The corner of Cecil B. Moore Avenue and Broad Street is usually crowded with skateboarders showing off their best tricks, but when the university’s student-run radio station WHIP held a skateboard competition at the popular skate spot, the results were not successful.
On Friday, WHIP hosted the Kick Push Skate competition, which was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. and end at 6 p.m., however representatives from the station had no luck getting skaters to participate.
“Most of the kids who skate here are all about it not having a lot of people,” said Matt Conti, a junior marketing major. Conti and his brother are local skaters.
Most of the unwilling skaters said they had somewhere else they needed to be and would not be able to stay long enough for the competition.
Freshman communications major Taylor Reeve represented WHIP’s public relations department during the event. After asking roughly 30 skaters if they would sign up for the competition, Reeve found one skater.
She said several skaters shouted, “Stay away from me, lady with the list.”
Those who didn’t want to participate in the contest skated and entertained the crowd in short intervals.
The contest was intended to be a series of competitions. Every 30 minutes, WHIP planned on pairing people up, and they would be judged on their performances. The winners would have received gift cards or CDs as their prizes.
After a few more failed attempts to start up a competition, the station decided to play music and offer free pizza, posters, CDs, stickers, cups and pens to passers-by.
The giveaways attracted others to eat free food and watch people skate.
Despite no actual competition taking place, WHIP representatives considered the event a success.
“The skaters really just want to skate,” said BTMM major Kiaira Blackwell, who is the promotional director for WHIP. “Everyone still had a good time, and they got free stuff and pizza. They got fed, so they’re happy.”
The crowd that gathered to watch skaters perform kept WHIP representatives optimistic about future events regardless of the competition’s failures.
“I think the turnout was pretty good for our first time doing this,” Reeve said. “It’s sure to be a bigger success next year.”
Valerie Rubinsky can be reached at valerie.rubinsky@temple.edu.
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