September 18, 2014 / / GLOBAL VIDEO

Skateboarding as a Culture: Skatepark Etiquette

spencer parkrules
滑板是一种文化这种说法被越来越多的人们所接受,既然是一种文化,那就有它的禁忌所在,于是这次Spencer Nuzzi带你走进各地滑板场,一起了解板场的规矩,同样本文也讨论了一个新的问题,究竟这种规矩该不该存在,是不是违背了滑板无拘无束的初衷

There is increasing recognition of skateboarding as a culture and part of this popular recognition comes from the construction and use of skateparks. The designed exclusion of skateboarders from the city has been matched with the provision of specifically made places to skate, these being ‘skateparks’. In may ways skateparks are a boon for skateboarders as they are a pre-planned legitimate place to skateboard. However, skateparks come with a legion of problems that in some ways may be regarded as trivial, but these can also inform us about the perseverance of skateboard culture. For English scroll down.


滑手们总是成群结队地一起区滑板,而这种群体性行为也要有规矩来约束,在这里面最重要的可能就是“遵守顺序”如果别人正准备出发做一个动作,你这时插上,那么这是极其不礼貌的行为,这种行为也叫“Snake”

滑板的迅速普及也让很多新人滑手对于滑板内的“潜规则”没有一定的了解,所以现在网上也有很多东西来教你如何遵守滑板场的规矩,下面这个图来自James Jarvis,他设计了这套图片让你了解滑板场内的规矩详细

skatepark rules

接下来就是众所周知的帅哥Spencer Nuzzi的板场教学了:

Jenkem杂志也发表过一篇文章,介绍板场里的7种不同人物,里面也着重介绍了一些板场内的规矩。Thrasher杂志也发布过如下图片这么句话“如果你和别人一起在滑板,摘下你的傻X耳机,谢谢你的配合”

parkrules

滑板的人数越来越多,不仅仅在滑板圈内诞生了规则,在摄影,拍视频等等范围内也产生了同样不成文的规定,这似乎违背了滑板无拘无束的本质,有的人担心滑板会越来越像普通运动一样。

最近在香港新建的将军澳滑板场内我非常惊讶的发现,这里的滑板场即使在开放时,大门上也是挂了锁的,只有保安用钥匙打开,你才能进入,而且进去之后,保安会再次锁上,进去的前提是你一定要戴头盔。这里似乎并不算成功的案例,反而在我这次看来像是“滑板监狱”。最近香港对于大型滑板场的讨论也集中在了这些滑板场似乎夺走了滑手对于自身的控制,或是说夺走了滑手对于滑板文化的控制。

下次你来到一个滑板场,注意看下告示牌,每个滑板场的规矩都不一样,问题也随之而来,这里究竟是谁的滑板场,又有谁能代表普通滑手争夺自己的权益。

Dr Paul O'Connor
Anthropology/Sociology/Cultural Studies/
Hong Kong/Ethnicity/
Skateboarding/Everyday Life

Lecturing in Anthropology at CUHK

====================================================
Much of the accrued knowledge that skateboarders possess about skateboarding is contingent. It is gathered through participation and in an informal manner. Rules about behaviour are thus learnt in practice with peers. Perhaps the most important rule about skating with others relates to watching and understanding when to take turns, recognising where people are skating and how not to obstruct their ‘line’. The worst offence being ‘snaking’ taking a turn out of order, or just as someone else is about to drop in or take a run.

The popularity of skateparks and a growth in the number of skateboarders has left many lamenting the lack of knowledge about skatepark etiquette. So much so, that now there are a variety of codes published online to inform the masses.

There first one I offer is a design from James Jarvis that details how to keep your park in order.

skatepark rules

The next comes from the Ride YouTube channel and Spencer Nuzzi tells us the unspoken rules.

An even more irreverent and comic take is given by Jenken Magazine who detail the '7 types of people you will encounter at any skatepark”. This highlights again a concern about unwritten rules in the park. A recent instagram from Thrasher Magazine took issue with the popularity of headphones at skatespots. It has over 27,000 likes, but clearly there are some detractors from this opinion.

parkrules

So, the increased popularity of the skatepark, and the concentration of skateboarders into one designated area, has resulted in new frustrations. But it has also resulted in the writing, videoing, and dissemination of the previously unwritten rules. This is making skateboarding arguably more rule oriented which it has long resisted. More some fear like a traditional sport.

This weekend at Hong Kong’s TKO skatepark I was alarmed to see that the gate to the park was padlocked during opening hours. The security guard had to unlock the gate to allow users access and then again lock them in. This was all in a effort to police only entrants who had helmets. It was not successful. It did however provide a very clear example of the the idea of the skatepark as a designated space, or as referred to in this interview “a skate prison”. Part of the recent concern in Hong Kong about the new rules of the bigger skateparks is that they are taking away the control skateboarders have over their own activities, or their own culture.

Next time you pass a skatepark, note how the rules signposted at the park differ from the rules noted in the links in this post. Questions that emerge are whose space is the skatepark, and who speaks for skateboarders?

Dr Paul O'Connor
Anthropology/Sociology/Cultural Studies/
Hong Kong/Ethnicity/
Skateboarding/Everyday Life

Lecturing in Anthropology at CUHK

Post a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

WE SKATE NOT TO CHANGE THE WOLRD BUT STAY TRUE TO OURSELVES

UPCOMING

FOLLOW US