Go Skateboarding Day 2015 will take place at Tim Brauch Memorial Skate Park in Scotts Valley this Father’s Day.
This event will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on June 21, and will allow families and younger children the opportunity to become acquainted with some basic skater’s etiquette.
Roland Blanton, a frequent visitor of the skate park, said that he began his efforts to improve safety and awareness at the park, after he was injured while skating with those who don’t understand the park’s unspoken rules.
“I was actually skating in this bowl and a kid on a scooter jumped right in and didn’t really look,” Blanton said. “I had to jump off my board to avoid hitting him and I ended up busting my knee and spraining my wrist.”
He quickly realized that the younger kids and those who are new to the park needed guidelines that explain the common terminology that is used by skaters.
“I am most interested in having a positive experience for myself and everyone else that comes to visit the park,” he said.
In March, Blanton reached out to Recreation Division Manager for the City of Scotts Valley Kristin Ard, to create new signs and awareness about skate park etiquette and safety.
“Together we came up with a set of rules that are much closer to the vocabulary that’s used within the skate park,” Blanton said. “It’s terms that kids will understand, like snaking for example is one of the words that we are using, and that means to cut another person off, whether they are on a scooter or a skateboard.”
Ard said that the new signs are black with neon green to grab the attention of those who visit the park and that they would be posted in time for the event on Father’s Day.
“The whole focus of the event is family, not just educating the children, but educating the families that come and bring the kids,” she said.
Local skateboard manufacturer and distributor NHS, donated some items which will be offered at the event Blanton said.
“we are planning to be very casual, so we are going to have some music playing — I am going to bring over a PA system — we are going to have a free raffle and offer raffle prizes out to people who join in on the fun.”
The City of Scotts Valley is supporting the event by providing the new signs and advertising, Ard said.
“Really the message is respect earns respect, so if you respect the park and respect other people that are here to have fun, you are going to get that same respect in return,” Blanton explained.
Amanda Grant, a parent who brings her children to the skate park, said that the biggest challenge would be making sure that kids actually read the signs.
“I know that there some etiquette that goes along with skating in the park and everything I don’t know what it is myself personally, but I think the kids kind of organically learn it.”
16-year-old Tommy Hogye, who visits the park as often as possible, said that the new etiquette signs would be a good thing, especially when it comes to the smaller kids that come to the park.
“I think making some guidelines like that to help the older more experienced skaters out would be a great thing for the people of the park that come here on a regular basis.”
Blanton has also worked with local elementary schools to create flyers that are sent home to parents so that the conversation about skater’s etiquette comes to the dinner table.
