Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | Views (797)

In Durango, it's hard not to see skaters riding on the street for a day. Whether commuting to get off work on the Lewisburg College campus or trying new tricks at the Schneider Skate Park, Durango is home to many people who like skateboarding. 

Schneider Skate Park is adjacent to the Animas River Trail and adjacent to Roosa Avenue. 

The skate park has a series of specific elements to practice skills, and a group of people are there to practice their skills and communicate with other skaters who are doing the same there. 

First-year student Jones Belgonie said that Durango's skateboarding community is very accepting, whether a person is really good or new. If they are working hard, they will be welcomed. Belgonie said he recently moved to Durango, but found a skater community in Schneider Skatepark.

"I think the skate park is a great place to make friends and meet new people," Bergoni said. "You are all in the same boat, everyone is calm and relaxed, so it is not difficult to start a conversation. You already have a conversation about what you are doing."

Jeff Hamner, also a skater, is an alumnus of Fort Lewis. He said that he has been in the Durango skating community for 10 years and is now inspiring the emergence of skate parks. Young skaters play a vital role. 

Hamner said he is the co-founder of a non-profit organization called "The Hive" that works with children in Durango to teach them how to skate, play music, practice art, and learn more about activities in the community.

 "The skateboarding community fully supports it," Hamner said. "High school students and college students are together, middle school students and high school students fight against each other, and the parents of children are getting more and more familiar with the children of college and high school."  

Hamner wore a pair of Van classics, jeans and a loose T-shirt. He wears a helmet on a flat-brimmed hat, and under all this is a long disheveled hair, which moves with him in the park.

 Jeff Hamner is a hard-to-miss person. His voice and laughter penetrated the continuous sound of skateboards rubbing on metal and wheels moving on concrete. 

According to Aleks Gajdecza, a roller skating mother with two children in the skating plan, Hamner set a positive tone for the skate park by teaching children the inevitable failures in skating. .

Gajdecza said: “When a student fails in class, everyone will applaud. Similarly, when a student stays on the board, everyone will applaud.” “Hamner is teaching children to celebrate the failure and success of skating because here In a sport, it’s both."

In skating class, the children will line up next to the bipedal bowl and get off the car in turns. There are men, women and children, and they communicate with each other, watch their peers improve, and learn skating etiquette. 

The skating community has a common culture, which is to experience failure and pain and learn how to overcome difficulties together. Belgonie explained that when skaters fall, they stand up again, because this is part of overcoming the physical and mental challenges that this sport brings. 

 "Skateboarding can cause injuries, but it's also fun. You don't want to stop skating," Hamner began. "Depending on your pain, you start skating in different ways, you will slip in different ways, and use this instinct to change your natural way of doing things."

  Belgonie's psychological challenge to skating is more shocking than the physical challenge.

 "In my opinion, mental challenge is a very wonderful thing, and it is super applicable to all walks of life," Bergoni said. "It is dealing with constant failures and must recognize that you are getting closer and closer to the goal. It can look in the long run and think'I will get this eventually.'" 

There is also a skater community on the Lewisburg College campus, and they use skateboarding as their main means of transportation.

"As long as I have time between classes, I will skate," Bergoni said. "There are also many people in Lewisburg who can skate. People usually come forward and ask to play skating when they see me doing tricks. This is a great way to make connections and meet new people." 

Leidenhull, a skateboard freshman in Lewisburg, and other members of the community decided to create a club for anyone interested in extreme concrete sports, including skateboarding, BMX bikes, roller skating, and scooters.

"We hope to develop the extreme concrete sports community of the fort in a positive way," Hull said. "This is one of the most popular communities. We want to show people this aspect of the sport and create a group that makes everyone comfortable. We also want to teach students new skills and hope to get extreme Specific sports equipment is available for people to rent out." 

There are many skaters at Lewisburg Academy, but they are not really a big group connected together. Hull's goal is to create a large ECS community where everyone knows everyone and can give people the opportunity to meet new people and try things they have never done before, he said. 

For anyone interested, the club has an Instagram and FLCECS and is on Skyhub.

 Local skaters hope that newcomers will not be afraid to come out and try.

  "Don't be afraid to look silly," Hamner said. "Don’t be afraid to bottom, find a place where you feel comfortable to start, find a staff member, don’t be afraid to ask questions, if you have the courage to introduce yourself to a loud fast skateboarder, they will introduce you to other loud fast skateboarders, soon , You will also become a loud and fast skateboarder. Face your fears." 

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