Both Cummings and Siasoco agree that JXTA students and the community as a whole could benefit from having access to an activity like skateboarding—something that involves little more than a board and the desire to skate. They also hope the temporary plaza will increase the want for additional multi-use skateparks down the road. Siasoco emphasizes that once you’ve got the board, you’re set. “From there, you don’t have to sign up for classes. All you have to do is roll down the street.”
“There’s just so many creative aspects that come out of skateboarding, and it’s such a positive activity, kinesthetically, and also just creatively. It occupies every facet once you go down the rabbit hole,” he says. “You look at this graphic, then you start drawing, then you learn how to screen print, then you learn how to make your own boards, then you learn how to sell them—there’s just so many things that you get passionate about with it. I know that a lot of these kids will totally grasp onto it if they’re not already involved.”