Monday, June 21, 2010

I'm sorry but they're called 'skate' parks for a reason!

I just saw this over at Prolly's page:

Don't get me wrong because I totally dig BMX and post rad videos whenever I can but literally, EVERY SINGLE public skatepark I've EVER skated that allows bikes, steel BMX with pegs specifically, are completely fucked up MUCH faster than they would be if it were only skaters..

The fact is that they're just two completely different sports. The speeds and lines taken by each vary considerably and unless you engage in both, it's really hard to anticipate one and other. ESP in a tight transition park like the new Henry Hudson park pictured in the flier above. Not to mention you know, getting hit by someone riding a steel bike with worn down jagged pegs would really fucking suck balls! Furthermore, public parks such as these rarely get any maintenance after they're built. There just isn't any funding for that sort of thing..

What really got me was this quote on Prolly's blog about it:

Hey dudes, we are trying to get every bike rider in the area to come out on tuesday to talk with the president of the hudson river trust about changing the no bikes allowed rule in the skatepark and others through out the city. the more people on bikes, the better chance we have of making a difference, so please spread the word. this tuesday at 630pm, at the battery park city library, 175 north end ave. thanks dudes.

My favorite part being:

'the more people on bikes, the better chance we have of making a difference, so please spread the word.'

Now, I can totally understand what that person was trying to get at with a statement like that as it pertains to avoiding getting run over by a garbage truck or some shit and adding bike lanes extra parking spaces, but you know, the last time I checked CARS WEREN'T ALLOWED IN SKATEPARKS!!!

I mean, seriously, enough already. I get that BMX kids are dying to hit that shit but this is NYC and there's a FUCKLOAD of spots to ride out here all over every single borough. Shit I can even show you like 20 spots right across the river in Jersey that trump just about any spot you can find in NYC. Not to mention the fact that stacking pallets and plywood makes any shitty spot into WAY more fun. It's called HAVING AIR IN YOUR TIRES. I've been skateboarding a long time and last time I checked we weren't able to ride terrain that wasn't really smooth. You can ride just about anything on a BMX. That's what makes it such a rad sport!

I think the thing with cycling enthusiasm and 'the cause' dare I say is that it really knows no bounds and seemingly no argument can be made against it. God forbid you do cause lord knows gang fucking your twin sister with your dad would be less taboo! From what I've seen a lot of the people involved can get so tightly wound up about it that they fail to see that they're no longer helping or are wasting their efforts better spent elsewhere..

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that despite their occasional misgivings, skaters get along just fine with BMXers and don't have a problem with sharing the various parks and spots. However, the BMXer's out there really shouldn't take it personally when the skaters want one place, JUST ONE, out of aaalll the spots in and around NYC, where we can enjoy ourselves and the smoothness we require to have a great time..

Now shut up and just go over to Owl's head wouldja?!

Unless of course you ride a razor scooter or don a fancy pair of fruit boots in which case the lot of ya SHOULD GO GET A FUCKING CLUE!! That or go hang out with those douchebags riding their mopeds around Brooklyn calling themselves a 'gang'.. Christ.. Take that shit back to the 80's for fucks sake or at least stay in Europe..

Oh and p.s. - No self respecting BMX'er would ever make a fuss about something like this. They would just go ride that shit anyways regardless of what anyone else said, Park service included..

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6 comments:

jeff said...

::Stands up and starts clapping slowly, turning into full applause:::

Unknown said...

intresting to hear as skate boarder's point of view.

As a bmx rider, when skaters call the cops of a bmx in a skate park its like ha ha we fucked you up. Imagine if it was the other way round, its not very nice.

I've not riddern a sktepark in a long long time. I don't like them, too much noise, plus it sucks when skateboarders stand with their boards over the coping ready to drop in. The lack of etiquette in skateboarding is incredble with so many people skating at once and many collision even in pro events.

Thankfull with our air tyres and a bit of hardwork some of us don't need skateparks, we build our own called 'trails'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc-VLTP_J0A

get a bmx, its fun.

Sam said...

In full agreement. I've been doing this skating thing a long long time, a bmx park and skating specific park are VASTLY DIFFERENT in design and lay out. One has fucking huge transition, the other does not.

You pretty much hit every point, I just hope someone listens.

Alan Sikirić said...

Joe I'll tell you what, you point me or any other real skater out to the groms who call the cops and we'll kick those fuckers out ourselves! That's TOTAL BS and I wouldn't stand for it no way no how regardless of what I was riding..

Etiquette in parks is a bitch with anyone who's new riding there. As someone who's been doing this for a while I make it a point to let the younger kids know what's up and what NOT to do. Like waiting their turn, being observant and not doing stupid shit like you mentioned..

As for myself. I do have a couple of BMXs but it's just not something I can really do anymore. My BMX 'career' started and ended in the late 80's early 90's. I picked up a board in 91' and never looked back. BMX has progressed so far beyond my capabilities at this point and taking on something like that again would surely be the death of me. My joints are jacked up enough as it is..

So for me, love the sport, love to watch it, wish I was 19 again so I could shred at it like all the other kids out there who look like their having the time of their lives. But I'm cool with posting rad vids like the one you mentioned in your comment for now..

THE GOC said...

how political of you not to mention the ridiculousness of 700cmx'ers jamming up already packed parks. as if it wasn't bad enough avoiding a bmx'er who can deftly maneuver his ride, now i gotta watch for a bike twice the size with a rider with half the skill? stick to yer underground parking lots and 3 sets. that being said, the west coast is a free for all in this department, so I generally avoid the parks anyway.

Alan Sikirić said...

Political? Not really. I have not seen a single one of those guys at any of the parks I've ever been to. I'm sure they're out there but it's such an infinitesimal percentage it's not really worth mentioning at this point..