If you have been on Facebook, Twitter or a few of the major news sites over the past two or so days, there’s a good chance you have seen the story about the mom that wrote that letter “To The Teenage Boy at the Skatepark“. It’s a pretty interesting story and it’s safe to say that it can be taken as a positive story or completely different.
In our opinion it’s something that is really important to have this kind of mainstream attention. Outside of our little bubble, BMX and skateboarding has a pretty shitty reputation. Kids that ride BMX and skateboard for the most part are all looked at as trouble makers. I mean, how many of you have been stopped by the cops for cruising around on your bike because they think you’re causing damage to private property? It happens. It’s a real thing and that assumption gets brought over to the local skateparks we’re seeing everywhere because that’s where we all hang out when we’re not out causing more problems… right?
Let’s talk about this…
It’s just a bunch of kids hanging out at the skatepark, no job, smoking cigarettes, swearing and screwing around. Why aren’t they being productive? Looking at it from an outsiders perspective, yeah, it’s a fair assumption. We haven’t exactly been the most proactive when it comes to presenting that same clean cut image that football, baseball, soccer and all those other sports have put out (well, minus the endless scandals). Nor do we have to since it’s not exactly what our sports are about. We don’t have rules, guidelines, coaches to keep us in line and more. Just what we perceive is how we want BMX or skateboarding to be.
Not many of you are aware that a few months ago that a few local skateboarders, BMX riders and parents and myself started a non-profit organization to help benefit the local skatepark here that has been around for 15 years and showing a lot of wear and tear and neglect from the city. The skatepark is a part of the parks system, but because of the reputation it had earned over the years with all those kids causing problems, smoking, drinking, spray painting “FUCK” on the ramps, they decided that money would best be spent in other areas, like the countless soccer fields that get used only a few times a week for an hour or two. But, because the reputation we’ve earned, it wasn’t in our cards to see repairs or the extensive expansion that we were promised years ago when they made the first addition, one of about 6 planned additions.
It all started shortly after the 4th of July, where we held a skate and BMX contest as a part of a larger event planned for the city. We put a lot of time and effort into making it a good event and it was. Kids were pumped, parents were stoked and even the Mayor was amazed by the talent and how many people were involved. Obviously since it was a public event, we worked really hard to keep the rough image clean with appropriate music, got all the older guys to keep their drinks, cigarettes, weed or whatever out of the picture until after the contest was done and made it something that parents felt comfortable letting their kids check out.
Shortly after the event, myself and a few others in charge of the other events and aspects of the 4th of July had a meeting with a few of the cops, Park and Rec and city board members. It was our first event and there were going to be flaws, but they tore into us about “garbage being left out”, one of the live music acts swearing, not having the appropriate fencing in place at the skatepark, etc. The meeting obviously wasn’t pleasant and really left us disappointed at the lack of respect we should have got for pulling off such a big event. The funny part was the mayor and city council, the people in charge of these people, didn’t know this meeting happened and they were PISSED they tore into us like that. But that’s another story, haha. During that meeting one of the cops said something that really stuck with me. “You can do 100 really good things, but one bad thing will ruin everything good that you did.“. It made me realize exactly why the skatepark, and really the whole reputation that skateboarding and BMX gets, is looked at the way it is. It’s the one or two incidents that ruin the 100+ good things that come from these sports and facilities.
Fortunately we had some good news coverage that turned into a big feature story on the condition of the skatepark and how the city has been neglecting to maintain it. There was A LOT of attention on the city and Park and Rec department after that because people were instantly thinking they weren’t using the money that the people in the city are paying taxes for appropriately. Which lead to a few of us, who ultimately formed the non-profit foundation, to talk with the Park and Rec department that said “we don’t have a budget for this, so if you guys want to try and get it done on your own, you’re more than welcome”… So, we did it. In a short amount of time we set up a board, made it all official, worked with local businesses to get donations and had our first project done – repair the broken ramps and build something new to show we’re doing this.
Since we’ve started the non-profit, we’ve raised some money towards the new skatepark, but there’s also been more changes. The skatepark has cleaned up A LOT, there’s less garbage, less incidents, less negative feedback and that image that shows that skateboarding and BMX are legitimate sports and there’s 100 really talented people for every one that is causing problems. It takes a lot to show people that their prejudices are wrong or that you’re generalizing a whole group of people because of a few rough patches. But it’s pretty amazing what some good publicity can do for it. It’s also helpful getting some of the older guys who use the skatepark to help get the younger kids to help keep the place clean. They understand what it’s going to take to get us the skatepark we deserve.
That’s why the story about the mom writing the public letter about these skateboarders that helped her daughter learn how to skate and ultimately provided a place that makes parents and kids feel welcome is so important. Yeah, it can be annoying trying to get a session in dodging kids, but guess what? We all started somewhere and the more kids that are riding bikes and skateboards the better, because that will show the public that we aren’t these shitty people and it will show the people in charge of spending money that there’s some very talented people that deserve facilities like top notch skateparks and plazas to ride, just like soccer and football players have their fields to play on. Having parents and people outside of BMX and skateboarding stoked on what we’re doing is more important than most people would imagine.
So, next time you are at the park and you see a kid just starting out, instead of being a dick and complaining about how they’re in your way, show a little support. That kid might end up being a local someday that is better at riding than you and those small things might create some serious reputation change that BMX and skateboarding needs to grow.
That’s my two cents. Feel free to drop a few lines in the comments below.
Check out this News story about the Non-Profit Foundation to see what making a positive impact can do.
