It's more than a just 'sport' for Guelph skateboarding enthusiast

It's a feeling of sheer freedom every time Ariel Stagni hops on his skateboard.

But the sport has become much more than just that. It has evolved into a culture that influences the lifestyles of millions of people worldwide, just like him.

"I am pushing against the term 'sport' used to describe the overall activity of skateboarding. I feel it doesn't capture the richness of culture, lifestyle and art that makes up most people's experiences with skateboarding," said Stagni, a Guelph resident. "In my experience, most skaters value the intrinsic joy they get from skateboarding."

A skateboarder for most of his life, Stagni, 49, offers skateboarding lessons for anyone who wants to learn.

With certification from the NCCP, (National Coaching Certification Program) Stagni has coached children and adults including Fay Ebert who brought home a gold at the PanAm Games in 2023 and competed as Canada's youngest athlete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"As a mentor, coach or instructor, I am happy to work with anyone who is keen to learn. I have also coached at all levels. I have worked with kids as young as three and adults as old as 70," he said.

"Some have never stepped foot on a skateboard, while others are actively targeting major competitions."

In recent years, Stagni has worked with NSO (Canada Skateboard) and has contributed to the development of instructor and coach training resources.

"Skateboarding is an embodied activity where you really need to be present. You tune into the environment in a very specific way, and that's because you have to. If you don't pay attention, you will fall," Stagni said.

"But falling and learning to fail is a really important part of skateboarding. So, it offers a life lesson too."

Stagni believes skateboarding can improve mental health, foster community, and encourages diversity and resilience.

"For me, as a skateboarder, I see many benefits.  Throughout the pandemic, the question of mental health came up for a lot of people. I felt like there were a lot of solutions presented for people but they came in forms like apps and things you can do on your own at home," Stagni said.

"But Skateboarders still came out and gathered together. I think that was a real benefit, feeling that sense of community".

Stagni sees skateboarding as a tool for youth engagement.

"The get that sense of community. And what I've seen too, inevitably, is people who want to get back into skateboarding," he said.

Originally, from Argentina, Stagni began skateboarding in his early teens.

"At that time, I was interested in sports. I was very involved in more traditional sports like tennis and soccer," Stagni said.

"Some of my friends were skateboarding, and I thought that looks cool. So, I tried it out. We didn't have skate parks then. I would just play around with my friends, look for and make places to skateboard. And yes, we would be kicked out of everywhere."

Stagni studied urban planning in university and began to work with municipalities across the province to have skate parks built. This included Mississauga's first skate park and over 60 other projects across the province.

"In Guelph, I thought It's just a matter of time before the city has a permanent skateboard park, and now, of course, they do. It's great to see them here," Stagni said.

As a skateboarder, Stagni does not want to limit himself to a skateboard park only.

"I look around with the lense that if there's an opportunity to skateboard, I will. That's one of the gifts that skateboarders bring to society, ways of reinterpreting spaces and looking at spaces with an opportunistic point of view," he said.

"There needs to be a really good understanding of shared space. There's an association with skateboarding being anti establishment. In downtown Guelph, you are not allowed to skateboard. There is a by-law that restricts skateboarding downtown. So, this is  something I am looking to challenge," Stagni said.

He developed the Guelph skateboarding committee to represent local skateboarders, and to advocate and work in partnership with various groups.

"We want to work with the City of Guelph and have conversations that include skateboarders about things beyond skateboard parks, for example active transportation, arts and culture and tourism," Stagni said.

"We want to establish some good working relationships with the community so we don't have to stay insular within the skateboarding."

Currently, the Guelph skateboarding committee is seeking an indoor space to offer local skaters a place to gather as a community and practice skateboarding.

"We've done a few events last year that have been focused on bringing people into skateboarding. Last month, we did an event at Norm Jary Skate Park where we handed out a bunch and donated a bunch of skateboards with city support through the Climate Action fund," Stagni said.

"We are keen to create temporary opportunities this winter and move to a permanent solution in the coming years. The city has expressed support for this initiative, yet the biggest barrier remains finding a site where skateboarding can live through our colder months."

Stagni believes skateboarding isn't as dangerous as people might think.

"There's this idea that skateboarding is risky but in fact it's not like there are more people going to the hospital for skateboarding injuries as much as lots of other more traditional sports."

You can connect with Stagni via Instagram and the Guelph skateboarding committee via Facebook.