Since the 1990’s, longboards have been a mainstay on college campuses.

Longboarding has been growing on Marshall University’s campus for years. During the fall semester, the number of longboarders seemed to reach an all-time high.

Senior Sahara Stanley said she has noticed more longboarders on campus this year than prior years.

“This is my senior year, and I’ve really notice an increase on the number of people who have taken up longboarding this year,” Stanley said.

Junior Demetrous Miller, an avid longboarder, said he thinks longboarding is becoming more popular because it has become a new trend.

“I think it’s really starting to pick up in popularity because it’s almost like a fad,” Miller said. “It’s spreading fast, too. It’s just one of those things that picked up really quickly.”

Junior Alex Hersman said the longboarding trend has been traveling eastward for a while now.

“I feel like the activity (longboarding) is based off west coast culture fading toward the east,” Hersman said. “I’m glad to see more people riding here now, and it’s a fun and good activity for people to get into.”

Miller said his background in skateboarding made it an easy transition when his friend pushed him to try something different.

“I have always been a part of skate culture since I was younger, and I’ve had multiple skateboards,” Miller said. “One of my close friends had actually started downhill longboarding before me and asked if I wanted to check it out. I thought it was pretty rad, and I really started to get comfortable with longboarding and making it my own.”

Hersman credits his trip to California for jumpstarting his interest in longboarding .

“I got started riding in Santa Cruz, California,” Hersman said. “It is one of the hottest surfing and longboarding hotbeds around, and it influenced me greatly.”

Despite their different journeys to their longboarding ways, both Hersman and Miller find comfort on their boards.

“Longboarding is about yourself, as corny as that is,” Miller said. “It really is about your pace, your style, your want to just cruise around or look for a rush. I know boarders who just cruise to class or are crazy and need to bomb a hill or crave through a crowd. It’s not about looking cool or trying to show off, its just about being you.”

Hersman likened longboarding to riding a four-wheeler, and said the adrenaline and tough turns make him feel at ease.

“When I ride, it gives me a sense of freedom,” Hersman said. “The only thing I can compare it to is riding a four-wheeler and flying through trails and turns. It gives me a good break form school, and I go riding to relieve stress after a long day.”

Zach Wright can be contacted at wright283@