Dodging foot traffic and defying gravity, skaters have made Western’s campus their playground.

Everything from the ledges and benches to the fountain in Red Square is an obstacle for skateboarders to shred on clear days. That is, until a public safety officer chases them down to give them a ticket for violating Western's skateboarding ordinance.

“I’ll probably be in Red Square for 15 more minutes — until the cops come,” Western freshman Conor Wagner said.

Western’s Bike and Skateboard Code states that riders must dismount in Walk Zones, including Red Square, Viking Union Plaza and the Art and Carver Corridor from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Laws, regulations and the inconsistent Northwest weather make finding spots to skate a challenge for Western students.

Bellingham rains or snows on an average of 163 days annually, according to the National Climatic Data Center.

During those days, where do students skate?

 “Nowhere,” skaters Wagner and freshman Tyler Horner said in unison. “There’s nowhere to skate indoors in Bellingham.”

Some upperclassmen have found creative ways to endure the bad skating weather.

Living in a quaint red house in the lettered streets neighborhood, Wyatt Lee, TJ Simon and Allan Wade have everything a skater needs — food, foosball, music, nine skateboards, a mini half-pipe and a corner store next door.

“We’ve been skating together since day one,” said Wyatt Lee, a Western junior majoring in plastics engineering technology.

Their passion for skating was evident as boards lined the entrance to their home, which was altered to form a skate haven. 

With a little help from their friends, some 40-ounce bottles of beer, a few power tools and $400 worth of materials, Lee, Simon and Wade were able to fulfill their one and only new year’s resolution within two days: building a half-pipe.

The mini ramp is 2-feet tall, 12-feet wide and fills their garage, which is decorated with Christmas lights and a random collection of posters.

“Skate or die,” Simon said. “That’s how serious we are about skating.”

In the mundane days of middle school, Lee, Simon and Wade were inspired by their skater friends and picked up the sport out of boredom.

 “But if you’re still doing it at 21 years old, you’re not skating because your friends are skating — it’s because you can’t let go of it,” Simon said.

Simon said the Northwest produces tougher skateboarders due to the inclement weather.

“Washington’s wear-and-tear weather is harsh on skateboards,” Simon said.

Through their work at skater store Zumiez, Lee and Simon serve the diverse group of people in the skate community.

Despite differences in style, all skaters share a mutual respect for each other, Lee said.

“It feels good when you roll away and have accomplished some greater skill a lot of people can’t do,” Simon said.

Skaters achieve an endless number of tricks and combinations at skate parks, on campus, at business lots — any place with concrete.

Constantly entertained by tricks, bombing hills and cruising, skateboarding is the preferred mode of transportation for skaters, Simon said.

As skaters grind ledges and benches, skateboarding is a sport that many students can’t help but watch. 

Sitting at a table adjacent to Red Square, Western junior and political science major Nicole Nordin peers out the window at the sound of skateboarders.

“They move around benches and create a ruckus” Nordin said. “Skaters are distracting — I’ll find myself staring at them for 20 minutes when I’m trying to study in the library,” she said.

Next to Nordin, another student laughs and argues that skateboarders are entertaining to watch.

As the clock reaches the top of the hour, public safety officers on bicycles can be found patrolling Western’s campus.

In bright blue jackets, Officers Carpenter and Ellis stood alongside their bikes as they sipped their coffees and watched out for bikers and skaters.

 Annually, they distribute roughly 100 tickets, Carpenter said. Of those tickets, 15 to 20 are for skateboarding, Ellis said.

Carpenter said skateboarding is a great mode of transportation, but skaters have less control than bicyclists do on a bike.

“We don’t want to jack people up," Carpenter said. “We realize university students have limited funds so we’re out here to inform people.” Carpenter said.  “But if we see repeat-offenders or people that just don’t care about what we have to say, that’s when we have to get their attention other ways.”

The first ticket for skating on Western’s campus is $15, the second is $30 and the third offense doubles to a fine of $60, Carpenter said.

In certain circumstances, such as boarding on Bellingham streets, a ticket can cost even more.

Western junior Hans Klein, received a $90 ticket as a freshman outside the Viking Union for skating on the street. He said he later got it reduced to $60.

A Bellingham traffic ordinance prohibits skateboards on city streets.

Since he moved off campus, Klein can now walk through his backyard into a shack with a built-in ramp whenever he feels the urge to skate.

The ramp, which used to belong to a neighbor, was once outside, but Klein and his friends fixed it up and moved it into his shack, the ideal place to prevent it from rotting.

Klein has been skating the Northwest with friends and finding new spots for 10 years.

“It’s definitely a different type of skateboarding here,” he said. “The spots here are so diverse – they are harsh and it’s a lot harder to find smooth spots; they’re pretty gnarly.”

Western’s campus, particularly Red Square, is one of the best skating places in Bellingham, he said.

There are some good spots and ledges downtown, including the pit — a little broken down concrete area and a spot near Rocket Donuts that has been braced with skate deterrents, Klein said.

Klein said he enjoys skating with friends because they help push each other to do harder tricks.

“[Skating] is different [from many sports] in the sense that it’s social, because you like doing it with other people, yet it’s individualistic because it’s just you,” he said. “It doesn’t require anybody else.”

Klein said some people have misconceptions about skaters, they think of them as kids who don’t care about anything other than skating. But they’re some of the most diverse people he knows.

“Most people I know that skateboard play an instrument or create artwork and are really intelligent and interesting people,” Klein said.

Skaters emerge from all different ages, genders, places, occupations and backgrounds.

Zac Garza, 36, is giving up plumbing and construction to pursue his passions: art and skating. At the age of 10, Garza received his first skateboard as a Christmas gift that would help determine the route of his future.

“I’m 36 years old and, I still love skating all the time,” he said. “I could talk about it until I turn purple.”

Bellingham-born, Garza has lived here for 10 years, and said he is aware of how limited skate spots are during the rainy seasons.

Garza and his business partners will soon open a skate shop called “The Unknown” in downtown Bellingham.

 The Unknown is scheduled to open its doors in a month and a half at 105 Grand Ave., near the Black Drop Coffee House.

Garza wants to encourage creativity and plans to use the shop’s wall space as an art gallery and carry T-shirts made by local artists.

“Skateboarding is an art,” Garza said. “Skateboarders are artists who want to do their own thing.”

Garza believes skateboarding is a sport some people are just not accepting yet. Garza thinks it will be just another school sport in 10 years.

“Overall, people might think that a skateboarder might amount to nothing,” Garza said. “But if you look at the skateboarding world today, they’re running their industry and doing a lot of jobs that are just as important as any other thing in society.”

Skateboarders aren’t lazy, they just want to progress because it gives them a good feeling, Garza said.

 “Every trick leads, to the next trick and you just get better and better.  The sky’s the limit,” Garza said.

With the wide age range skating attracts, Garza believes skateboarding creates a community where skaters are always looking out for each other.

The skating community helps younger people grow up in a safe environment, he said.

“If you give people more to do, they’re less likely to do drugs,” Garza said.

Throughout his 26 years of skating, the WWS Boardshop and Our World and Alliance skate shops have sponsored him.

Until there are more skating opportunities in Bellingham, Klein’s advice for students is to “keep skating at any spot they want, no matter what.”

The rush skaters receive from skating outweighs the potential financial burden of a fine or ticket. As skateboarding continues to expand police officers, bad weather and irritated peers won’t stop them from skating the Northwest terrain.

Fine for skateboarding on campus:
First offense - $15
Second offense - $30