees are there that the young skateboarders will be spared?

It appears that the skateboarding craze is really catching on with the young. Public skate parks are needed, although such spaces may not totally stop the growing problem of street side - even main street - skateboarding. There is need as well to tame the subversive, anti-social tendencies of the skateboarding youth.