For many people, skateboarding is simply a pastime. For the Skateboarding Illini, it’s so much more.

“It was probably the one, the first social space that I was in that I felt comfortable enough just being myself,” said Jake Simon, junior in LAS and president and co-founder of the RSO. “I think that’s kind of what it means to me, no matter what you look like, how you are or whatever; it’s all about just being yourself, and that’s the energy we want to cultivate with our club.”

Every Sunday, members of Skateboarding Illini can be found at Spalding Park Skatepark in Champaign. During meetings, the group hangs out, skates and socializes. In addition to its weekly meetups, the organization also hosts social events like board painting, T-shirt printing and ashtray making. 

These social events are key to creating a community of like-minded students. Several members cited the organization’s first board painting event as one of their favorites.

“I think that it was just so organic, how the ice was naturally broken with everyone,” said Thomas Rademaker, junior in LAS and Skateboarding Illini’s secretary. “I feel like it was just — everybody was so easily getting along with one another.”

The RSO’s members say that skateboarding communities may seem intimidating at first, but it welcomes any interested member with open arms.

Chloe Lobdell, sophomore in Media and the RSO’s treasurer and graphic designer, is a testament to the group’s wide variety of members. Lobdell is also involved with a social sorority on campus and enjoys bringing her fellow sorority sisters into the world of skateboarding.

“So it’s fun, bringing in different kinds of people,” Lobdell said. “At the end of the day, it’s a very open community. I mean, we will take whoever we can get, you know. Like, there’s no judgment.”

The sentiment of “no judgment” is one of the foundational pillars of the RSO and skateboarding culture as a whole. 

Ethan Ashley-Ferguson, junior in Media and the RSO’s social media manager, said that once people meet other skateboarders, they realize just how much they all have in common.

“I think the community of people is super kind,” Ashley-Ferguson said. “I think once people realize that they have common interests, like in that overlap of art and culture and skateboarding and music and stuff, I think that it’s easy for people to get along and kind of share that with each other.”

In addition to overlapping interests, the organization has a shared love and appreciation for skate culture, something that can look different for each member. Mostly, skate culture is described by the members as a nonjudgmental space that provides people with the opportunity to express themselves and connect with like-minded individuals.

Since the organization’s founding in Fall 2024, it has been constantly growing and adapting to fit the needs and wants of its diverse community. Looking toward the future, Simon hopes the organization can break into the house show scene to both fundraise and spread the word about its community. Additionally, Simon hopes to utilize the group’s artistic strengths to start a free, campuswide skateboarding magazine.

“Everyone can have a little bit of their voice seen in the magazine,” Simon said. “It’s something that can be accessible to people outside of skateboarding, something someone could pick up and be like, ‘Oh, this is really cool. This is going on on campus right now.’ Like, that’s really exciting.”

Overall, the group is looking forward to the arrival of warmer weather, the promise of community, connection and its next chapter. 

[email protected]