| THEY ARE NOT
ALL BAD - AS WE OFTEN SAY |
| I took time out over the weekend to pop up to the
skatepark outside the Splash and take a look for myself at the very popular sport of
skateboarding and in-lining. It was a real eye opener for me, as here at the paper, we are
constantly being told of the nuisance caused by the 'dreadful' youngsters, but never about
the more positive aspects. |
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The first thing that struck me was the politeness of these
young people. I asked their permission to take some photographs and it was happily
granted. But I am not referring to their politeness to me, but to each other. They waited
their turn, allowed each other to have a go and watched quite happily. When a particularly
difficult trick was carried out, successfully or not, a spontaneous round of applause
broke out. The smiles on the faces told the story of this sport. In today's world, we are
always being told that our young are going to grow up obese, couch potatoes. Maybe instead
of complaining about the skating in the streets, the sport should be encouraged, as the
level of fitness and dedication required to learn each new skill is immense. Not to
mention the sheer guts! The skatepark is a good facility and there due almost entirely to
a few dedicated individuals who raise the cash to keep it maintained as best they can.
Although there is never enough money. A facility closer to the town centre (that is an
extremely scarey road), which is undercover surely could only attract more of the skaters
off of the streets and everyone would be happier.
A little more of this courtesy on the streets would improve relations! |
| My personal thanks to the skaters/boarders for their time
and apologies if I have any of the terminology wrong! As for those who use the streets and
pavements, please be careful, what some of you are doing is endangering your lives and it
is not worth it. |
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