Skater Punks, an essay by Kathy Fish

Skater Punks You know exactly what I am talking about. We have all seen them: the thrashed skate boards with nightmarish graphics, the bizarre array of boxers peeking out of the ridiculously baggy pants, jewelry protruding from places previously only inhabited by the stray hair trying to avoid being plucked, that's right, the skater punks. They aren't just boys or men; girls who played dress up and Barbie have thrown off the perception of pale pink and purple and are clad in black, brown, army green or any drab variation of the ominous colors Generation X has chosen for their coat of arms. Young men and women dress the same, walk the same, skate the same and sport the same flippantly arrogant attitude. What on earth would possess the youth of our nation to dress, behave and mutilate themselves in such a manner? Have you ever seen an X-Games skate board competition? These people are amazing. Why would you waste that athleticism and agility on a sport that has nothing to offer but a bad reputation, injury and trouble with the law?

"Mom, I'm home! Guess where Grandma took me to today. We found a skateboard at a garage sale and we bought it for $2.00 and we went to the skate park. It is so cool. I met some new friends and they showed me some tricks. Grandma is going to take me back next week," Conner, my then six year old, excitedly gushed as he walked through the front door.

Fear and anger seized me. I didn't know who to yell at first. Conner, seeing the fierce look in my eyes, yelled, "Grandma made me do it!" In her quest to become "cool," grandma had been turned to the "dark side." In Benedict Arnold style, facing battle and guaranteed desecration of her sainthood, she caved, switched allegiances, and sold me out for the price of a smile. I couldn't trust her, or the vipers she was now "hangin" with. Disbelief engulfed me like a dark, damp heavy cloud. My ally was gone, deserted; I stood alone to bear accusations like "you don't understand," "my friends who have cool parents get to skate," "you're closed minded and prejudiced," "just because you're old doesn't mean you know everything." The verbal battle was in full array and the arrows were hitting their target.

I pause from the narration at this time to relate an observation that has come as a morbid dose of reality for me. You will all have the following experience, at one time or another, it is unavoidable. You will supply grandchildren for your parents who have shamelessly begged, bribed, pleaded and blackmailed you to procreate. By giving in to their pleas you will have equipped them with the opportunity to earn their sainthood. Then, watching you stagger from a near fatal battle wound, they will step forward, take the sword from your child's hand and drive the final blow straight through your heart. With this one act they will forever endear themselves to your offspring and irrevocably reveal their true alliances— with them, against you.

'You know honey, you really should come check out the skate park before you make your final decision," a woman I did not know, who bore a striking resemblance to my mother, cooed logically. I spun around, a cornered, wild animal sensing the battle to ensue. "How dare you...We have talked endlessly about the problems with the youth of today, not the least of which is the 'skater-tude'... I entrusted my child to you and this is where you take him?...I don't care if he asked you to, be the adult,...show some back bone. You never had a problem saying the word 'no' when I was his age." My emotional diatribe was unashamedly being ignored. The traitor smiled, winked at Conner and said over her shoulder as she turned to leave: "Conner and I would be happy to let you tag along next time." I was speechless.

Defeated, weary from the staunch defense of ideals and perceptions my faculties began to call an all out retreat. "What could it hurt to go?...are you really afraid of some skater punks?...ratify your assumptions...prove your perceptions...isn't Conner worth your time...are you seriously going to let a 70-year-old grandma be more open-minded than you?" Finally with a sigh of surrender, "I'll go."

As I walked up the dirt trail to the "bowls" I tried to not look as scared as I felt. At first glance all I could see was concrete. There are two large "bowls" that are side by side and have a small lip that connects them. The "track" is the ring around the outer edge of the cement that incorporates two large ramps for building speed for jumps. In the middle there is a crisscross design with stairs and rails for "grinding." The design was ingenious, not much space but lots of options.

Conner threw his board down, put on his helmet, and off he rolled; around the track, up and down the ramps over and over, his smile spreading wider and wider across his innocent face. "Hi Conner," called a tall stereotypical skater. I bristled, started to step forward and the icy stiletto fingers from my childhood grabbed my arm. Without a word my mom rescued Conner from certain social death. "Hi Grandma, who's your friend?" the skater called out. Introductions were made and the grip on my perceptions began to erode.

Then my fears were realized, Conner took a nasty spill trying to grind. His board was too "sticky" to slide on the metal rail and he landed on his elbow and hip. To my surprise the skater punk got there before Conner's over protective mom. He gently picked him up, asked if he was okay, looked to make sure there was no blood, and walked him over to sit down.

"Next time borrow some of my wax to rub on the rail so it slides," came the helpful suggestion from the "punk." I was dumbfounded. Where were the "flippantly arrogant attitudes," disrespectful indifference, and the scorching defiant eyes? "He'll be okay, don't worry," the punk said reassuringly. "Thanks" I mumbled. "Mom, you said you rode a skateboard when you were young, try mine, its fun." "You rode a board? How cool, hop on and see if you remember how to roll" the skater kid smiled. "I wish my parents did something cool like that, then maybe they would understand. You are lucky Conner."

I didn't know whether to be embarrassed or proud. My tattle-tale conscience reminded me of those ten minutes earlier I was reciting the evils of skateboarding to myself. I cautiously placed Conner's board down and assumed the stance. The wheels rolled slowly at first, then faster and my confidence began to build. The adrenaline rush was instant. The faster I went the more intoxicated I felt. What a rush. I could do this all day.

"Mom, could I have my board now?""One more time around," I pleaded as I rolled quickly by."Come on mom, it's my board." I slowed down and jumped off. Conner took off and yelled "Hey mom, watch this."

Teachers come in all shapes, sizes and wear all kinds of different clothes. From eight to eighteen to seventy there are many different people from diverse walks of life that can show us things about who we are, who we think we are and most importantly who we want to become. I didn't change my choice of clothes, music or friends, but my custom board and pierced belly button have raised some eyebrows and given me the opportunity to do a little teaching of my own.

Original Source: realskate.com

Skateboarding as transportation

San Francisco, Ca. Everyday, unless it’s raining, Ramsey Garcia, 30, rolls his longboard (a three-foot skateboard with large black wheels) to San Francisco State or to work downtown. He rarely uses his a car and he doesn’t have a bicycle; the skateboard is his principle transportation from his house on Sloat Boulevard. “It takes a good portion out of my daily commute,” said Garcia, a native of San Clemente. “And it gets my heart rate up to keep me warm in a colder city.”

Longboard skateboards, different than those used for ollies, 360 flips and grinds, are becoming a trendy form of transportation. According to the San Francisco Skateboard Task Force, Garcia is one of an estimated 25,000 skateboarders who live in San Francisco. Many ride their boards as a form of alternative transportation although it’s illegal on city streets and many sidewalks. “Skateboard use, as transportation, on the streets and sidewalks of the city is rampant,” according to the Task Force’s 2004 Skateboard Master Plan. “While current law only permits skateboard use on residential sidewalks between dawn and dusk, real usage is going on nearly around the clock.”

For skaters like Garcia the ride can be a haphazard gauntlet of speeding cars, pedestrians, potholes and police. “Scary moments? I’ve had a few,” Garcia wrote in an e-mail, “a couple of close encounters with cars pulling out into traffic and not seeing me on the shoulder.” The law is another risk for skaters. When Garcia rolls to the east edge of the SFSU campus, he always tries to remember if it’s a protest day or not. If a protest is happening, he can’t ride through the sloped campus because University police are on the prowl, said Garcia. A run-in with the police could mean a ticket, a fine and possibly confiscation of his board. Garcia has been warned several times. “If I see them I try to hop off,” Garcia said. “Or I’ll have my headphones on and pretend like I don’t hear them.”

In California, skateboard law varies from county to county, city to city even sidewalk to sidewalk. State law allows “transit boards, public agencies, and local authorities,” to specify where skateboards can be used on public property. San Francisco traffic code states that skateboards cannot be used on any city street at any time, only on residential sidewalks from dawn to dusk. “When compared to other locales both in and out of California, San Francisco has the most restrictive code (as of January, 2004) to be found,” according to the Skateboard Master Plan.

The problem, said Adam Colton who in 2005 pushed his longboard 3,000 miles across the United States for charity, is that police don’t distinguish between street skaters that often damage property with their daring grinds and longboard skaters, which are usually harmlessly cruising. “Unfortunately, the law doesn’t allow for that,” said one San Francisco State University Police Officer. This results in skateboards being used for transportation throughout San Francisco “illegally as often as legally,” according to the Skateboard Task Force. But a few ‘no skateboarding’ signs and obscure traffic codes won’t stop skaters altogether. “Overall, this city has revived my passion for skating,” said Garcia, who has never been hassled by police for skateboarding outside of university grounds.

Original Source: Broowaha, By: DrSinValley

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

Parents should let kids be kids

Shaun White loved soccer, but there was a moment when he learned it wasn't for him."I showed up at the field late one time, and it was intense," he said. "I'm playing on this lower, recreation level, just so I could have fun. Someone else's mom came over and yelled at me, 'You better get out there and you better score!' There is something about someone else's mom yelling at you."

White said he did as he was told and shortly thereafter he quit. Instead of traditional organized sports, he gravitated to nontraditional activities like snowboarding and skateboarding. The 21-year-old, who won an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding in 2006 and an X Games gold medal this summer in skateboarding, said the decision changed his life and his relationship with his parents.

"Instead of my dad yelling at me from the sideline, we were out riding together," he said. "(Snowboarding) really drew our family together."

The professional skateboarder who was in Salt Lake City this week to compete in the AST Dew Tour said he believes a lot of young athletes turn to nontraditional sports because they have more freedom.

"Normally, there are no moms allowed in the parks," he laughed. "It's brutal when you have people always telling you what to do. My attraction to skateboarding was that you didn't have that. You could just ask your friends, learn tricks from each other or just figure it out on your own."

Original Source: Deseret Morning News, Amy Donaldson

Piper City "ramps up" unused tennis courts

Piper City's little-used tennis court could be the site of "ramped-up" activity as the result of village board action on Wednesday.

In response to a request by about a dozen parents and children, the board agreed to dedicate one of the village's two tennis courts to skateboarding.

Parent Matt Johnson, 40, himself a one-time youthful skateboarder in Clifton and Bradley before settling in Piper City, served as spokesman for the group. The appeal followed recent confrontations between skateboarders and police acting to enforce a village ordinance against skateboarding on sidewalks. Business people, apparently fearing liability, had also asked that police chase skateboarders out of their parking lots.

The board said village insurance already covers persons injured on park playground equipment and noted the same coverage would extend to skateboarders.

"Jump boxes," which had been previously confiscated and stored in a village warehouse will be returned to the skateboarders for use in their new venue.

Original Source: Daily Journal, Il. by Mike Lyons