Free for all day! Skate parks are good for the community

Did you know that skateboarding is one of the fastest growing sports in the US today? Yes, I said "sports." Some people still don't realize that this exciting activity is athletic in nature if you can believe that. Communities have realized the benefit skateparks serve to the effect that 3 new parks are built every week in the United States. These forward-thinking communities realize that providing kids (and some adults!) a place to skate is a lot safer than allowing them to ride in the street or in other public spaces. When kids get a public place to skate, not only is damage to property diminished, but kids also develop a sense of ownership and pride in the place designated for them to skateboard. This is especially enhanced when the skaters are given a role in planning and creating the park. Building these athletes a skatepark provides them a safe place to practice with their friends, realize accomplishments and improvement, and grows their self esteem.

Skateboarding is not a traditional team sport, which could be why it's not seen by some as important as sports such as football or baseball. It's relatively easy to get a community to support the local football team. But not all kids are interested in team sports, and that should be respected. Think about it: what if kids that were passionate about soccer didn't have a soccer field? Don't you think they'd be playing soccer in the streets, in the parking lot, wherever they could?  Some adults seem to think there's something wrong with kids who want to skateboard; they see it as a rebellious movement. "Why can't those kids just be like all the other kids, and join the football team? Why can't they just play video games?" Society has always had a problem with people who don't want to join the familiar and choose to be outsiders; skateboarders seem to fall in to this category whether by design, or default.

The point is this. If they had a place to practice their sport, they'd be off the street. The police could turn their attention to more important issues. We could go watch the athletes, and support them. Some young entrepreneur would notice all the area youth gathering there, and open up a skateboard store, maybe a cafe. Our town could attract skateboarders for miles around, and those skaters and their friends and family would come here. It can happen. Here are some links to other community skateboard parks:
Carroll County Skatepark
Charles County Skatepark
Berkeley Springs could be on this list. You can call the Morgan County Parks and Rec at 304.258.8540 and/or check out the Facebook page for the growing community of people who are trying to make it happen and get involved!