Written by: Abigail Davis, Staff Writer
DAYTON, TN – The Bryan College Skate Club met for the first time on Tuesday, Aug 30th in front of the Mercer building. Ten students came together from all experience levels to teach and learn skateboarding, the culmination of a process that started with one person in 2021.
The club was started because the club president Donovan Stokes, a junior Christian Ministries and Creative Writing major, was dedicated to pursuing a new community for skaters. “I wanted to create a safe environment for people who weren’t in athletics but still wanted a place to belong,” Stokes said.
This pursuit of a new kind of social environment for all students started at the beginning of Stokes’ sophomore year when he started to seek approval from the Office of Student Life. The club secured funding and approval in time for the start of 2022 to 2023 school year. The club was introduced for the first time on Wed, Aug 24th at a club fair which occurred during Welcome Week at Bryan in order to introduce the new club to students.
The Skate Club meets weekly for all members, and more experienced skateboarders meet on Saturdays to practice advanced tricks. So far, there have been three meetings which have focused on teaching beginners the basics of skateboarding.
The club taught three beginners “how to kick, how to coast [and] how to keep balance,” Stokes said.
The latest meeting will feature a lesson on skating down hills. The club plans to host monthly field trips for all members, which will feature a various number of different skate parks. These outings, along with the weekly meeting, comprise the majority of the skate club’s activities. However, as time progresses, plans for a group name and t-shirts should come to fruition.
Josiah Cruver, a senior Economics major and member of the skate club, said that he learned the ropes from the club president and is excited to continue participating in the club. “I get to teach other people, which is really cool,” Cruver said. The club hopes that interest will increase in the coming months.
Abigail Davis is a freshman Communications major with a minor in English and Business. In her free time, she enjoys writing, video games and reading.
