Not your average boarders

At age 45, accountant Dean Ozuna doesn’t fit the studded-belt-wearing, ultra-casual image most people have of skateboarders.

At age 15, Lewis and Clark High School student Will Moore does.

But on Tuesday evenings during the warm months of summer, these two seemingly opposite guys get together, along with other skaters, in Spokane’s Lincoln Park and carve the asphalt on their slalom skateboards.

Slalom skateboarding has a lot in common with slalom skiing as two skateboarders maneuver in and out of brightly colored cones spaced along a paved hill. This type of skateboarding was popular during skateboarding’s first wave in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Slalom skateboarding’s resurgence is being fueled, in large part, by men and women who skated when they were younger and now are going back to the sport.

Although many of these returning skaters started out on the freestyle side of things, they now are picking up longboards, which are skateboards built for cruising city streets, or are turning to the racing side of skateboarding.

“Longboarding is so much more accepting of everyone, not so closed like the shortboarders, the freestyle world,” Ozuna said when asked why longboarding and riding a slalom skateboard have become a passion for him.

Ozuna is joined on Tuesday evenings by a variety of other skateboarders who either want to learn how to slalom-race or who want to get faster and compete.

Cindy Overland, 29, is a new skater who is just learning how to carve her skateboard.

“I didn’t think the concrete would be my friend,” Overland said with a smile.

For Moore, the Tuesday night gatherings have introduced him to a brand new side of skateboarding and a bunch of new friends.

“I like the energy, the good crowd, the positive vibes, the different mind-sets of all the different age groups,” said Moore.

When asked what he would share with others who are thinking about joining the Tuesday night crowd, Moore said, “Come try it out – don’t worry about how good you are.”

Mark Harris, 38, is a lifelong skater who is focusing his attention on improving and competing.

Harris recently competed in Hood River, Ore., at the West Coast Slalom Skateboarding Championships and plans to travel to Longmont, Colo., this month to compete in the Seismic U.S. Nationals. He trains every Tuesday night at Lincoln Park.

“It’s fun for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are super-mega-fast or a brand-new beginner, there’s a spot for everyone,” said Harris.

As a training venue, Lincoln Park, on the South Hill, is just about perfect for this crowd. With its broad stretch of pavement on a sloping hill shaded by giant ponderosa pines, the road provides good practice for skateboarders from beginners to experts.

All the skaters stressed that the low-key Tuesday evening gatherings are open to anyone. They also emphasized there is no formal organization, just a sharing of information and encouragement.

“It’s not about tricks. It’s about self-motivation,” said Jordan Huotari, a 20-something kayaking and canoeing instructor for the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department who also shows up on Tuesdays to skate. “It’s a healthier environment; it’s a skate community,” he said.

Not all the skaters who meet on Tuesdays aspire to compete. What is universal is their love of skateboarding and the fun they have learning and pushing one another to be better.

You don’t need a studded belt or baggy pants to appreciate that.