Matt Robles/Arizona Daily Wildcat Pscychology sophomore Doc Jeffrey Andrzejczak rolls past the Student Union Memorial Center Monday.

There's nothing new about skateboarding, but the elite few who ride them around Tucson are getting some competition from a new breed of riders.

Longboards, a kind of hybrid cross between a surfboard and a skateboard, have been making a comeback since the 1990s and are slowly, but surely becoming ever more visible on the UA campus.

Though most skateboarders tend to be linked into the high school age group, some veteran skateboarders now attend the UA and even partake of the longboard phenomenon.

According to "The Concrete Wave," published by Warwick Books, skateboarding dates back to the early 1900s, and has remained an underground activity throughout its multiple transitions over the decades.

The popularity of longboarding, however, is sweeping the globe in places such as Ireland, Switzerland, Vancouver, Germany, Brazil and other parts of South America to name a few.

Southern California seems to dominate as the current longboarding capital of the United States. Gradually, the popularity is growing in Southern Arizona as well.

"While there's a few skate shops and stuff in town, I've never really considered this a skateboard town," said Dok Jeffrey Andrzejczak, a psychology sophomore and Tucson native.

"Maybe it's because the whole thing is too suburban and everyone thinks whoever skateboards is a punk, but I only saw a few people actually use a skateboard to get around town when I was growing up."

What's the attraction?

Most UA students who longboard or skateboard around campus agree that it's the quickest, most convenient method to get from class to class.

Andrzejczak has had his Sector 9 longboard for about four weeks, but has been riding skateboards for the last six years.

"I used to ride a regular skateboard back in high school, for a variety of reasons. First off, I love kinetic travel; running, biking, hiking, rollerblading, skating, skateboarding," he said.

Andrzejczak said he favored his skateboards back in the day and rarely used his longboard until he recently purchased one for $5 from the Procurement and Contracting Services Auction from a department's unclaimed lost and found.

"As far as speed, oh yeah. I'm making it to class in less than half the time it usually took me walking," he said. "But there's a price in that you have to carry it around all day. I'd say that while it's easier to use and store than a bike, I probably wouldn't use it unless I lived near or on campus."

Though all her classes are within a "reasonable distance from each other," Leah Kizis, a pre-education freshman, said she gets from class to class within three to five minutes with the help of her longboard.

"You don't have to lock it up, you can just take it to class with you, and go," she said.

Matt Robles/Arizona Daily Wildcat Elementary education freshman Leah Kizis rides her longboard from campus to her job on University Boulevard this morning.

Yeah, chicks do it too!

Kizis has had her longboard, made by Shaft Wood, for little more than seven years.

"The deck itself is the only part of the original board," she said. "I'm on my third set of wheels and I have recently upgraded to some new trucks, bearings, and grip tape."

Originally from Encinitas, in San Diego County, Kizis said skateboarding was all around her growing up.

While in seventh grade, she learned her first moves from her neighbor Jack, who would ride down the slopes of their neighborhood street and through intersections before hopping off his board and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Looking back I think it was a bit reckless, but back then I was so impressed," Kizis said. "He represented release from the world and a kind of freedom when he rode, so I guess you can say he was inspiration for starting to ride."

With the help of her roommate, Krista Grinney, a special education and rehabilitation junior, is learning how to handle her longboard, which she got in November after her birthday.

"I mentioned that I wanted one, so my friend from San Diego made it for me," she said.

The sudden idea of just riding a longboard was enough to prompt her to take a stab at it.

"I love trying new things," she exclaimed. "My roommate had one last year and it looked like a lot of fun. I also like the cute skater chick look, so I thought it would be fun to do that every so often."

Boarders are people too

Prabjit Virdee, a psychology sophomore and Phoenix native, has been skateboarding for four years.

"I couldn't get my mind off of skateboarding after I saw some old-school street skating on TV," Virdee said. "I didn't try to get into skateboarding culture though. It was just me, my board and my neighborhood streets. I wanted to know how to skate."

Though Virdee has tried riding a longboard before, he said it didn't feel right for him.

"I missed having a lip to lean on," he said. "The larger wheels and board was one thing; I had to get acclimated with so as not to hurt other people."

Chris Lynn, an electrical engineering freshman and Tucson native has been skateboarding for about eight years.

"I'm a true product of the local scene," he said.

When asked why he took up skateboarding, Lynn laughed and said, "Everyone asks this. I don't know really. I think it was because I got bored of playing soccer."

In addition to his Tony's Blank, which he purchased a month ago, Lynn said he also owns a "phat longboard," but prefers skateboarding.

"You can compare the two but it's like comparing a mountain bike to street bike," he said, "They just do different things, but they're still bikes. Regular skateboarding is the best for me."

JOSH FIELDS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Electrical engineering freshman Chris Lynn grinds a bench near the Center for English as a Second Language building yesterday.

Longboard love

Besides riding her longboard from her residence hall, to class and to work at Frog & Firkin, Kizis said, "I could ride it from home to Phoenix but I seriously doubt that I-10 is longboard friendly."

For the most part, Kizis said the UA is longboard friendly, but doesn't think Tucson is overall.

"Skating around campus is one thing, but the second you leave and venture out into other parts of Tucson you run the risk of falling," she said. "The sidewalk that I swear the construction workers must have either gotten lazy, or intentionally laid sidewalk with three inch gaps, to the potholes caused by the nonexistent drainage Tucson has, or the amount of sand and gravel from front yards that oblivious residents neglect to clean up, I would call it a disaster."

Andrzejczak concurs.

"I think the U of A is pretty

board-friendly, minus the gripe that the asphalt is pretty crappy in some areas," Andrzejczak said. "And the fact that people tend to give bikes the right of way, but will sometimes make a skateboarder go around them and I never really understood that, since a bike has tires which make it easy to go into grass or gravel or dirt, but a skateboarder will usually just bite it if he makes the attempt.

"It just gets a little frustrating sometimes when I'm running late and no one seems to want to move out of the bike lane."

During his first semester at the UA, Virdee has been riding his skateboard around campus, but noticed how much longboarder friendlier it is.

"It's better for long boarders, but all skaters get the benefit of a low theft rate plus no locks or shoe changes for rollerbladers to think about," he said. "You can pick up and set down the board instantly. Yet, I've forgotten my board in a classroom, but always

recovered it.

"The UA campus is not the campus for skaters, yet I've never run into any serious obstacles," Virdee said. "I'd rate it average."