In a single file line, Alvin Cornelius, Brisly Estime and Corey Winfield rode down Comstock Avenue, the busiest street on Syracuse’s campus. Hoverboards were their mode of transportation, and the three SU football players stayed to the left of the road’s white line as cars and busses drove by. They had their own way to class this fall.

Last week, SU announced a temporary ban on the possession, storage and use of hoverboards on university property because of evidence that they are prone to catching on fire.

“I don’t see what’s the big problem,” Winfield said Thursday. “I think it’s because what they don’t read is it says don’t leave them on the charger for too long.”

Department of Public Safety chief law enforcement officer Tony Callisto said hoverboards pose a “serious safety threat.” Winfield says he only charges his for two hours before letting it sit, comparing the device to a cell phone in that malfunctions can be avoided if it isn’t left on a charger for an extended period of time.

Elliot Kaye, the chairman for the Consumer Product Safety Corporation, pointed to battery packs and charger compatibility as reasons for the “dozens” of fires involving hoverboards.

Players actually saw physical benefits from riding hoverboards to class, often preserving their legs after workouts at Manley Field House before Saturday games.

“I feel it’s crazy, now I got to walk and everything because I was getting used to the hoverboards,” safety Antwan Cordy said. “The hoverboard was great because you don’t have to catch a bus.”

When Syracuse head coach Dino Babers was asked if he’s into the hoverboards, he deflected the attention to his shortcomings in other activities, like his inability to ski or swim.

“There are certain things that if you’re a really good player your coaches just won’t let you do … so no I never learned how to ski,” Babers said. “I would probably jump on one and play with it for a while but I wouldn’t be on it all the time. Those things are burning up anyway so you don’t want them on your feet.”

Vines are circulating the internet of people taking calamitous falls on hoverboards or having the devices explode after a collision. That’s what SU wants to avoid with not just its athletes, but its students, even if the ones who ride them often don’t agree.

“They fun, I love ‘em,” Winfield said. “So I don’t know why they would ban them.”

Published on March 3, 2016 at 12:11 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman