• home
• About

The Skater Set: Shaw Recreation Park

Thursday, March 15, 2007

I live right up the street from the Shaw Recreation Park and have always wanted to stop and watch the guys who skateboard there.

The guys at the park share a pretty distinct style, though none of them wanted to really admit it. Looking cool is one thing, admitting that you think about looking cool is another. Standbys like T-shirts layered over long-sleeved shirts are still popular, and every skater wore some type of vulcanized-sole shoe from brands like Fallen and Dekline.

As I walked up, I felt a little intimidated to be the only girl around, but the guys instantly warmed to the idea of me taking pictures of them, especially in action on their boards.

Off their boards, a few of the guys were shy, except this guy.
One thing they weren’t shy about? Expressing their disdain over Mayor Fenty’s apparent crackdown on skaters, especially on Freedom Plaza.

A lot more after the jump:

Jahmal, who was wearing a fitted plaid Wrangler button-down and black jeans, served as my unofficial host. We quickly bonded over the music he was playing (Led Zeppelin III), and the fact that he was playing it from a cassette tape on a boombox (I have a tape player in my car; the angriest I’ve been with my mom of late was when I realized that she threw away all of my prized mix-tapes).

What really stood out though were the tight jeans: fitted all over, down to the ankle, but hardly any in a typical blue-jean color; most of the guys favored colors like gray, black, or brown. These guys–and their clothes by extension–have developed a certain cool nonchalance; a certain swagger. Perhaps it comes from being more concerned with landing a jump than with impressing a girl like the Happy-Hour-Steves at The Front Page; perhaps it’s the confidence that comes with being part of a group, perhaps it’s the exhileration and confidence one feels when doing something in one’s element.

Jahmal said that there seemed to be two main “camps” of style: one more hip-hop (yes, it’s a genre of music, but the word “urbanwear” is grating), the other more retro/hipster. So, not every dude at the park is rocking tight pants. But you have to give credit to the guys who do…and make it look cool.

Comments