Getting involved in college goes beyond the classroom, it’s about building community, discovering passions and creating experiences that last beyond graduation. From clubs and organizations to leadership roles and events, student involvement plays a key role in shaping both personal growth and campus culture. CNU has so many clubs that give students the opportunity to find their hobbies and enjoyments outside of the classroom such as CNU’s Skate Club, a tight knit community dedicated to skateboarding. The organization, run by senior Carson Cronkite and freshmen, Brenden Wilson, Eli Boles, Josh Bonta Reavis, Gavin Schultz and Brendan Stewart decided to run this organization with a goal of forming a community where skating is just for fun.
“All of our officers are focused on learning to teach and include all members. There is no ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ in skating, the sport is simply just for fun” said Cronkite.
With a new semester starting, Skate Club hopes to accomplish some goals for the semester.
“We would like to do some more outreach and break the stigma of being ‘intimidating’ because skateboarding can be intimidating because you can sometimes feel that you ‘need to be good at it’ in order to join but that’s not the case. All skill levels are welcome” said Cronkite.
Furthermore, he shared that the club tends to struggle with “engagement, and that’s because it is a really relaxing community. It may be hard for people to find time to skate, especially when working so hard in college so [they] are trying to do events that bring people in and get [their] name out there.
During the interview, I asked why all executive board members decided to join Skate Club from the very start. Wilson stated that “ [he’s] skated for a while on a longboard and couldn’t do any tricks. But when [he] saw that [he] could learn tricks through Skate Club, [he] decided to join.”
While individuals joined Skate Club to learn new tricks, others joined because of their friends.
“I really needed to join some clubs and my friends were in this club so I decided that I wanted to join too,” said Boles. Cronkite also joined because of the same reason. “Meeting my friend Dugan really got me into the club and I’ve been skating since high school and really wanted to continue it in college.”
While this club is great for connecting with people who also share a love for skating, this club is also an outlet for individuals to decompress.
“Skating has been my escape from school. Every time I feel overwhelmed, I’ll text my friends to go out and skate in the parking garage. The two hours of skating really helps me lock back in” said Bonta Reavis.
Even Wilson stated that “when [his] cat had passed, skating really helped [him] process that grief”
Overall, Skate Club is excited for the start of the new semester with a chance to meet new people who also share the same passion for skating.
“Skating is a way to be with like-minded people, to find new friends and enjoy time outside of stressful classes and studying. I see it as an escape and an opportunity” said Boles.
If you are interested in Skate Club, they have their meetings every Friday at 5:00pm at the JR Basketball Courts.
The organization is also hosting a T-Shirt design contest where students can design a T-Shirt for their upcoming drop. If you are wanting to participate, upload a jpg or png to the following google form (tinyurl.com/cnuskatedesign2026). Voting for the shirt designs will begin on Sunday 2/15.
