Chad Day pops a blunt to fakie at the Manitowoc Skatepark Photo Credit - Sam Phillips
The culture of skateboarding and camaraderie is alive and well in Manitowoc.
For some, the peak of skate culture was in the early to mid-2000s when Tony Hawk, Bam Margera, and Bob Burnquist were all over the media landscape, but for local skaters, it’s more than just a fad.
Kris Kouba, a local skater who is also helping lead the charge in updating the Manitowoc Skatepark, got his start during that late 90s boom period after first gaining interest from watching the skateboarding featured on the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
“Around 1999, I was 16 years old, and the Tony Hawk video game came out, and finger boarding came out. Skateboarding was just getting really popular and culture at the time,” he recalled. “I had a friend who happened to be into skating who let me borrow his board, and from that point on, I was just hooked.”
Since then, skateboarding has grown internationally, with the Olympics now holding competitions, but Kouba says it’s more than an athletic sport.
“There’s like people who make just like little local skateboarding videos that are more artistic, and there’s animation, and there’s like sketches, and there’s comedy,” he explained. “The skateboarding isn’t that hard, but it’s just as interesting to watch or even more interesting, depending on what you’re into in skateboarding.”
The local skate culture is also one of acceptance.
Whenever there are people at the park, and someone is working hard on a trick, Kouba says everyone is cheering them on and encouraging them to get better.
“We’re this small community, and if you’re into skateboarding, we’re basically like you’re in our friend group,” Kouba said. “We try to just be inclusive of everybody and welcoming of everybody because we all know the importance that skateboarding has played in our lives and our personal happiness. Why not invite everyone who wants to get a piece of that?”
There is a chance for everyone to enjoy this culture coming up later this month.
Saturday, June 21st is International Go Skateboarding Day, and everyone is invited to join the local skaters at the park to watch a Skate Jam, eat some pizza, and experience everything the skateboarding community encompasses.
Click here to learn more about the Manitowoc Skatepark Preservation Project.
