The Region : Law Seeks to Take Wind Out of Skating

Skateboarding and windsurfing are both outgrowths of surfing, the quintessential South Bay sport. Skateboards--small plywood boards with wheels--allow landlubbers to hang ten on concrete. Windsurfers or sailboards--surfboards with a mast and sail--allow surfers to hit the water even if there are no waves. It was probably inevitable, then, that someone would combine the two for a sort of “sailskating” on concrete, as some South Bay youths have done. And it was probably inevitable that someone would ban the new sport, as Torrance did this week. The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that will make it illegal to ride a skateboard (or “wheeled conveyance” as the city put it) equipped with sails on city streets, in parks or on other public property. Violation of the ordinance, which takes effect 30 days after its second reading next week, is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.