Student-run skateboarding club rolls through Fresno State

FRESNO, Calif. – Skateboarding has always had a presence in Fresno.

Now data analytics major Adrian Ramos, or ‘Chilo’ as his friends call him, is leading an effort to bring an official skateboarding club to Fresno State.

“I always had a skateboard as a kid, I always just thought it was something cool,” Ramos said. “I would watch shows or movies, there’d be a skateboarder, I’d be like ‘oh I wanna do that!”

Skate Fresno State is a club focused on bringing students together to bond over their passion for skateboarding.

Ramos says the group dynamic makes it easier to improve at skating for beginners and skilled skaters alike.

“If you have a friend group, you can advance at your own pace, and not care about, like, if you fall, people are like, too embarrassed about it,” Ramos said. “If you’re around like a good group, no one cares. People are just uplifting you all the time.”

Although, the club isn’t just about ollies and kickflips. Ramos says it’s great for anyone just looking to meet new people.

“Some people join because they love skateboarding so much, and they want to improve,” Ramos said. “Some people go and they don’t even like, really care about doing tricks, they just come to hang out, and that’s really like the biggest part of it.”

The club is already gaining support from local skate shops.

Mikey Olivares, a sales associate at local skateshop Prodigy Boardshop, believes an official club could introduce even more people to the skate culture, and in turn, boost local business.

“If you get more people out there just trying to skate, more people are gonna fall in love with it, and then that’s gonna help our business because we’re gonna sell them skateboards, bearings, anything they need,” Olivares said. “It’ll just build bonds and friendships, and a good sense of community too,”

The club hopes to expand its reach and continue feeding Fresno’s love for skateboarding.

Anyone interested in participating in one of Skate FSU’s skate sessions can keep up with their Instagram, @skatefsu.