First-Ever High School Skateboard Season Kicks Off
Apr 15 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
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Additionally, Skateboarding doesn't fit into any easily definable structure like most mainstream sports. It lacks a standard size playing field, official rules, specific season or team concept. And the idea of a league like NASCAR, NFL, NBA or even Little League Baseball is a foreign concept in skateboarding.
That may be about to change. A small group of Southern California high school students are about to help kick off what could be a new phase of skateboarding that could reshape the sport. Today, Sunday, April 15, the California High School Skateboard Club (CHSSC) launches its first season.
The new league, believed to be first high school skateboard league ever, is comprised of skaters from seven Los Angeles area high school schools: Agoura, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Royal, Santa Monica, Simi Valley and West Lake. The five-person teams will square off during four skate competitions held over two months. Currently, the teams are exclusively male, but are open to female skaters as well.
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2007 CHSSC SCHEDULE
Event #1 - Street - Skatelab, Simi Valley, CA - April 15
Event #2 - Street - Skatelab, Simi Valley, CA - May 12
Event #3 - Street - Skatelab, Simi Valley, CA - May 26
Event #4 - 8 Stair - Skatelab, Simi Valley, Ca - June 9
The CHSSC is the brainchild of Jeff Stern, 38, of Thousand Oaks, CA, who got the idea while taking his son to Skatelab Indoor Skatepark in Simi Valley several times a week. Stern also skated when he was younger and knew kids today still did not get the respect or have the opportunity that kids who played more traditional sports received.
It took Stern 18 months to develop and launch the CHSSC. This included brainstorming with others on how it would work, gaining school district approval, understanding how to recruit the best high school skateboarders, finding sponsors, setting a schedule, organizing practices and finally launching the league.
After talking with others about the idea of a high school skateboard league Stern first approached Don Zimring, deputy superintendent of the Las Virgenes Unified School District, who was supportive but "did not want any risk for the school district." Instead of the original idea of competing at the schools Stern then went in a different direction. He modeled the non-profit CHSSC after club soccer where kids play on organized school teams but after the season the best players will also play on soccer clubs.
Stern reapproached Zimring who gave the school district's okay to but said he could not market, practice or compete on any school campuses. "My goal was to reduce liability for schools," says Stern. Skatelab owner Todd Huber offered up his indoor skatepark as the venue giving the teams free practice time every week and a home for the first season.
Stern's next stop was going to local skate shops to find out who the best skateboarders were. He "networked like crazy" talking to current and ex-students. Initially it was a challenge recruiting kids to skate. The core skateboard community is highly suspicious of anything not perceived as "core" or true to the sport. Even though Stern grew up skateboarding in Westlake, CA and this idea came from watching his son skateboard, it was hard to get high school skaters to respond to the idea of a skateboard league.
Josh Krakover, from Agoura High School, was one of the first skaters to help and got other kids on board. Another big thing Stern had to do in recruiting was learn how to communicate with high schoolers. He would call students but his calls were not returned. Someone told him to try text messaging the recruits. When he sent his first text message it was returned within seconds.
"Usually I'm against contests." says 17-year-old Santa Monica High team member Darin Balaban. "But this sounded like a great opportunity, especially when I could help put the team together."
Balaban's feelings were echoed by Oak Park senior Matt Pierce, 17, who said he's not "into the contest aspect of skating" but when he heard about the CHSSC he “wanted to have fun with it.”
Once Stern pulled in skateboarders the magic started to happen. It has been the skateboarders themselves who are having a big voice in how the league works. Stern set up the CHSSC organization but says, "the kids are the gas that makes it run. I took the skaters input to develop competition they are into. The key has been listening to them about what they want."
Corey Philips, 18, skates for Westlake and works at Skatelab. "I was shocked when I first heard about the idea. People say skaters are troublemakers and I’m happy something positive is happening with skating," says Philips, who has skated for five years and loves it because he enjoys that it's an individual sport. Philips' parents are both very supportive of his skating, building him an 8' and 4' half pipe in New Jersey and when he moved to Thousand Oaks, CA three years ago "they built me another 4' half pipe here."
While Stern has driven the CHSSC he is quick to point out many people have helped make this possible. This includes people like Miki Vuckovich, executive director of the Tony Hawk Foundation and Bobby Woodz of Woodz International, an action sports clothing company.
Steve Badillo, a pro skateboarder for Alva Skateboards, is the head judge for the competition. Badillo, who has been a sounding board for Stern from the beginning says, "There was nothing like this around when I was in high school, if there was I would have been part of it."
Many companies have stepped up to sponsor or provide equipment including Nike's skateboard shoe division Nike SB, which is the title sponsor and providing both financial and product support, including a grand prize of two free pairs of shoes a month for an entire year to the best skater.
The popularity of skateboarding continues to grow globally with more than 11 million people in the US participating annually according to American Sports Data. More than anyone in the sport, Tony Hawk transcends skateboarding and generates millions of dollars through video games, corporate endorsements and skate exhibitions.
There is also an exciting group of new professionals including Ryan Sheckler, Jereme Rogers, Paul Rodriguez Jr. and Nyjah Huston who compete at the AST Dew Tour and X Games, along with having sponsorships from major companies.
But the clear path from the curb to pro has not been there for skateboarding. While most skateboarders skate for fun, not competition or winning, a league offers the potential to give younger kids something to aspire to, and high schoolers a platform to perform at a higher level while having fun and learning. "This is motivating many kids to skate even more so they can get better," says Philips.
While the 35 skaters in the CHSSC are all boys, it's open to girls. Stern looked to find "the five best skateboarders from these seven schools, boys or girls."
As the first CHSSC season kicks off these skaters are approaching this as a way to do something they love and have fun with their friends but it could be something much bigger.
"I’m happy to be part of this because we are the first kids to do this," says Phlips. "We’ll be able to look back and say we were there."
For more information on the CHSSC contact Jeff Stern: j4stern@adelphia.net.
- Lat34.com
