Skating In Lockdown

Welp, it’s that time again! All of New Zealand plunged back into a strict Level 4 lockdown while the ministry of health investigates the first community case of Covid 19 since February.

We’ve done this before, and we can do it again!

Level 4 means you must stay at home in your bubble. If you need to leave your house, wear your face mask, stay 2 meters apart from others and wash or sanitize your hand often. Essential services will still be operating. For example, emergency services, gas stations, supermarkets.

With the closure of the local rinks and skateparks it can be difficult to find other places nearby to skate, so we’ve compiled a few ideas to help keep you rolling!

Maybe your home doesn’t have hard surfaces to skate on, or any flat ground in general. I want to remind you that New Zealanders are still allowed to go outside for exercise but are encouraged to stay local, wear a mask and keep 2 meters apart from others.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some places you can still go to get your daily dose of skating.

Idea for skaters of all levels:

• DIY Skate Floor

This is a great option if you want to create a space in your home and you don’t already have hard ground to skate on. There are lots of choices when it comes to skate surfaces, the simple option being basic plywood sheets. These are available at your local hardware store and are very customizable! You can cut them into a shape to fit the space you choose, paint them and connect multiple sheets using small piano style hinges. (You will need to use some screws and a drill to secure the hinges to the plywood sheets.) Other options include portable flooring, such as interlocking plastic tiles and vinyl flooring sheets, which can easily be found across the internet.

Ideas for Beginner Skaters:

• Empty Carparks and Parking Garages.

Most local businesses have closed the doors to their bricks and mortar stores, which means their public carparks are usually pretty empty. Most carparks are paved with smooth concrete and, even small carparks have plenty of room to practice your transitions, cornering, backwards skating and all your new moves! If you do choose to skate in an empty carpark, please respect the space you’re using and be mindful of “no skating” signs posted around. Try to keep your distance from any private property and remember to scan the QR codes. If you’re not totally confident skating outdoors I recommend wearing, at least, some knee pads and wrist guards.

• Quiet streets

With more people working from home again our streets are slightly quieter than usual, bringing opportunity for skaters to take advantage of. Grooving down the street is so much fun but there are some added obstacles to get around like twigs, stones and slippery leaves. This all adds another fun element to pay around with and you can even line the rubble up and use it as cones to zig zag around! There’s a certain level of caution necessary when you skate on the roads. I highly suggest sticking close to the side of the road facing oncoming traffic so you can easily see any vehicles coming towards you. I would also recommend wearing some Hi-Vis, reflective or bright clothing to ensure people in vehicles can easily see you! Be sure to wear necessary protective gear.

Ideas for Intermediate Skaters

• Closed Schools

Closed schools are the perfect skate playground! New places to explore, things to jump on, off and over, different surfaces to skate on (asphalt, concrete, tarmac, wood, Astro turf). Skating on a variety of different surfaces can help build your stability on wheels, and skating in places like closed schools can help inspire creative use of your skate spaces! I you decide to explore one of our closed schools, please be respectful of the space you’re using. Try to keep your distance from private property and the buildings around you and remember to scan the QR codes. If you’re new to skating on some of these surfaces, I would recommend wearing, at least, some knee pads and wrist guards. A helmet is always a good idea if you’re trying out new or more advanced moves.

• Quiet streets 

Now that our streets are slightly quieter than usual, we have more opportunity to take advantage of. Go on and *safely* explore your neighborhood! Be mindful of different obstacles to get around, such as curbs, truncated domes (those tricky little yellow or silver bumps on the footpath) and debris. Street skating is so much fun, but people in vehicles may not be expecting you, so I would recommend wearing some Hi-Vis, reflective or bright clothing to ensure people in vehicles can easily see you! If there’s no footpath, I highly suggest sticking close to the side of the road facing oncoming traffic so you can easily see any vehicles coming towards you. Be sure to wear necessary protective gear.

• Night time skating

I love breaking out the light up wheels and reflective jacket, and going for a cruise around my neighborhood, or one of the parking garages. There are far less people around to bump into, but I seriously recommend going with someone in your bubble! (Like the buddy system from school.) be sure to wear clothing that you’ll be seen in, Hi-Vis, reflective or bright colours. Avoid dark clothing. It’s always a good idea to wear necessary protective gear, and I recommend a torch or head lamp, in case you run into any dark spots or rough terrain. If you do see others while skating at night be sure to keep 2 meters apart, and wear your mask and scan the QR codes.
Skating at night time requires a certain level of caution and I highly recommend going with at least one person from your isolation bubble and carrying some sort of safety whistle or alarm.

Ideas for Intermediate – advanced Skaters

• Adventure Skating

A personal favorite for lockdown skating! In the late afternoon / early evening when the roads and footpaths have quietened down a bit further, I love gearing up, masking up and exploring local shops, schools and new subdivisions. I live in a developing area so there are new roads to explore appearing all the time! Local closed shops can hide some awesome aggressive skate spots! I once skated down a driveway, behind the shops and found an awesome steep driveway into a locked garage. I ran up and skated down so many times, treating it more like a ramp, jumping over and stalling on the curbs before continuing my adventure. If you decide to do some adventure skating please be respectful of the spaces you’re using and be mindful of “no skating” signs posted around. Try to keep your distance from any private property and remember to scan the QR codes. I would recommend wearing, at least, some knee pads and wrist guards, but it’s a good idea to add a helmet if you’re doing any aggressive style skating!

• DIY Skate Rail

Skateparks are closed!
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t still practice your moves! There are lots of ways to create your own skate rails, wedges or ramps and you can find lots of tutorials online. I love the versatility of a skate rail, and how simple it can be to create one. Some simply place a section of PVC or galvanized piping on the ground and away they go! If you want something a bit more secure, you can follow the easy steps below!

You’ll need:

• PVC or galvanized piping
• Two 2x4 wood planks the same size as your piping
• Two – four Corner braces (depending on how long you want to make your rail)
• Drills
• Drill bits
• Screws

Optional:

• Sand paper or an electric sander

 Note: You can change the size of your piping or angle of your corner braces so that your "coping" sits more on top of your wood planks or more inset into your wood planks. My rail is more inset.

How to make your own skate rail:

1. Find the rougher side of your wood planks. This side will be under your rail or the “back” side of your rail.
2. If you want to paint your rail, it’s a good idea to paint it before assembling. You can also sand the side you want to paint or the “front” of your rail. Wait for it to completely dry before continuing to assembly.
3. Lay your wood planks on a steady work surface, face down so the rougher side or “back’ side is facing up.
4. Secure your planks at an angle using the corner braces. Try to space these evenly along your rail.
   
   
5. Flip your rail over so the smoothest or painted side is facing up. You should end up with a “cradle” gap at the top of your planks.
6. Drill some holes in your piping at opposite angles so you can secure your piping to both of your wood planks. (Use a slightly larger drill bit than the size of the top of the screws you’re using) try to space these holes as evenly as possible. This means there are no screws sticking out to snag on your slides or grinds.
   
   
7. Secure your piping to your wood planks by drilling your screws through the holes in your piping.
8. You’re all done! Gear up and go enjoy your very own skate rail!
    
   

As you can see, there’s still plenty of opportunity to get your skate fix in lockdown!
Please be respectful of public and private spaces and think safety!

Keep 2 meters apart from others out and about, be kind, wash your hands, wear your mask and scan the QR codes. Be extra careful skating on roads and at night time, and go with someone in your isolation bubble.

Stay safe and have fun!

- Kea x