When my buddies and I trounce around Cape May, skateboards hanging off our arms like lazy fashion accessories, I always think of a New York Times article published in 2003 about skating on the island.
The Times article reads: “Earlier this month, the city council unanimously approved an ordinance that would impose a fine of up to $100 for anyone even possessing a skateboard in city parks and parking lots, on the Washington Street pedestrian mall and on the promenade along the oceanfront. The theory, as Mayor Jerome E. Inderwies put it, was that those who had skateboards in hand would soon have them underfoot.”
Older skaters tell me those were contentious days, when the whiff of a fresh maple skate deck damned you to stonerhood in the mind of the public even more than a whiff of pot.
That ordinance is no more, but blanket bans on skateboarding even as a mode of transit remain all across Cape May County and do nothing but perpetuate old stereotypes.
The tangible harm that comes with skating is low. These laws feel like they were formed when the picture of a skater was a boy putzing around town looking for trouble. As the sport becomes more popular with small kids and women (read my feature in Do the Shore about this), the crackdown feels like a solution in search of a problem.
I was 5 years old when the Times article was written, and I can’t ollie, but I have spent a good chunk of my life getting place to place on my skateboard. It’s a recipe for cheap, joyful transportation: skating to the bay for a beach jog or to the corner store for a midnight Red Bull.
A board is much easier to grab and go than a bike and can always fit in the trunk of my car. In the summer I find myself relying less on my old Mazda3 and more on my board. As much as Mazda touts the “soul of a sports car,” there’s no driving experience more connected than two feet and a slab of wood.
It’s inexpensive, it’s good exercise, and it’s deeply American. Skate culture began life in California and the folks at the Ocean City Skate Park told me in an interview that skating is bigger right now in Cape May County than it has ever been.
I can’t speak to the old stereotypes about skateboarding. I’m sure there was a time when local skaters were busting curbs, tossing up signs and stirring up discomfort among shoobies. But every skater I’ve met in my life – more than a handful – wants skating as a sport and skating as a mode of transportation to be seen with respect among the general two-footed public.
I learned how to skate on the Wildwood Crest bike path, and as long as I’ve been skating I have never seen skater trouble there. New as of two years ago is Wildwood Crest Borough Code 9-2, “It shall be unlawful for any person to use, operate or ride upon any skateboard on the bicycle and pedestrian path.” The ban was lumped in with a ban on electric bikes on the bike path and was given no comment or reasoning by the council. What a bummer!
And in Ocean City, skating as a mode of transportation is banned on parking lots, streets and sidewalks all over the city. Why can’t I use it to get around town? My free American spirit is offended and hurt by the restriction.
It is frustrating that it’s a-OK to bike, rollerblade, scooter around Wildwood Crest and Ocean City, but skating can get you a citation from the cops. The mentality that a skateboard is a ticket to graffiti is old and outdated and makes folks like myself feel ashamed just by association.
I don’t want to ride my bike! I don’t want to ride a scooter! And God help me if I’m putting blades on my feet! Why pass laws that make it harder to get around without a car? Let her ride!
Pick up a board and see what I mean. There’s no pressure to do tricks, and it’s always a good idea to wear a helmet. And don’t forget a light if you’re riding at night. Check out a local skate shop (Wild Ocean in Wildwood or Method Skate Shop in Sea Isle are my favorites), pick out a deck with a cool graphic, and ask whomever is working to help you put together a skate setup.
Because really, skating is for everyone. If only our local laws agreed. Don’t be a hater — be a skater!
