Skateboarding, historically a counter-culture activity centered in city environments, has carved out a place for itself on Middlebury’s rural campus. Skateboarders frequently perform tricks outside Proctor Dining Hall or on Adirondack View Road, creating a community and culture unique to Middlebury’s campus.
Skateboarders at Middlebury find creative ways to challenge themselves. Here, Noe Horiwaki ’21 is riding next to Brooker.
While some students have skateboarded throughout their Middlebury careers, many have noticed a recent boom in the number of students skateboarding together on campus. Some attribute this swell to the rise in popularity of skateboarding during the early months of quarantine when people were looking for new ways to stay active.
“I always thought [skateboarding] was cool,” said Alex Burgess ’23, who started skateboarding this year. “But my interest was pretty pandemic-inspired.”
On a hilly, grassy campus that isn't necessarily conducive to skateboarding, skateboarders have still found areas to convene. The most popular meeting spot is outside Proctor, where students often perform tricks and jumps in front of outdoor diners. Their set-up consists of a rail and a ramp, the latter of which is borrowed from the dining hall staff.
“It used to just be a couple of people, but then other guys were recruited and as of right now there are probably about ten people out there who come by pretty regularly,” Sabian Edouard ’21 said.
However, when asked about skateboarding culture at Middlebury, the campus skateboarders were loath to admit that one even exists.
“No, there definitely isn’t a skateboarding culture at Middlebury,” Noe Horiwaki ’21 said. “It’s mainly just a bunch of people working on tricks together. Skateboarding culture is about more than just the tricks — it encompasses things like what people wear, how they speak and the kind of videos they watch.”
Whether you call it a culture or not, it’s clear that a strong sense of community, mutual support and friendship has blossomed among skateboarders on campus. Burgess and Edouard both recount instances when they’ve been trying to work on tricks and have been encouraged and taught by those around them until they’ve succeeded.
It’s this sense of mutual support and willingness to coach fellow students that seems to define Middlebury’s skateboarding community. Horiwaki emphasizes the value in seeing people working hard to expand their skills, describing the special feeling that comes with watching someone be willing to fail repeatedly until they finally succeed.
Other skaters praise Horiwaki in particular for contributing to this development of a teaching culture that allows for a welcoming environment.
“Noe’s a really great teacher and definitely takes a lot of time helping people out with whatever they want to work on,” Edouard said.
Skateboarders at Middlebury also mention the diversity among their group, noting that it makes others feel more comfortable to join. Although there is less gender diversity among the community — skateboarding is a traditionally male-dominated sport — there is clear racial diversity among those who regularly gather to skateboard.
There are also multiple group chats among skateboarders — and they are often used to plan gatherings, fueling a sense of community and collective engagement.
“I was skating by and they just kind of asked me if I wanted to join in and skate with them,” Burgess said. “Then they added me to a group chat.”
While some may deny that there’s a specific skateboarding culture at Middlebury, there’s something surrounding the skateboarding community. And regardless of how you describe it, at its core, it's a positive, open-armed and supportive community that’s weaved its way into Middlebury’s athletic culture.
“I think it’s really great,” Burgess said.
The grind never stops: Skateboarding at Middlebury flourishes during pandemic
Courtesy: Sabian Edouard
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