Skateboarding Is Not A CrimeBy: Matt Rich

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Table of ContentsForeword - Page 6Chapter 1 - Page 8Chapter 2 - Page 14Chapter 3 - Page 18Conclusion - Page 22Work Cited - Page 304

I dedicate this book to freestyle academy and all the teachers. I also would like to thank my family and friends. 5

My love for skateboarding began far before my brain was developed enough to retain memory but I knew it was my passion from as far back as I can remember. I was introduced to skating when I was only two years old. I pointed to my dads old skateboard from when he was a kid and my mom got it down for me to play on. I stood up and pushed across the driveway in a bike helmet and a diaper. Fifteen years later and my love has only grown for skating.

Foreword

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When I started my documentary unit at Freestyle I jumped at the chance to make my story about skateboarding. There is a lot of controversy about whether skating is a positive activity and environment for kids. I wanted to uncover the truth behind the myths and stereotypes. I started my re-search online and read about the history of skateboarding and the early culture but I knew that only a primary source could get me the truth. I started talking to different skat-ers and found a lot of their answers similar to mine. Skate-boarding is not about competition or scholarships. It is a simple activity that brings more happiness to people than anything else.

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Chapter 1

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Skateboarding first originated in the early fifties by kids trying to surf when the waves were flat. They took apart old roller skates and attached them to pieces of wood and the first skate-boards were created. No one knows who originally invented the first skateboard, although rumors were made it has been created by a genre. During the early years of skateboarding it started to decline in popularity until the invention of the ure-thane wheel in 1973 by Frank Nasworthy. The urethane wheel allowed skaters to go faster and be more controlled and safer. Skateboarding evolved in the eighties from vert and free-style skating to a style referred to as street skating. Kids start-ed emptying pools and skated them like vert ramps and waves combined. Soon kids were leaving the pools to skate sidewalks and stair sets. Street skating became the new trend and a new sport was born. Kids would get together and go out into the city and find natural terrain to skateboard on, such as bench-es, sidewalks, stairs, handrails, banks, ramps, and much more.

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The cities started to notice that skateboarding deteriorated the concrete and other objects being skated on. Skateboarding got a bad reputation for vandalism and destruction of property. Many stereotypes have been labelled on skaters since the begin-ning. They have been depicted as criminals, thugs, vandals, de-generates, drug/alcohol abusers. “Have you ever been offered drugs or alcohol at the skatepark?” I asked Sean, a local skater from Mountain View California. “No, but there are definitely a good amount of people that do use drugs and alcohol at the skatepark,” replied Sean. I asked the same question to an anony-mous skater in San Jose at the Roosevelt Skatepark. He told me about the drug and alcohol use that goes on in the skatepark but also the area around the skatepark. I realized that the problem doesn’t originate from the skaters or even the skatepark but the neighborhoods that the skate parks are built in. I thought about all the skateparks in the bay area and realized that almost all the parks are built in the lower income areas. I believe the cities

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build the skate parks in lower income areas to provide an outlet for kids to keep them out of trouble but it finds its way back into the skatepark.

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Even though these negative influences sometimes infiltrate the skate parks it’s the skaters that decide what is right or wrong and many ignore such activities all together and con-tinue to skate. Any sport or activity will always have some negative people be apart of that group but it doesn’t mean anything if others have self discipline and are capable of ig-noring the degenerate side of the sport. If parents are con-cerned about what goes on at skateparks they can take their kids and see if the park is an appropriate atmosphere. While most parks are fine for kids to be dropped off at some are in bad neighborhoods and it would be better for a parent to ac-company their child there.

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Chapter 2

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A common fear for parents letting their child skateboard is that they will get hurt. Some won’t even allow their kids to skate because of this, but with the proper safety equip-ment, it is as safe as any other sport. A kid playing baseball is just as likely to get an injury by getting hit by the ball or slid-ing into somebody else. Skateboarding is only as dangerous as you make it. Younger kids tend to skate smaller objects at skate parks but some are very daring and will go for the big-gest thing they can find without thinking about what could go wrong. If children are wearing the proper safety gear they won’t hurt themselves in a fatal manner.

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The police don’t enforce a lot of rules at the skatepark which is how it can get a bad reputation. People will bring ice chests full of beer and have a party in the park while young skaters are around. The police turn a blind eye to this which makes the police and the skate parks look bad.

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While death is a possibility when engaging in skateboard-ing it only occurs on rare occasions. People die everyday from activities much safer than skateboarding. Almost all the deaths that have been caused from skateboarding was people skateboarding down hills and being hit by cars. Although skating is dangerous, if kids wear the proper safety equip-ment and follow park rules they should be fine.

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Chapter 3 By definition skateboarding is a sport because it requires you to maintain or improve your physical abilities and provides entertainment to the participantes. Skateboarding is an individual sport but can be made competitive. It is more about creativity and competing with yourself by bet-tering your skills.

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Skateboarding is more of a lifestyle than a sport in my opinion. It reaches a point where it takes over your other interests and you spend every free minute of the day skat-ing. The skateboarding world is a community within a community. When the work day ends for a skater the day has only begun. Everyone goes to the local skatepark and meets up. It is a way to relax and take their mind off ev-erything else in the world that is going on. Skaters have to focus completely on what is happening in front of them and it takes away from everything else in the world that distracts them.

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I asked a lot of different skaters the exact same question; “why do you skate”? I got the exact same reply from every single skater without any thought, “because it is fun”. It is as simple as that. People don’t skate because their parents pushed them to skate or to win any game or contest. It is a simple activity that provides joy to everyone who does it. It’s something that brings people out doors and engages them in a physical activity that they enjoy more than any-thing else.

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ConclusionAfter researching the history of skateboarding and talking to other skaters and being apart of the com-munity for so long I came to the conclusion that skate-boarding is not a crime. No matter how people stereo-type skaters, they are good people that do good things for the community. Parents with concerns about safety and the environment of skateboarding need to follow the skate park rules and regulations and their children will be fine.

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Work CitedNanko, J., Michael.. “Keeping your skateboarder alive & well..” Pediatrics for Parents. 01 Mar. 1994: 2(2). eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

Damio, Christy. “Skating Blind.” Scholastic Action. 04 Oct. 2010: 12. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

“Thrills and spills.” Herald, The; Everett, Wash.. 27 Mar. 2013: n/a. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

Mamenta, Joanne. “Andy Macdonald: Skateboarding Sen-sation.” Highlights for Children. 01 Sep. 2008: 16. eLibrary. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.

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