Long boarding doesn’t need to be stopped, but the debate around it should.
Long boarding is an easy, fast and fun way to get around campus. When used right, believe it or not, long boarders aren’t actually as hazardous as their reputation suggests.
Both long boarders and those who complain about their presence are at fault here.
First, main campus is not the place to figure out how to ride that Sector Nine long board mom just bought you. So yes, this is mostly addressed to the freshman and everyone else that jumps on a board to shred “the gnarr” without actually knowing how.
People that don’t actually know how to ride these things are one of the biggest causes behind the hatred of long boarding by the walker-folk. Just like how I-4 is not the place to learn how to parallel park, main campus is not the place to learn how to ride your board.
But it’s not just the long boarder’s fault. Oh yes, the walker-folk are at fault too.
Take out (or turn down) your Beyoncé-blasting headphones and be aware of what’s actually going on around you. Sure, you may have just failed your statistics exam and just want to quietly disappear into the abyss of a Beyoncé music video, but walking through a busy breezeway is not the place for that.
It’s not the long boarder’s fault if you happen to walk out in front of them while contemplating the future of your college career. Fun fact: long boards don’t have actually brakes.
Long boarders; be aware of your surroundings too. It’s possible for you to ride your board and be respectful to those around you. Instead of taking the main breezeway routes to class, stick to the areas behind buildings that allow more room for you, bikes and the occasional scooter.
Long boarding shouldn’t be as big of an issue as everyone makes it out to be. If students gave important issues like funding and tuition increases as much attention as the long boarding “issue” then maybe we all wouldn’t have to sell our souls to pay for college.