Inside the New Skateboarding Study: Reflections from the Researchers
In the summer of 2020, USC faculty – with funding from the USC Provost’s Office – embarked on the Mattering in the Margins study to explore how Los Angeles area skateboarders navigate wellness and foster community. In February of 2021, we welcomed a brilliant group of skateboarders – between the ages of 18-30 – as participatory action research collaborators. The study builds on a prior study, led by Drs. Zoë Corwin and Neftalie Williams and funded by the Skatepark Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation). In an effort to share what we’ve been working on with the broader community, we invited research team members to reflect on why the study matters. What follows is a glimpse of the innovation process and outcomes of this methodologically layered and unique line of inquiry.
Teodoro Agredano
Skater/researcher
The reason why this study is important to me is because skateboarding can be viewed and changed for the better of every skater. With this study, more people will start to understand where skateboarders are coming from, and places like Jkwon will be a type of skate zone (not a skate park) where no one can tell us to leave because they now see skateboarding as a spiritual, healthy, freeing, and unique action or way of expressing oneself. Skate parks ruin the essence of real street skating, so I don’t hope for this study to have the outcome of building more skateparks. I would want it to open up opportunities for people who cannot become professional skaters to still be part of the skate industry because it is now an option to go that route in school, or as part of the curriculum.
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Rafael C. Angulo
Clinical Professor, Field Education
Children, Youth & Families
Skaters are par excellence the mystics of our society – awed by doing tricks, engaged in the present moment as they straddle the board, and “at one” with the board as they jump and appear suspended in animation with all wheels off the ground. As a social worker, I’m interested in those who live on the margins of society and how they both creatively adapt to the direct dismissals by others especially by state-sanctioned authority and how they forge communities. Skaters adapt to parental, organizational, and cultural humiliation and at the same time become resilient through relational connections with other boarders. This study matters to me because I am fascinated by how we can support skaters to flourish, thrive and be grounded in psychosocial well-being.
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Daniel H. Birman
Professor of Professional Practice, USC Annenberg School of Journalism
and Documentary Producer
The greatest value of being a professor within a university, for me, is to have access to ideas that expand our horizons as people. We teach this to our students. But if we’re paying attention, we also learn new ideas from our students, colleagues, and the people we meet within the bounds of our university work. This is abundantly so with this study, which has proven to be one of the more interesting opportunities I’ve had while at USC. This is because the skate community has opened their world to us. It is a privilege to learn from people who we pass by on the streets, with scarcely a thought, as they cruise by us with seemingly carefree lives.
I have learned that there is nothing carefree about being a skateboarder because it’s a community unto itself filled with bumps, bruises, defeat, accomplishment, pride, and excitement. Mostly, though, we’re all part of this wild thing called humanity. Through open dialogue with skateboarders, as collaborators participating with this study, I have gained a real appreciation for a group that doesn’t live as labels, but rather as individuals.
And while I’m at it, my academic colleagues have brought a richness to the process, which has opened yet other ideas on what it means to observe, listen, and collaborate.
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Brent Blair
Professor of Theatre Practice, USC School of Dramatic Arts
As a practitioner in interactive theatre focusing on healing and social justice issues, the community of skaters from 18 – 25 representing all parts of Los Angeles seemed a no-brainer to me. I have been fascinated with the intersection between art and activism, representation and advocacy, and I am learning much about how this community of artist/athlete/activist/humans are cultivating community within a culture that doesn’t always understand, honor, or protect their livelihood.
Theatre of the Oppressed is a methodology that typically addresses issues of systemic marginalization with an objective of producing public dialogues to invite strategies for transformation. The skating project is not a “theatre” project, but the skater/scholars with whom we are working are showing that their lives are immersed in the theatre of dominant culture. Issues of racism, classism, sexism and gender norms, all these conspire to drop the social equivalent of anti-skater blister bumps in the sidewalk of the skater’s journey. In conjunction with my colleagues in the social sciences (sociology, social work) and the arts (film, documentary), I am understanding how the methodology of theatre of the oppressed is supporting skater-centered story-telling to better understand that community, convey its heart to those unfamiliar with it, and to identify needs for healing, education, and social justice moving forward.
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Maggie Bowen
Skater/researcher, USC student
When I first started skating I craved knowledge about how to land ollies and make my shuv-its pop better. In my three years of skating, I’ve learned so much more. Chief among them: how to fall. Any skater knows that with the sport comes many injuries. What I didn’t realize until I started skating was that falling teaches you everything you need to know about resiliency, persistence, and acceptance. On Instagram, you’ll likely see all the fancy tricks skaters land, but what you don’t see are the hundreds of times they have fallen and what that has taught them about life. For me, I’ve learned how to get back up again after a defeat and to accept my failures and push forward, something that only slamming into uncompromising concrete can really teach you. It’s exciting to see a renegade sport being analyzed in an academic context because I truly believe there’s still so much to learn from the skateboarding community, the closest network of friends I’ve ever had. I see the skatepark as a playground for misfits to express themselves through their skating and artwork. Through this study, I want the world to see the wisdom and community skateboarding offers.
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Zoe B. Corwin
Research Professor
Rossier School of Education
Several years ago, on the nights I worked late at USC, I would inevitably become annoyed by the ruckus made by skaters attempting tricks below my 7th floor window. Didn’t they realize their thwacking into concrete planters was disturbing the mellow vibe of the campus at night? But that was before I started partnering with skateboarders on research – before I learned about the profound ways that skating helps young people practice wellness. Our skate study mattered prior to the pandemic when we were seeing rates of depression, suicide and obesity on the rise. And it matters even more now, as young people grapple with how to combat social isolation and figure out new pathways to higher education and viable careers. Skaters have lessons to teach us about how to take care of ourselves, how to build inclusive communities, and how to have fun – even when circumstances are conspiring against you. The study matters because I know there are other people on campus (and in K-12 schools, stores, police departments, etc.) who hear/see/interact with skaters and instead of approaching them with intrigue, approach them with disdain. The study matters because skateboarders illustrate that one-size doesn’t fit all – that we need to think innovatively about how to engage and support young people in ways that resonate with them. This study matters because we are adding nuance to the ways that skaters have been characterized by mainstream society over decades, especially skaters with racialized and gendered identities. The study matters because we’re living in incredibly divisive times, and many skaters have figured out how to seamlessly communicate and collaborate in shared spaces — on small boards, going very fast! We have much to learn from skate culture and I’m excited to share study findings in the near future.
I’m also excited to return to campus in the fall. And when I do, I’ll relish the distinct reverberation of a skateboard traversing USC’s brick-lined pathways – a sound that now fills me with admiration and a good dose of joy.
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Alan G. Green
Clinical Professor
Rossier School of Education
Mattering is a term that is thrown around a lot these days. When deciding whose life matters, and why or why not, we humans often rely upon our own preconceived opinions and perspectives to determine whose life really matters. Rarely do we stop to learn about people or cultures different from our own before judging them. The moment I learned about the previous skateboard culture study conducted by Corwin and Williams, I was completely intrigued and wanted to learn more. I mostly grew up in California, and after being away for nearly two decades, I have marveled at how skate culture has evolved both here and globally. I have always regarded skaters as fascinating cultural beings, but never spent much time learning about them the way I know athletes from more traditionally organized sports. Therefore, when the opportunity to become a part of this current study Mattering in the Margins, I knew that I was in for quite a ride. I hoped to learn more about the skate world and its “counterculture” because of the physical prowess and artistic creativity found among skaters. There was the added bonus of getting to work with a new group of colleagues, students and participants from and beyond USC. I embarked upon this project to learn more about why skaters matter. I must say that I have not been disappointed in the least bit. At this halfway point of the study, my profound respect for the participants and my fellow colleagues grows deeper each week.
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Beatrice Hahn
Skater/researcher, USC student
In the broad picture, this study matters because I think it’s part of the wave to change people’s perceptions of the skating world. Society has viewed skaters as punk rats, trouble makers, and good-for-nothings for far too long. Some skaters fear being judged at work or school for being a skateboarder. It’s a ludicrous and sad reality that hopefully changes permanently in the near future. For me personally, I think about how this study has helped me by giving a space to share my perspective on skating. My opinion about skateboarding is respected, valued, and encouraged in this research. It feels amazing and surprising in the best way – my younger self dreamed about learning how to skate and then find a place in the skate community. It brings my happiness to a different level knowing that there is a niche between academics and skating. The weekly assignments and meeting discussions helped me become aware of how instrumental skateboarding has been for my mental health and self expression. I enjoy being intellectually and creatively challenged because it demands reflection about the ideals that skateboarding represents, such as perseverance (physically and mentally) and that has led me to a better understanding of my life values.
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Stefani Relles, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
In my personal life, I’ve always run with a motley crew of artists, filmmakers, playwrights, musicians, publishers, poets, and the occasional skateboarder. Some of my friends have received international acclaim for their work, others haven’t, but unequivocally, the common denominator across all our stories, from amateur to celebrity, is a shared appreciation for hustle and mutual support, though not necessarily in that order. As a researcher, I’ve come to understand this moxie exemplifies a Do It Yourself (DIY) perspective on social change. Not to be confused with the sale of home improvement products, a DIY perspective suggests not only that ordinary people can learn to do what they don’t know how in order to fill a need, fix a problem, or pursue a goal, but that, in doing so, they are acting as change agents.
Skateboarders are quintessential DIYers, so this project was a windfall for an aging Gen-Xer in search of a pandemic-friendly sabbatical project. What I did not know when I signed on to the project was that the change impacts of this study would be me. As an assistant professor (and newly minted associate), opportunities for deep learning have been limited. This project, in contrast, blows the lid off academic business-as-usual (and not just because we conducted the study entirely on Zoom).
As higher education scholars mobilize to address the inequities of institutions, we face a need to examine research methods as tools of oppression. Projects such as “Mattering in the Margins” matter, in part, because they advance an agenda to reinvent research methods through practical opportunities for trial and error. Skateboarders matter. Participatory action matters. Interdisciplinarity matters. Yet for universities to support equity, methodological innovation matters too. Higher education reform is a DIY proposition. To become change agents, professional scholars must learn to do what they don’t know how in order to innovate their prior training. To that end, projects such as “Mattering in the Margins” create deep learning opportunities for faculty who are otherwise embedded in academic business-as-usual. Thanks to USC, Pullias, and Zoe Corwin, I’ll be returning from sabbatical with fresh DIY moxie and sharpened skills with which to navigate agency and structure in the next phase of my career.
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Emma Schlichting
Skater/researcher
When I heard about this study, I cared about mental health and skateboarding, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the intersection of the two. This study encouraged me to get outside and skate and pushed me to be creative with my videos, even when I wasn’t feeling up to it. Through these ten weeks, I have reflected on what skateboarding does to lift me out of bad days, bring me around community, and give me a form of self-expression as well as an adrenaline rush. Digging deep into the sociological side of skateboarding with this cohort has boosted my confidence in identifying as a skateboarder and shattered the idea that I had to live up to a certain stereotype or skill level to be a true skater. My colleagues have given me an appreciation and understanding how a board with four wheels can bring people together from all walks of life. We share the highs and lows of flying and falling and are bound by the resilience it takes to be a skateboarder. This study opened my eyes to the positivity that comes from skateboarding and has given me a community within which I can be vulnerable and trusting.
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Ethan K. Singleton
Skater/researcher
The USC Skateboarding Study, with its cutting-edge subject matter and its utilization of a truly interdisciplinary research method, is revolutionary. The faculty involved have shown an immense amount of respect for the art/sport/culture which we, as research participants, have expressed as being so near and dear to our hearts. The research process, which is an undoubtedly difficult undertaking, has somehow felt seamless and has been immensely rewarding for all of the parties involved. Interests, concerns and ideas are all of tantamount usefulness, no matter from who or about what; and the process of dissecting and then extracting practical value from these things feels organic, as well as wholesome and communal. This experience is not representative of traditional scientific, sociological research, and so I feel blessed to be able to collaborate with faculty that I now know and hold in such high esteem.
Moving forward, and as skateboarding moves into the next phase of its development, it will be imperative that its positive principles, themes and ethics be preserved. This study is instrumental in this process, and so far has extracted said themes with notable care. The virtues of skateboarding will be of great aid in our changing world!
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Neftalie Williams
USC Provost PostDoctoral Scholar
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
The reason the study matters is because these young people – the skaters in our study – matter. Every facet of their lives reflects the American experience in the US and an area of inquiry within the academy. Therefore, it is vital to create space for meditation of their experiences that highlights the current moment and prepares us for the future. Uncovering how skateboarding culture supports young people’s resilience and aids in building their community is critical under normal circumstances. However, between our collective responses to Covid-19, the death of George Floyd, continued assaults against Black citizens, the BLM movement, and rising AAPI violence, there are even more reasons for their mental health to be in jeopardy. We need to take the time to document young people’s steps to maintain their mental health and provide tangible outputs which can inform and offer policies to broader society.
I’m very excited that the Provost saw the real value in our work and chose to fund this interdisciplinary project that focuses on young people. They are our future. We have a lot to learn from their ways of knowing, building community, and taking care of themselves. I’m grateful to my colleagues for joining us on this project. These endeavors will create a more responsive, more responsible academic environment and position USC as a progressive institution, making space for the next generations of changemakers.
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Elliott Wright
Skater/researcher
A skateboarder’s unique perspective of the world is an invaluable tool that can teach many lessons to non-skateboarders the world over. Especially regarding relationships with authority figures, skateboarders have everyday encounters and experiences that the average citizen will never have in her lifetime. This study, through the use of Participatory Action Research, has accumulated the diverse voices of skateboarders from all walks of life and is in the process of compiling that information to be received by both skateboarders and non-skateboarders alike. I believe that this study is important because it will have the ability to change the way that skateboarders are perceived by those who do not have a background in skateboarding. In my personal experience as a younger skateboarder, I was criticized by teachers, from middle school into high school, for choosing to pursue skateboarding at all. Rather than be put down by their judgmental tones, I persisted, skating my way through college and graduate school. I am confident that this study, when applied to various academic environments, will help educators realize that skateboarding is a positive outlet and should be just as accepted as traditional sports and extracurricular activities.