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The New Urban Warriors
Skateboarding has come a long way since the 70s. Back then, skating was about the open road and footpaths. The suburbs echoed to the clatter of skateboard wheels with riders clad in trusty helmet, elbow and knee pads and a nice pair of beige stubbies. But times have changed says film-maker Andrew Moore. His film ‘No More Heroes’ screened at the 2006 Film Festival to rave reviews and explores the roots of skateboarding in New Zealand. “The response was excellent,” he says. “People didn’t realise there was that much footage still around.” The film’s general release has been held up by a few copyright issues with the soundtrack but Moore is confident that these will be resolved this year. “I got tired. Too tired to deal with that at the time.” So what of skateboarding these days? It’s still a relatively cheap activity to get involved with. New boards range from about $50 for a basic to over $300 for a pro board and skate shoes range from about $60 upwards. There are skate parks popping up all over the country and it doesn’t cost to use them. Just turn up with a board and you’re on. Skateboarding might have moved out of suburbia but it’s still a low barrier to entry activity. One thing that is different is the level of safety consciousness. In this age of over-protection and extreme caution, skateboarding is quite literally giving safety the one-fingered salute. Gone are the helmets and pads in favour of low-rider long pants and baggy t-shirts. “It was gentler back then. Everyone wore pads but they’re restricting so you don’t see them so much now,” says Moore. “And they’re probably not so cool,” he adds. And cool is important to these guys. A flick through the extensive YouTube collection of sponsored film clips reminds you how tough these young men (and they are almost exclusively men) are. These boys are testing the limits of their own physical abilities along with the limitations of their urban environments. Nowhere is off-limits: Steps, rails, ledges, fencing, planters, roads, hills, public art. They’re all skateable to a young urban warrior. Although Moore himself comes across as a gentle sort of chap, some of these guys are fiercely physical. Many of the clips feature them attempting the same trick time and time again until finally cursing and usually sporting some bloody injury or another they master it. For some the road to the perfect trick can involve demolishing several boards either by accident or in a fit of frustrated rage. So it’s a good thing the boards themselves aren’t so expensive. Watching these video clips brings to mind ancient ‘blooding’ rituals in which youths are ushered into manhood by the shedding of blood. The camera is focussed in on wounds with a soundtrack of jeers from the victim as well as the surrounding camera crew. Injury is not to be feared. It’s part of the experience. “There aren’t too many bad injuries,” says Moore. “Mostly just cuts and scrapes. Later on though some of the older guys can end up with stuffed knees and ankles.” The growth in skateboarding video has been fuelled by the skategear manufacturers and their sponsorship of the emerging professional teams such as Lakai, Volcom, Girl, Chocolate and Globe to name just a few. For many a lad back in the 70’s it would have seemed like a dream come true but for New Zealander Lee Ralph, skateboarding opened the door to fame and fortune back in the 80s. Now a wood carver/artist based in Australia, Lee still lives off that reputation joining pro-team tours as a skateboarding icon. In return for the glory and not insignificant funds, these guys perform their extraordinary feats for the camera and enter competitions although these have become almost secondary to the filming. “Fame comes not from winning contests but from good videos that the sponsors can distribute,” says Moore Film-maker Spike Jonze is probably the most revered in the industry and indeed some of his clips are incredible. One in particular shows the Lakai team members skateboarding over various urban environments that explode as they pass. What’s clear from these clips is that the expectations of these professional skaters are high. Several of them look distinctly like they get caught in the blast. Moore’s work these days is concentrated on filming (for YouTube clips) the exploits of his son Tobin who in classic skateboarder style seeks out good urban terrain to test his limits. Although the provision of skateparks is generally considered to be a good thing, Moore maintains that skateboarders will continue to look for uncharted urban playgrounds. “There is a good one in Wellington but overall in New Zealand they’re not great. Stuff in the street is always going to be more exciting,” he says. An essence of anti-establishment improvisation, freedom and individuality is what drives skaters to challenge themselves as well as the rules. In the way that young men have always done, they need to inhabit the biggest space they can and if this means they have to alter that space to make it skateable (for example sawing off skateboard preventer bolts), well that’s what it takes. They’re improvisers, survivors and adventurous; and they’re not about to tone it down any time soon. 
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