 |
|
The Art of Skateboarding
Above, file photo of skater at indoor park in Taunton by A Local Skater March 29, 2009 — Everyone I know who likes to skateboard, bike, rollerblade, scooter, ski, snowboard, surf or any other extreme sport you can think of, loves to test their hobby on the terrain around them. Now the problem with rolling down the sidewalk, or using the natural obstacles in a public (or private) area is that it can create a bit of a nuisance for the people around and the property owners. Experimenting with things is just natural for a skater. But truly enough, it can lead to a few issues, too:
1. It can damage property. 2. It can be trespassing. 3. We can get hurt, and if on someone else's land it turns into bigger problems like the wrong person being penalized, sued, or fined. 4. Trash might be left. 5. It can intimidate pedestrians and customers of the business buildings. 6. The police can get involved and arguments can start.
But there is another side to it.
The fun in skating is what keeps us out of trouble, or other trouble to some people. Sure, when colleges are looking at your athletic experience, skateboarding doesn't exactly make the cut. But it's a sport as much any other one. And it also sparks the imaginations, and constructional skills of its athletes. We're always trying to make something new or use the space we have, to do something fun. Like just riding up and down the driveway, jumping over a cone, balancing across a beam, sliding on a slippery ledge, doing a trick, getting vertical, grabbing your board, going fast, making hard turns, going high, jumping far, making something up that nobody's ever seen before, trying to fly, pushing the laws of physics, and making a regular source of transportation look SICK. That's the spirit of our sports, making somethin' outa nothin', kind of like art. An empty parking lot is your canvas to play with. On a good, solid surface, a skateboarder won't get bored with his tool at hand. We love all kinds of obstacles. We see potential in objects people use or don't use every day: ramps, benches, picnic tables, drops, stairs, walls, railings, slopes, hills, poles, slides, pipes, transitions, and a whole lot more. Nothing goes to waste. There's always more than meets the eye. READ MORE... Conquering your fear is constant in this hobby, because you are always trying new things. Even if you've landed it a hundred times, you can always fall down. Like any physical activity, there is always a chance of getting hurt. And in this game, it's up to the player to take care of themselves with the right equipment. That's where the helmet comes in, and all the other pads available. To be honest, not everyone can be convinced to wear the gear, and it's caused a lot of controversy. It's like driving without a seatbelt. And in skate parks, oftentimes it's a rule. " No ticky, no laundry. " Hank Fredette Skatepark (at EMC Park) is a popular spot for a lot of the local skaters in Hopkinton. Being on Hayden Rowe, and right down the street from the school, it's a great hang-out place after the bell rings. But over the past few years that it's been here, the park has taken lot of abuse from the weather, littering, graffiti, storm water runoff, and wearing down from use. Foul language, smoking, stealing tables from under the gazebo, and the wrong crowd abusing the place has also earned the park and the skaters that visit it, a bad reputation. Some people would probably love to see it be burned to the ground, as it would provide extra parking space for baseball games. But EMC Park is the one place besides our own backyards where the kids can skate for free and without bothering anybody. The only cost is that helmets are required. This is more than fair. But it can't be enforced 100% of the time. More often than not in the past, the skaters using the park didn't wear them, and it forced the police to check the park multiple times a day. (I want to say I am sorry to the Hopkinton Police Department, and in particular, to Officer Buckley for the trouble. Thank you for looking out for us.). The ones without helmets were asked to leave, and the ones with them could stay. Like a cruiser flagging you down to make sure your seatbelt is fastened, it isn't fair to the officer to have to do it, and it shouldn't be necessary. But in the past couple of months, (more often than not) the kids have been bringing their helmets, wearing them on the sidewalk, and stayed away from the downtown seen on their boards, to try and show the town that we're getting our act together and want this place to stay, and badly. And if the park were to be taken away, lots of kids would keep looking for places to skate. I love the park. It's where I first learned to drop in, -all you've gotta do is push down. We've had clean-up days, and tightened up the screws. We go to weekly meetings after school to discuss our plans about reconstruction and confronting the town office. We'll be asking for and giving donations for supplies money. But as far as the labor goes, there's nothing in it for these guys accept to have an awesome skatepark to enjoy. We're lucky to have one at all. So we can not screw this up.
Thank you so much Mr. Johnson, Jane Gomes, Phil Powers, Parks and Recreation, Town Hall, local businesses, the police department, Robert Falcione, and all those who are helping the cause.
Sincerely, A Local Skater
Editor's Note: This story was written in January, 2009. The teen author and his parents are known to HopNews. The teen expressed humility in wanting the story to represent more than just himself, thus the anonymity. |
|
The Hopkinton News TM online only at HopNews.com ©2009 HopNews.com All Rights Reserved. 508-435-5534
|
