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The July 1997 U.S. Parks and Recreation Magazine article title
'we're going to build a what?' underlines the fact that many people
have little knowledge of the subject of skateparks.
Playgrounds long accepted
in parks help develop neuro-motor skills in young children and
aid their early development but little is provided for older children
and adolescents to support their development outside organized
team sports which may not be very beneficial due to a strong emphasis
on winning and many lose interest in these activities at adolescence.
Some statistics show physical activity drops off at this age more
for girls perhaps going some way to explain the male gender bias
in skating although more girls are taking it up.
Researchers tell us
young people have far more stress to deal with than previous generations
and that they are also less active than their forebears.
Recreation has long
been recognized as a tonic for many social ills, it can provide
meaning, satisfaction and a sense of belonging, help develop social
skills and self esteem, relieve stress, anxiety and aggression
and generally promote both physiological and psychological well
being.
Unfortunately many
local authorities seem to have no knowledge of or concern for
the many positives a skatepark provides and often only seem to
look at building a skatepark in response to nuisance street skating
and opposition to bans. This bears an interesting and perhaps
ironic similarity to the U.S. playgrounds movement of last century,
which at least one historian has noted was not brought about by
some noble desire to improve the quality of life of the masses
but simply to get the large numbers of newly arrived migrants
from using the street as their playground.
Skating's relative
low cost and fun unstructured character and lack of rules make
it an ideal vehicle for self expression very attractive to youth
in general.
It is statistically
far less dangerous than generally perceived and a large percentage
of accidents are in the novice group skating for a week or less
highlighting the particular need for safety equipment for the
learner.
A skatepark can provide
a safe social venue to burn off youthful exuberance in a healthy
manner thus treating the cause rather than the symptoms of delinquent
behavior and saving communities in policing and health costs.
An unprecedented number
of skateparks are now being constructed around the globe but perhaps
most importantly skating is something a great many young people
choose to do and surely such a healthy pursuit should be encouraged
and not simply banned.
Andy Wylie is almost 40, and has been skating since 1967. He recently
returned to his hometown of Christchurch, New Zealand and began
to avocate and agitate for the Good cause of skateboarding.
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