Fringe Culture On A Roll

Newcastle Herald

Saturday August 16, 2008

Stephanie Bradley

SKATING is more than just a sport. It has its own culture and is a legitimate form of expression, veteran skaters say.

It has always had a bit of the fringe element, says Michael Cossettini.

Cossettini, 43, has been skating since he was 10 and has watched the sport ebb and flow in popularity over the years.

"Skating has always been a fringe activity. People are drawn to it because it is not mainstream," he said.

"They are not interested in conforming and they like the idea that it doesn't have an organised base.

"The nature of skating is finding elements of the built environment to use.

"Skaters tend to see it as a form of expression.

"In terms of access, Newcastle has always been a street-skating town, because we didn't have many skate parks and the ones we did have always quickly became outdated.

"The lack of good skate parks hasn't killed skating in Newcastle, but a lot of kids don't realise just how much worse off we are for skate parks here."

Cossettini, a teacher at San Clemente High School and a skate class coach, said there were many other regional councils of comparable size to Newcastle with far superior skate parks, including computer-designed, modern skate parks created by skate-dedicated companies.

The dynamics of the sport had also changed, Cossettini said, as the main income no longer came from the sale of boards.

"Companies are making the most money on fashion," he said. "It is very much a parallel with the surf industry. Most of the money is being made on clothing and accessories, and not that many people are making money on boards."

While skating could be a blissful solitary experience, groups of skaters were increasingly connecting through the internet and getting together to skate, although groups had always managed to get together to skate in specific places, Cossettini said.

Skating was not only a young person's sport, 1980s professional skater and now police officer John Bogaerts said.

"Skateboarding isn't just restricted to kids," he said. "There are mature skaters of various occupations, from nurses to police to solicitors and teachers.

"People's fears are just through ignorance and lack of understanding."

Bobbie Antonic has been skating for 12 years, ever since nicking her brother's board, and says a true skater doesn't wear labels.

"Now more than ever skating is a fashion," she said. "Ten years ago if you were a skater you looked like a normal person with a skateboard."

Antonic, who is also a skate shop manager and skate coach, said skaters were being targeted by clever fashion-label marketing campaigns.

"Street-skating is a form of expression, an adrenaline run, but there are all sorts of skateboarding," she said.

"It is even a method of transport, a cheaper form of transport."

Stephanie Bradley

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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