Following the success of surfing and health food, students from the West Coast have brought yet another trend to campus: the longboard.
Lenny Marandino '09.5, a longboarder from northern California, has noticed the phenomenon.
"I see more and more longboards out on the Green as well as a decline in skateboarding," he said. The emergence of the longboard may indeed challenge the popularity of skateboarding - and give Brown students another way to roll to class.
The longboard looks like a long skateboard with a wider wheelbase. It was developed in the 1950s with the rise of California's surfing culture, where smooth, rolling hills made riding ideal. Shane Farrell '11, a skateboarder from Philadelphia, said that region might play a big part in the longboard's popularity. He said people seem to prefer longboards when there are ample opportunities for "bombing," or skating down large hills.
Despite the Californian origins of the longboard, several of its newest innovators hail from the west coast of Canada, and modifications in design are continual.
"Longboards mimic surfboards, and the type of board makes a big difference in terms of the ride," said Herald Business Staffer Darren Kong '10, a longboarder from southern California. Longboards come with a variety of wheelbase designs and can be made from birch or maple wood. Some manufacturers also use fiberglass or carbon fiber for a lighter, stiffer board.
Much of longboarding's draw comes from these design differences. "With a skateboard, the tiny wheels make it difficult to ride," Marandino said. "Longboards are made with big, thick wheels for a nice, smooth ride." But longboarders don't just want an easy ride, Marandino said. "Longboards have a bit more stable base, so you can maneuver better," he added. "There is a lot of downhill technique that can make it a lot more fun. It's definitely different than just bombing a hill."
So why would a student pick up a longboard? Convenience, for one.
"You can carry it pretty easily with your books," Marandino said. "With a bike, you always have to think, 'Where am I going to park it?'"
Kong agreed that a longboard, as opposed to a skateboard, provides an efficient mode of transit.
"The main difference is that in longboarding, you don't do tricks," Kong said. "It's more about the ride than anything else, and that appeals to me."
Farrell said the ability to hone skateboarding skills may help the sport maintain its appeal despite the emergence of alternatives. "Skating is less a mode of transportation and more of an activity," Farrell said. "It's more recreational; the idea is to learn new tricks. ... You can take it a lot farther."
Marandino said mainstream perceptions may be a driving force behind the popularity of alternatives to skateboarding. "Skateboarding seems to be going downhill because of its image," he said. "The X-Games brought a lot to skating, but now it has a bad image on the West Coast. I don't approve of the style I see."
The longboard might be new enough on the East Coast that its image has not yet solidified. Zachary Zdrada '09 said he has noticed a lack of knowledge regarding the "Ripstick," which both he and Marandino recommend even over the longboard. "It doesn't seem to have its own culture yet," Zdrada said.
But Kong said he has observed an emerging longboarding culture, at least on the West Coast. "For a lot of people, longboarding is just a form of transportation, but for some it's a big scene. People can compete in going down hills and carving," Kong said, though he added that the longboarding scene remains smaller than that of skateboarding and is often "less flashy."
Besides usability and ease of ride, skaters said their preference for longboarding over skateboarding comes down to how they see themselves. Marandino said so long as people want to express a relaxed image, longboarding could continue to gain popularity beyond the West Coast.
"People see longboarding as a little bit more hippie, a little bit more free-spirited," said Marandino, "That's why you see them at Brown."
