Skatestopper.
A Skatestopper is a skate-deterrent device placed on urban terrain features such as benches and hand rails to discourage skating on the surfaces where they have been installed. The name "Skatestopper" is a registered trademark of Intellicept of El Cajon, California, but in some skateboarding circles it has become a generic term referring to any anti-skate device. The aim of skatestoppers is to stop skaters from practicing grinds on urban features such as curbs, benches, and ledges, which can damage those structures.
Chris Loarie, 30, got the idea for Skatestoppers from his brother, a cop in skateboard-scarred Southern California. Loarie invented the product in 1998, and his San Diego-based Intellicept Corp. started off the nation wide distribution of the now infamous stoppers.
Every skater knows about these, and every skater has tried to skate over at least one of these... We land some with success, and other times leaving with a chipped up deck or worse...
So are these really necessary? As a skater I say NO WAY... but as a business owner I have a different opinion.
Let's examine both sides of the story. (In an imaginary scenario) A skater see's a beautifully perfect set of ledges. Good run up with no cracks, smooth concrete perfect for waxing. Two benches in a line that almost begs for a two trick line with a glorious flip trick off of the curb at the end for those bonus style points... and no security. Perfect.
As a brand new business owner you are unbelievably excited to move into your new retail space. It's a perfect location. Lots of foot traffic, beautiful store front, there is even sitting benches right near the front of 
your store! The rent is a little higher than you wanted, but the high foot traffic should make up the difference. But wait.... the foot traffic seems diminished every time the skaters show up... you ask them to leave but they return almost on a daily. You see your customers crossing the street to avoid the potential hazards awaiting them while crossing the gauntlet of shooting boards and flying skateboarders.
This could be a problem.
You are already spending too much on rent, now you have to invest in preventative measures to keep the skaters out while de-beautifying the very thing that brought you here in the first place. What do you do when the skaters just keep coming back?
I know this is an extreme example, but it is a hard truth we have to face as skateboarders. Respect the spot. Some things should not be skated out of respect, some things should be skated covertly, and if you are going to skate an unskateable spot, make sure you are a ninja about it.
words by Keith Halterman
