It’s a life on wheels. Jennifer Loughran loves hearing the clack of her skateboard on the pavement, feeling the wheels spinning and the sensation of wind blowing across her face and through her hair. She began skating in her driveway when she was growing up in Bridgewater, but skating really took hold when she moved to New York City. “The skate scene was amazing and the vibe was gritty: so many skate shops, skate spots, parks, plazas and epic skaters to roll with,” she says.
Today, skateboarding remains a way for Loughran to step back from daily life and live in the moment. “I put my headphones on, throw the skateboard on the ground and run and jump on it. In that moment when my feet hit the skateboard and I feel the sensation of carving in and out of turns, it’s so Zen,” she says. “It’s like a dance. There’s an artistry in connecting your body to your environment through a skateboard that is profoundly relaxing and exciting.”
She decided to share that feeling with others, launching BR Skateboarding this year. The business name harkens back to when Loughran was a student in Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s first integrated class. “‘We Are BR’ originated the year I started high school,” she says. “The name is a celebration of our community.”
Loughran, who previously founded Uptown Skate School when she lived in Manhattan, always had a mission to make skateboarding accessible. A part of the proceeds generated by BR Skateboarding is contributed to a not-for-profit she formed to work with local government and the community to fund projects like building a skate park at Harry Ally Memorial Park and to revitalize public spaces.
“There is a long, rich history of skateboarding in Bridgewater,” she says. “The former Bridgewater-Raritan High School West was one of the most-filmed sites for skateboarding in New Jersey. There are also secret spots and ditches all over town that have been used in skate videos and have been sites for photos in Thrasher skateboarding magazine.”
BR Skateboarding programs begin at age 6, but children can start skateboarding younger. “There’s no fear factor at that age,” Loughran says. She has teamed up with the Bridgewater Recreation Department to provide classes this summer and is planning outreaches to foster parents and people who are struggling with mental health issues and those who are in underserved communities.
According to Loughran, you’re never too old to learn skateboarding. “I teach parents, teachers and community leaders,” she says. The sport reaps many physical and mental health rewards: It’s vigorous exercise that gets you outside, helps with balance and forces you to be present in the moment, which can calm your mind.
Loughran scopes out empty parking lots and parks like Duke Island and Duke Farms to let the good times roll. “Skateboarding is an individual sport that is surrounded by a whole welcoming community,” she says. “Kids interact with adults, and beginners skate with more advanced skaters who encourage them. Since skating does not rely on a team, you can keep doing it as an adult. I’m 44!”
Safety always comes first. She teaches her students about proper safety gear and how to be aware of their surroundings and keep an eye out for moving objects like cars, bicycles, pedestrians, dogs and children. Her goals include training more instructors and providing outreach in schools, where she would talk to kids about fitness, health and safety. “I want to foster the idea that it’s cool to wear a helmet,” she says.
Loughran, who lives in Bridgewater with her husband, Michael, and daughters Serafina (7) and Eilish (5), delights in the fact that Eilish is also a skateboard enthusiast. “She’s my mini-me,” she says.
“It’s amazing to see the evolution of women in the sport over the past decade: Once there were few women and now women are in competitions with prize money,” she says. “About 70 percent of the people who call me are asking for lessons for their daughters. Go outside and look for a skater. Chances are, it will be a girl.”
Schedule skateboarding lessons at bridgewaterskateboarding.com.