Abstract
Fanling skatepark is located in an industrial park in one of Hong Kong’s ‘new towns’ in the eastern New Territories. It is one of Hong Kong’s largest designated spaces for skateboarding, a concrete park that has street obstacles and bowls. On an October night, a group of young men in their twenties skate the smaller bowl, they are experts at their craft and confident, ‘carving’ the transitions and ‘grinding’ the coping of the bowl. In observing the efforts of a novice skateboarder in his mid- teens, one of the men takes time to explain to the novice the process of pumping the transitions, a technique that allows the skateboarder to gain momentum. He checks out the novice’s board and tests to see how loose his trucks are. He shares his knowledge, he demonstrates the technique, and he encourages the novice to practice, then returns to his friends and continues skateboarding.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Skateboarding : subcultures, sites and shifts |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 30-43 |
Number of pages | 14 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781138829824 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |