Talented skaters shred the ramps, rails and refrigerators of the Davis Ditch at an event put on by the N-Men skate group
By MATTHEW MCELDOWNEY — city@theaggie.org
The N-Men, a Sacramento skate group that has been skating since 1974, hosted their annual Non-Test skating competition on Oct. 13. Skaters of all ages gathered at the Davis Ditch to land tricks, have a good time and share their passion for the sport with other skaters from all over California.
A Davis Ditch local, Matt Wieland, is a skater who began skating and building up the Davis Ditch since its discovery in the ‘90s. His documentary work on some of Northern California’s well-known skaters and skate groups would eventually lead to weekly skate sessions and larger community events at this Davis skate spot.
“There are people coming from UC Davis, all over Sacramento, Winters, Vacaville, Dixon and the Bay Area, even Tracy,” Wieland said. “We are building community, that is our biggest purpose when we are out here.”
The Davis Ditch was once a quaint and remote ditch that sat beside Highway 80. The location allowed skaters to create their own scene when suitable facilities to skate were, and to some extent still are, unavailable in Davis. It has been a long time since the skaters that first discovered this spot began dropping in, and through the gradual additions made by skaters over the years, the Davis Ditch has become a testament to the craftiness and passion inherent to skating culture itself.
In anticipation of the Non-Test competition, Weiland, members of N-Men and other locals made further alterations to the Davis Ditch. Among these alterations, a refrigerator was added as an additional skate feature.
“We put in more curbs to the side, an additional ramp and the refrigerator on top,” Weiland said.
This refrigerator would have its time in the limelight as one competitor, Santos, dropped into the Davis Ditch from the height of both the ramp and fridge. Another skater, Nicholas, would win the best trick prize by landing a trick off of the fridge.
So, as much as this year’s Non-Test was meant to promote community, equally so were each of the skaters able to put their own creativity and individuality on full display.
In the first round, skaters were given three runs to impress the judges with as many of their best tricks within that time. The five finalists chosen out of two heats of skateboarders would then be pitted against one another with two remaining runs to make a lasting impression. An additional prize would be awarded to whoever landed the best trick while the judges tallied up the points. Without age or gender categories, teachers competed against students, rising stars against veterans and even dancers and journalists were skating together.
Hayden Gutierrez, a third-year environmental science and management major, explained how it felt to skate in this year’s competition.
“It was very challenging to skate because it is all [Do it Yourself],” Gutierrez said. “Now [the ditch] has been made for skating, but it was not originally made for it. Nothing here is perfect. There are bumps and cracks, some things are falling apart. It is very challenging to skate, but that is why it makes skating the course so much fun.”
Competing in Non-Test allowed Gutierrez to meet many skaters in the area, and as a transfer student at UC Davis, skateboarding overall helped him settle into student life.
“At home, I have a great sense of community through skateboarding,” Gutierrez said. “So, this has made me really happy to have that in Davis.”
Gutierrez speaks for many skaters when he describes the way skateboarding allows for overcoming adversity while bringing people together. This much is also true for Luke Turner, also known as the “Impaler,” a photography teacher and the first-place winner of Non-Test.
“Skating is not really about competition,” Turner said. “I am happy about it, but there are so many great skaters here. So, to be recognized in this way is a great honor, but I am definitely not the gnarliest skater here, there were some real rippers here.”
As a 53-year-old skater and Davis local, Turner began skating in the Davis Ditch four years ago after rediscovering his love for skating at an older age. He was happy to be skating in the Davis Ditch with so many skateboarders and hopes more will be able to appreciate this skater-made space in the future at their skate sessions, which happen weekly on Sundays at 11 a.m.
This was especially important for Turner as the Davis Ditch, in particular, aptly showcases the adversity in the history and culture of skateboarding as a whole. As public spaces were regulated and designed to exclude their sport, Turner described the necessity for skateboarders to transform places not designed for skateboarding into places where they could. And through their ingenuity, tenacity and fun-loving passion for skateboarding, they did.
“Like they say in skateboarding, the best skater is the one having the most fun,” Turner said. “And, I had a hell of a lot of fun!”
Written by: Matthew McEldowney — city@theaggie.org
