Students roll across campus on skateboards, longboards

By Patrick Webb ’21

There are several ways to get across the Goshen College campus. Students can walk, ride a bicycle, or, for some, cruise across campus on a board.

Longboarders and skateboarders come to GC with various levels of experience. Paul Drescher, an interdisciplinary major from Goshen, Indiana, got his start in longboarding in sixth grade.

While he owns a bicycle, Drescher primarily uses his longboard for on-campus transportation.

“GC is a small campus, so getting around is really easy,” Drescher said.

Seeing people using boards inspired Simon Graber Miller, a junior biology major from Goshen, to join them.

“I had not longboarded before, but I saw a lot of people riding, which seemed like a good way to get around,” Graber Miller said. “GC’s campus is very well set up for longboarding and biking too. A lot of good flat areas; it’s not too rough.”

Using a board isn’t just for residential students. Krislynn Lancaster, a senior molecular biology and biochemistry major from Milford, Indiana, commutes to campus by car, but she brings her longboard with her and uses it to get from class to class.

Longboards are helpful for commuter students who park at the edge of campus, Lancaster explained. “If you’re running late or it’s a beautiful day outside, longboarding is an easier way to get across campus.”

Lancaster, who serves on the Student Senate, proposed buying longboard racks for students to store their boards.

“I had noticed that many students didn’t know where to put their longboards,” Lancaster said. ”We have a designated area for bikes, but for longboards, it isn’t as easy to know where to put them.”

Lancaster said there is no convenient way to lock them up, like bicycles. There is also the risk of exposing them to the elements by leaving them outside, though leaning them against walls inside is safe, Krabill said.