Indoor facility draws BMX riders and skateboarders to Waucousta

Midway Skate Park is helping put Waucousta on the map.

Many visitors may find it hard to locate the small village in southeast Fond du Lac County, but to the BMX riders and skateboarders who utilize facilities within Midway Skate Park, it is nothing short of a second home.

Located 12 miles southeast of Fond du Lac at N3112 Hwy. 45, Midway is a rider-owned and operated 8,000 sq. ft. facility which allows riders to test and perfect their acrobatic talent on wheels. The facility boasts a variety of ramps, rails and a large bowl.

Since its creation four years ago, the 25-year-old owner, Dan Strean, has used his passion for BMX and skateboarding to produce an environment and atmosphere that kids love and can make their own.

"I really wanted something different around here for everyone to use," Dan recalled about the idea to start a skate park. "We wanted to show kids that they can make healthy, positive choices while having fun. Riding with their peers, they learn self-control, confidence, motivation and communication.

“Kids definitely find a release here."

Although extreme sports like skateboarding and BMX have been looked upon by some as dirty, defiant and rebellious, riders continually strive to prove that the sports have become more socially accepted. In a recent American Sports Data Report, there were 12.5 million skateboarders worldwide.

"People tend to think that it’s the ‘bad apples’ that are in to these kinds of sports, but its really not the case,” explained Dan. “A lot of our riders are involved in other sports or activities like track and soccer; one rider was even prom king.

“The feeling you get when you are on a bike or a board is totally different than on a field. People think it’s all pretty crazy, but if you have never experienced it, you can’t imagine the feeling it gives you. Parents who come and watch sometimes get nervous about it, but they still support their kid. If they have concerns, we talk about it."

Although performed in a more "extreme" context, BMX and skateboarding do share a common bond with traditional sports. Midway takes pride in its team. Dan works alongside team members Richard "Dickie" Walsh, Dan "Danimal" Drehmel, Brian Fitch, Matt Russel, Alec Kumrow, Rollie Flasch and Alex Kittelson, who have become nothing short of a family, helping to build, run and maintain Midway. They also act as role models to promote safety and provide good influences. Each team member is also certified in first aid.

"We believe in positive reenforcement," said Rollie. "Bigger parks don’t really have that, and it’s hard to learn without the support of other riders. Here, even the owner is out interacting with riders. There is definitely a small town atmosphere at Midway and it shows."

To expand Midway’s clientele from its tiny Waucousta base, park members have participated in Walleye Weekend for the past three years, performing a stunt show with a number of challenging BMX tricks. An emcee is on hand to explain the tricks to the audience.

Midway will also hold a show on Friday, Oct. 13, sponsored by Attitude Sports and Enemy Clothing. The show will feature beginner expert and pro riders and skaters, with registration beginning at 10 a.m. and the contest start scheduled for 1 p.m.

"Looking at the park now, its amazing it stood its ground for four years. I first had to prove on paper that I could do this and I did," said Dan. "I always had a passion for BMX and skateboarding.

“It’s not something I see myself growing out of. I think I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life or for as long as I can. With this outlet, I think kids have more positive than negative influences in their lives."

Midway Skate Park is open Thursdays and Fridays, from 4 to 10 p.m, and Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 10 p.m. Cost for admission on Thursday is $5, $8 on Friday and $10 on Saturday and Sunday.

For a complete park layout, visit Midway online at: http://www.midwayskatepark.com/

Original Source: wisinfo.com, By Katie Kleine

Today's society is a little more extreme

Today's society is a little more extreme than it used to be. We drive faster, hit harder and take more risks.

Decades ago most kids dreamed of becoming a star football, baseball or soccer player. But kids today are more likely to pick up a skateboard, in addition to playing other more traditional sports. Skateboarding, one of the fastest growing sports behind snowboarding, is now considered normal.

"(Skateboarding) is still a form of rebellion, but it's approachable," said Andy Roberts, an undeclared sophomore.

That wasn't always the case. Skateboarding used to be considered the radical, bad-boy thing to do. It was a true underground sport.

Skateboarding has been in and out of popularity ever since it started. Many saw it as a fad, similar to lava lamps or bell-bottoms. Skateboarding rose in popularity in the early '80s when skaters built their own vertical ramps and formed a big underground movement. This is how skateboarding legends such as Tony Hawk got their starts. Then, as history repeated itself, the skateboarding fad faded out once again.

The hardcore skaters, however, didn't stop and the sport's popularity rose again in the '90s as skateboarding reappeared with a raw, edgy and dangerous attitude. Skateboarding came with the punk movement this time, and the image of the poor, angry skater-punk actually helped fuel its popularity.

Then in 1995, ESPN -- the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports -- expanded into the extreme sports vein with an extreme games competition in Rhode Island.

The competition was set up to create an international gathering of action sports athletes. The Extreme Games had 27 events in nine categories, which included bungee jumping, eco-challenge, in-line skating, skateboarding, sky surfing, sport climbing, street luge, biking and water sports.

The competition received an enthusiastic response from athletes, spectators and sponsors. The impressive reaction prompted ESPN to announce that the games would be held annually, instead of bi-annually as originally planned.

With the new year, a new name for the Extreme Games emerged: X Games. The X Games have grown each year since by adding more events, throwing bigger tricks and increasing media coverage.

In 2002, ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports all covered the games. They set the record for the most watched X Games ever with nearly 63 million people tuning in. The first 24-hour X Games coverage was in 2006, when 10 different stations broadcast it.

Media coverage has played a huge part in the popularity of the X Games. The mainstream population depends on television coverage and is a major factor in pulling skateboarding and other extreme sports closer to mainstream.

It also helped that the marketing didn't come off as anti-authoritarian, said Devin Deaton, a junior in marketing.

The commercialization of new media and products continue skateboarding's growth, as well. Extreme sport video games, such as the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series, are popular with kids regardless of whether or not they skate.

Better parks and boards have evolved with the shift into mainstream. Skateboard-specific companies have arisen and now innovate and invent new things to better the sport.

Skateboarding is not the only extreme sport that has benefited from the X Games. Snowboarding, BMX riding and Motocross have seen rapid growth spurts after becoming a part of the X Games.

Snowboarding started in 1965 in Michigan when Sherman Poppen fixed two skis together so his daughter could surf down the hill. He called it the snurf. Jake Burton, Demetrije Milovich and Tom Sims specialized and refined their own board designs in the early '80s and helped get the snowboard industry rolling.

Through the mid-'80s, the snowboard craze grew. In 1997, the snowboard big air contest was a part of the first Winter X Games. Then a year later, snowboarders participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time in Nagano, Japan, with the slalom and half-pipe events.

Snowboarding has progressed and added more events to the X Games, such as the Superpipe, and is the fastest growing sport.

BMX, or bicycle motocross, started in the '70s when kids modified their bicycles to emulate their motorcycle motocross heroes. Imitation led to innovation and BMX became a sport all its own.

BMX was a part of the first X Games. The only event for it was stunt biking. In the years following, more events were added to the BMX event, including vertical riding, big air, flatland stunts, street stunts and racing.

Motocross, or Moto X, began after World War II with flat races. In 1971, Moto X held a race on a temporary course at Daytona. All races prior to it had been held in rural, countryside areas, but this race brought it to the people. A year later, Moto X races were brought to urban stadiums and its popularity increased.

The level of competition also grew. Through the '80s and '90s, teams, sponsors, manufacturers and others worked to bring Moto X to a new audience. They got their chance in 1999, when Moto X became an X Games event.

The X games have become a family event and a type of Olympics for extreme sports.

Thanks to the X Games, we can let the rebel inside us out to pick up a skateboard without being shunned by society.

Original Source: Daily Uthah Chronicle, Jessica Dunn