Action sports athletes shred half pipe in support of anti-bullying

Upbeat music blared from multiple speakers in the parking lot on Sept. 2 as students gathered around a 14-foot half pipe. Collectively gasping, the mass of students stared as professional inline skater Eito Yasutoko from Japan floated and flew through every inch of the portable ramp, sometimes reaching heights 10 or more feet above it.  

The Action Sports Allstars (ASA) show is an interactive action sports circuit that has teamed up with the U.S. Marine Corps and the Anti-Defamation League to discourage bullying among teens. Following the motto “No Place for Hate,” the show included an emcee who served as a commentator while repeating a few bullying statistics.

The athletes include Yasutoko, professional skateboarder Nolan Munroe and professional BMX riders Zach Newman, Trevor Meyer and Jimmy Walker. All five athletes have won gold, silver or bronze medals at the renowned X Games, a world-level competition that focuses on professional extreme sports.

“Although the assembly was unorthodox in comparison to the other assemblies we have had in the past, ASA put on a show that was a lot more interactive with the students,” junior Mitali Shanbhag said. “The stunts really caught my attention.”

While the athletes performed awe-inspiring, and potentially dangerous tricks on the ramp, the emcee filled in details of each athlete’s career records and achievements. He also gave statistics about bullying. Though the statistics were alarming and informative, some students were too distracted by the show-stopping moves and tricks being done on the ramp.

“The whole concept of the assembly was really cool, but the facts about bullying seemed really forced,” senior Josh Dey said. “Overall, it was really fun and informative, but it could've been better if the bullying segments were weaved in better.”

Senior Karen Chen also thought many students missed the bullying aspect completely.

“When they addressed bullying, it seemed very disjointed and detached from what the athletes were doing,” Chen said. “It could have been really cool if the individual athletes told us about their experiences with bullying to make the information more relevant.”

In the question-and-answer segment following the performance, dozens of students raised their hands high up in the air to win prizes such as hats, T-shirts and lanyards. Next to the ramp, a few Marines oversaw a pull-up bar in which students could attempt to complete a certain number of pull-ups in exchange for awards.

As the show came to an end and students cheered, many new fans eagerly gathered around a fold-up table to receive autographs and take selfies with the athletes.

“Although we never got to hear them speak, I was inspired by these highly acclaimed athletes who have dedicated time from their careers to help the youth,” Chen said.