TERPSKATE

Issue n. 1| January 2015

The UMD Skateboarding Club Quarterly Newsletter

Interview with
Club President
Idris Battou

The Future
of Skatepark
Design
Efe Abugo Photgraphy / Efe Abugo

Welcome!
University of Maryland Skateboarding Club

Austin Reece | Senior Public Relations Student

Welcome to the first edition of the

University of Maryland Skateboarding Club
newsletter, Terpskate.
Our goal in creating this newsletter is to
keep members informed of club functions,
activities and events happening all over the
state.
In addition to that, we are trying to
reach out to all of the skateboarders on
campus who have not heard of us yet.
Whether you are a first-time
skateboarder, experienced skateboarder, or
have always dreamed about landing your
first Kickflip, the UMD Skateboarding Club
is for you.
You can participate right now by
flipping through our first issue and learning
about the Skateboarding Club benefits as
well as learning about some of our members
and their contributions to the sport.
Go ahead and grab your board, we look
forward to seeing you at a meeting soon!

In This Issue:
Club President Interview p. 2
Designing Skateboardings
Future p. 3
2014s Top Skate Videos p. 3
Top 10 States with the most
Skateparks p. 4

Page 2

Page 3

First semester stress? Try pushing wood

Students find relief from stress through skateboarding by using the

psychology of flow.

Finding new friends, becoming

part of a community and remaining
mentally and physically healthy can
be overwhelming concerns when first
coming to a university with 30,000
students.
The University of Maryland
Skateboarding Club can help alleviate
these problems.
Skateboarding has taught
me the value of persistence, focus,
determination and the satisfaction
of accomplishing goals, University
of Maryland alumnus and UMD
Skateboarding Club founder
Kevin Elliot said.
Not only is
skateboarding a
positive sport for
individual growth,
but also facilitates
a community aspect
that transcends
personal barriers.
In my experience,
skateboarding has helped me make
friends my whole life, said Elliot.
For every true skateboarder, it is a
big enough part of your life that you can
make lifelong friends simply by sharing
that common interest.
Skateboarding does not necessarily

have the reputation of being the

healthiest sport to participate in, and
for fair reason. Skateboarding injuries
are common, and when one pushes the
limits of personal ability, the risk of
injury increases.
However, the high risk aspect
of the sport is also the beauty of
skateboarding. Skating teaches athletes
to continually push personal limits
both physically and mentally while
increasing endurance, stamina and
muscle growth.
In fact, some therapists are actually
using skateboarding as an alternative
method of therapy for some patients.
Issac Farin, a marriage and
family therapist in North Carolina,
realized that skateboarding has
all the attributes of the positive
psychology theory called flow.
Essentially, flow is the feeling
of being able to concentrate on one
task and find complete happiness in
the moment.
I believe in this process of using
the present moment to move towards
a more hopeful future. Its a little
bit different than some traditional
psychologies that focus more on the past
and then, only then, will you change,
said Farin.

Positive
psychology
of flow

Continued p. 2

2 Newsletter Issue n. 1, January 2015

Skateparks Near Us
Though there are not as many
skateparks here in Maryland
as there are in California, there
are a variety of different parks
featuring every obstacle you
could imagine. Here are a couple
free skateparks that are close to
campus. Check the skateparks
websites for hours of operation.

North Laurel, Maryland

Photo courtesy of Idris Battou

Idris Battou lands a kickflip outside of the ERC.

Club president leads by example

The future of the skateclub at Maryland discussed with

president Idris Battou.

Maloof Skatepark, D.C.

Shaw Skatepark, D.C.

Although every organization is made up of dozens

of important members, the face of the organization can
influence the culture and attitude of its members.
Some leaders are chosen for their experience, while
others are naturally gifted individuals with a passion and
dedication for what they do.
I recently had the opportunity to interview UMD
Skateclub President Idris Battou, a great example of a
leader who is 100 percent dedicated to skateboarding and
to improving his club.
The following is a transcript of our conversation,
lightly edited for styling and clarification purposes.
Reece: Hey Idris, could you tell us about the UMD
Skateclub and your plans for its future?
Battou: I plan on expanding the club as much
as possible, getting as many new members as I can
by promoting the club on social media and at local
skateboarding events. Hopefully we can get a couple
companies to sponsor us and maybe get some gear or
money to make a trip out to go film.
Reece: What event would you like to hold here in the
College Park community?
Battou: I would love to hold a mini-ramp contest. I
know that Terpski had some connections with Red Bull
and they were able to set up a ramp [for one of their
events], so Im working for the same type of thing.
Reece: How can new members get involved in club
activities?
Battou: If you meet any member of the skateboarding
club, we will add you to the Facebook group and you will

be able to access the group schedule through there.

Reece: What is your favorite spot on campus
to skate?
Battou: I loved the physical science building
banks before they added the tables, but I have
to say the Centreville Hall ledge is my favorite.
Although, the most fun has to have been bombing
[skating at high speeds] down Campus Drive
before all the construction.
Reece: Those are all great spots! Do you
have any words of advice for someone learning to
skate?
Battou: Just keep at it! Everyone is horrible at
first, and the only way to get better is to practice as
much as possible.
Reece: Do you have any final thoughts you
want to say to the club or the skateboarding
community?
Battou: If you ever see anyone on campus
with a board or holes near the toe of their shoes,
ask them if they want to join the club! Were
always looking for new people to skate with.
Reece: Thank you for your time and all you do
for the club!
Battou: No problem!

Pushing Wood Cont.

Students in the skateboarding club here
at Maryland can relate to this feeling that flow
theory describes, although they typically describe
it as being in the zone.
[Skateboarding] helped me relieve stress by
giving me the chance to do something I love and
not think about anything else, said Elliot.
When Im on my board, its the only thing
I focus on, so it gives me a break to emotionally
recharge. After that I feel ready to take on any
course work with confidence.
Fellow junior biology major and current club
president Idris Battou shared similar sentiments.
When Im in the zone, I cant think of
anything else other than skating. If I do, Im
probably going to slam [fall], and that [thought]
just helps clear my head, said Battou.
I can forget about any problem I have, at
least for a couple hours, and when I come back to
it, Ill be so much less stressed that itll help me
deal with it more effectively.

Member Highlight: Brian Cooper

Every issue we want to highlight one
of our own for their accomplishments on and
off the board. This issue we had the privilege
of interviewing senior landscape architecture
student Brian Cooper about one of his first
design projects at Maryland, pictured on page
3.
Reece: What gave you the inspiration
to design a skate plaza behind the Mckeldin
Library?

Cooper: I was given an assignment

in my Landscape Architecture design studio
class (LARC 141) to design in the open space
behind McKeldin Library. My professor told
all of us to find a few paintings and then draw
quick sketches of each of them, then take one
painting that you really like and try to fit its
artistic element feature into the site at McKeldin
Mall. If you look at the bottom of the site at the
bottom of the stairs and the 4 block, theres a

fire pit with the colors and round shapes with

the green circle and yellow circle as seen in the
art piece The Sunflower, by Edward Steichen.
I knew right away that I wanted to design a
space that I could skate but also design a
space that would accommodate people that
dont skate but still wouldnt mind walking
through the area.
Reece: How has modern landscaping
changed the way skateparks look today?

Edward Steichen, Le
Tournesol, c. 1920

Terpskate

Top Videos of 2014

Whether you are watching a
15-second Instagram video or
watching short clips on the Web,
the art of full-length videos is
lost on this generation. In this
section, we want to recognize the
effort and craftsmanship of the
current top full-length videos.

Shep Dawgs Vol. 4

Design courtesy of Brian Cooper

Landscape architecture major Brian Coopers rendering for a skate plaza behind Mckeldin Library.

Designing the future of skateboarding

How architecture has changed the way designers look at skateboarding and skateparks.
Only a few decades past, skateboarders had
nowhere to go to practice their sport or follow their
dreams.
At the time, the only option was to make use
of the surrounding environment and recognize that
skateboardings limits could not be confined to any one
obstacle or fenced-in skatepark.

Design courtesy of Brrian Cooper

Cooper: Most of skateboarding used to be confined

within spaces of all-purpose built ramps for doing tricks.
When people decided to take skateboarding to the streets,
the possibilities of skateboardings potential with spatial
elements became endless. The design standard for
skateparks now these days are just the common features
youre used to seeing right when you step outside your
door with some stairs, ledges, curbs, bumps in sidewalks
and other stuff.
Reece: Theres a very functional aspect to your

Just 40 years later, and skateparks have become

staples in nearly every city across the United States,
and the blur between the parks and landscaping
architecture is increasing every day.
Janne Saario is a renowned landscape architect and
former professional skateboarder currently involved
with removing the distinction between skateparks and
architecture.
Conventional thinking of a training facility
doesnt work that well for skateboarding, said Saario.
When Saario first started, the skateboarding scene
was still considered a rebellious sport practiced by a
few kids up to no good.
There were no skateparks that would really
be interesting, so we skated a local schoolyard and
the different places in the city; squares, streets and
courtyards, he said.
Saario said that the design of skateparks should
continue to be more of a multi-functional area allowing
for endless possibilities for multiple sports.
It could be more like a big environmental art
work in the landscape that can be skated, climbed,
parkoured, played, biked or just hung out in, said
Saario.
As skateboarding continues to evolve as a
sport, the surrounding environments that influence
skateboarders will continue to shape the design of the
skateparks around us.

Supreme- cherry

A Happy Medium 3

design, could you elaborate on why you made some of the

decisions you did?

Reece: If this project were to become a reality,

would you make any changes?

Cooper: Before we finally start making decisions

of what to put where in a space when designing, we think
through conceptual phases first. The function of this space
was mostly for skateboarding but I wanted to make this
have more value to it than just skateboarding. I felt like it
was selfish if I took a whole plot of land and said thats just
for skateboarders. If you want this site or any site to do
well, you must accommodate to a variety of people.

Cooper: If this project were to really happen there

would definitely be a lot of changes to it. The thing about
this project is that I designed this in my first semester
of design studio. I didnt know all the key factors yet to
designing around a space. I didnt know anything about
grading (hill slopes), storm water management, and
bio retention techniques such as green roofs and rain
gardens.

Terpskate

Upcoming Events

1 15

Dont forget to put in your order for club

T-shirts! February 1 is the last day that you can put
your order in. Each white shirt is $10 and prices
vary for other colors. The first batch of shirts will
say UMD Skateboarding Club on the front with
the No Scootering graphic on the back.
You can place your order on the official UMD
Skateboarding Club Facebook page and give the
money to Idris Battou.

3 14 15
Join us for our semi-annual video premier
this March!
Every semester we organize an event for
club members to get together and watch one of
the newest full-length skateboarding videos. Its a
great opportunity for members who joined in the
spring semester to get to meet the rest of the club
and for old members to hang out and introduce
themselves. Location TBD.

4 17 15

Information from http://www.thrashermagazine.com/locate/skateparks/

Generated by Austin Reece

Save the date for the annual spring cookout

and skateboarding session at Sunnyside Skatepark.
The skateclub will provide food and drinks but
we encourage all members to bring something to
share.
This year we are going to have a best-trick
contest with several prizes for the winners. We are
also looking for photographers and videographers
to come to the event to help support the club, so
let your friends know!
The park is located at: 10110 Rhode Island
Ave. Beltsville, Maryland, 20705. There will be a
car pool sign-up on the Facebook page.

Follow the UMD Skateboarding Club on social media!

Group: UMD Skateboarding Club

@umdskateboardingclub

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