With the introduction of skateboarding to the Summer Olympics in the 2020 games, which were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, skating has skyrocketed among the youth once again. Skating is extremely popular among high school and college-age students who find solace in the sport and the positive environment that often comes with it.
The sport has found a home at the University of Denver. During the fall quarter of the 2025-26 school year, skaters at DU founded a club dedicated to the sport. Known as Skate Club, this new club creates a place for students to skate with each other in a comfortable environment while skating at various locations.
Ever since it became popular among counter-culture youth in the 70’s and 80’s, the defining aspect of skateboarding is the strong, tight-knit community the sport builds. Skateboarding isn’t just about winning games of S.K.A.T.E. or gold at the Olympics/X-Games. It’s about who you’re beating in S.K.A.T.E. and competing with.
“[Skate Club] is just a great place for people to meet people. Skateboarding itself can be very individualistic, but it doesn’t have to be,” said second-year Spanish and Sociology double major Leo Murrell, a frequent member of skate club since its founding in 2025. “A lot of people really appreciate it because you can be at completely different skill levels but still have a great time with everyone.”
Skate Club reflects the sentiment of skate culture across America. The club prioritizes hanging out with other members and improving with each session over competition, like being the best skater at the park. Skate Club’s goal is to create a community that people can feel safe in while pushing members out of their comfort zone.
“As much as I enjoy getting better and landing that trick, it’s always nice to have your boys right there next to you. It’s just such a good feeling being with friends,” said second-year Beckett Chung, Skate Club’s Vice President.
Skate Club President Michael Harris believes the creativity of skateboarding is what sets it apart from other sports.
“It’s such a unique sport. It’s creative and it’s super difficult. I mean, who else is hucking themselves down a 16-stair on a piece of wood with wheels?” Harris said.
Skateboarding is intimidating because of the amount of skill and coordination that’s required to simply stay on the board.
“It’s not about not falling, it’s about getting back up. Literally everyone falls on their ass and it does f****** suck. But it’s genuinely just about getting back up,” said Chung.
Perseverance is a foundational aspect of skateboarding. To improve, skaters must get back on the board while learning from the mistakes that made them fall in the first place. Skating is a fun and challenging way to learn how to push through the difficulties that life often throws your way.
“Things get hard. Midterms are hard. There’s a lot of times where it’s easier to just not, but I feel like skating really correlates to that it’s worth it to keep pushing through,” Murrel said.
Beyond perseverance, Harris also has several goals in mind for where Skate Club can improve in the next year.
The club aims to build a relationship with the Denver-based skateboard equipment distributor 303 Boards, as well as other local skate groups to put together competitions, board design events and skate videos. Harris also plans on creating merch to both promote and help fund the club.
Skate Club feeds into the rebellious, anti-establishment counter-culture that is heavily associated with the sport and its beginnings—even down to its leadership and “politics.”
“[Skate Club’s] not bureaucratic, it’s not that organized, but it doesn’t have to be,” said Murrell. “It doesn’t feel like a high-stakes commitment. It’s something that I’m into, I find other people who like it and that environment is really fun.”
This leadership approach is reflected in how the club operates when they are at the park. Consistently, leaders of Skate Club will opt to assist skaters in any way possible.
“[Leaders] will actively shorten their time to skate so they could help you learn, so they could film for you, so they could uplift you in general,” Chung said. “The thing that sets [Skate Club] aside is the fact that people will give up their own time doing something they enjoy just to make sure yours goes better.”
DU skaters built a community for themselves and have been thriving in it since the club’s introduction last year. The club meets every Friday at 4 p.m. outside of Dimond. From there, they head over to Englewood Skate Park, a great local spot for skaters of various skill levels to improve at skating.
