Featured photo by Matthew Olson
Story by Matthew Olson
Since 2004, skateboarders around the globe unite annually to celebrate a holiday of their own. They skate their favorite spots and, most importantly, skate together. Every June 21 is National Go Skateboarding Day.
The International Association of Skateboard Companies created Go Skateboarding Day in 2003, encouraging the skating community to engage in inclusive, creative and recreational activities by skateboarding together.
Phil Doran, owner of LRB Skate and Record Shop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, had plenty of sales promotions to celebrate Go Skateboarding Day this year.
Doran jokingly refused to accept excuses from customers who were too busy to celebrate.
“So, some (customers) are like ‘Man, I gotta work,’” Doran said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, but it’s go skate day. You’re supposed to play hooky or call in.’”
This Go Skateboarding day Doran waited to hear from Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation regarding a hard deadline for completion of the city’s new skate park. LRB scheduled a skate park demonstration and in-store signing event with Mystery Skateboards on July 20, but that can’t happen if the new skate park is not completed in time.
Moab Bike Shop employee and Middle Tennessee State University alum Xavier Solis hoped the Murfreesboro skate park would be built before Go Skateboarding Day.
Solis has spent 20 years skating around the campus. He acknowledged why the troves of youthful skateboarders who take part in Go Skateboarding Day will thrive when the park opens.
“Man, we were doing well without a park for a long time,” Solis said. “Like a good strong skate scene. But that skate park will give everyone more of a place to actually meet up.”
Another local retailer also bustled with Go Skateboarding Day customers. At Zumiez, kids rushed into to buy parts for their skateboards when employee Allie White opened the doors.
“It brings the kids out,” White said. “It brings the community together.”
Go Skateboarding Day affects local skateboard culture positively, White said.
Skateboarder Wes “Hambone” Morgan believes skateboarding has educational benefits.
“Maintenance and physics are both very crucial to it and learning’s cool,” Morgan said. “You should always wear a helmet.”
He wants others to enjoy skateboarding but be safe doing it, he said.
Fellow local skateboarder Jay Palmer supports Go Skateboarding Day for getting communities up and active.
“Something like this brings the light to the fact that you can get up, do something more productive, even though like if it’s just a hobby, or if it’s something that you do on the sides,” Palmer said. “It’s more fun that way.”
Matthew Olson is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact the Lifestyles Editor, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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