Hey you, azzhole..

[elementalzoo]

A different thread got me thinking about this and I just want to suggest to you adult skaters that you not try to act all 'core' and superfly when you talk to kids at skateparks.

I have heard some ol' dawg jackazz, flush from watching Dogtown for the 155th time, walk into a park to throw their potbelly weight around, fronting a core attitude. I've actually heard this:

"Hey you little #### head, watch your ****ing deck!!! It almost hit me! Don't you know to yell 'board!' when you lose control of it?"

One guy I saw would practically mow the kids down as he rode around the park. F'ing bullies, nothing more. He rode like the whole park was built for him and no one else. That's a kids manuever, not a grown mans.Nothing sadder than seeing a middle aged man acting and talking like he was sixteen.

YOU are the adults in this playground and it isn't just about you and your exaggerated glory days and btw, unless a kid asks you can pretty much assume the only skaters interested in your glory days are other skategeezers. Later gens are experiencing this new park blowup for the first time in their skating and didn't learn a lot of the rules of etiquette us geezers did (which were taken from a lot of the rules of surfing e.g. don't drop in on someone ). Try to knock off the "I'll kick your little azz" attitude and just talk to them like they're human beings. I had to tell one guy once,"You're not that kids father and yelling at him like he's a sack of sh*t accomplishes nothing but destroying your own credibility. And uh, if you make the kid cry I'll beat you about the head severely." LOL

And when I say 'you', I don't mean anyone here, just to the general audience that might be reading. If you see some adult acting the fool like this, please take the moron aside and tell him/her to knock it off.

[thebassman]

great post.

[streetheap]

I've had to help my 2 kids out a couple of times . It isn't just older dudes, anybody who skates jaded needs to leave their 'tude at home.
Generally pretty good vibes at the 3 parks where I live, though.
Great post BTW.

[thebassman]

I've had to help my 2 kids out a couple of times . It isn't just older dudes, anybody who skates jaded needs to leave their 'tude at home.
Generally pretty good vibes at the 3 parks where I live, though.

yeah around here its basically the better you are the meaner you are. That is just one of the many reasons i rarely go to the park...

[ollie]

It goes both ways. I find that its the kids that have a bigger problem with thinking they own a place. Yes there are douche older dudes, but there are way too many kids that have no ediquette at all. I will give a kid a friendly warning, but if that same kid turns around a minute later and tries to drop in on me when I'm about to hit the ramp, that kid is getting mowed down or I will just shoot my board straight at them.
Accidents are accidents. If a wayward board hits me, it hits me. Sometimes theres not enough time to yell out. But failure to look around before you go and a general disregard for ediquette or order will get you some dirty looks and possibly more. I would have got my ass beat by the older guys if I tried to pull some of the #### I see kids do these days.
The kids that get it get it, and we all skate together and have a good time.
Not to defend any older assholes, but you have to understand the better you are the more of the park and ramps you are going to want to use. And having boards constantly put in your path is extremely frustrating. If its happens over and over its gets annoying quick.
Now if you guys are watching your surroundings and attempting to establish some order and decency then don't worry about the asshole. A thread here wont change their attitude.

[Speedo]

It goes both ways. I find that its the kids that have a bigger problem with thinking they own a place. Yes there are douche older dudes, but there are way too many kids that have no ediquette at all. I will give a kid a friendly warning, but if that same kid turns around a minute later and tries to drop in on me when I'm about to hit the ramp, that kid is getting mowed down or I will just shoot my board straight at them.
Accidents are accidents. If a wayward board hits me, it hits me. Sometimes theres not enough time to yell out. But failure to look around before you go and a general disregard for ediquette or order will get you some dirty looks and possibly more. I would have got my ass beat by the older guys if I tried to pull some of the #### I see kids do these days.
The kids that get it get it, and we all skate together and have a good time.
Not to defend any older assholes, but you have to understand the better you are the more of the park and ramps you are going to want to use. And having boards constantly put in your path is extremely frustrating. If its happens over and over its gets annoying quick.
Now if you guys are watching your surroundings and attempting to establish some order and decency then don't worry about the asshole. A thread here wont change their attitude.

What he said!8)

[streetheap]

What he said!8)

Board shooting is a chickenshit move, IMO. An amiable confrontation usually resolves the problem.

[ollie]

Read again. The board shooting comes after the amiable confrontation. Its for their own good. It actually takes a few bad moves for me to shoot my board at someone, but if I ever do it is well deserved. If you're skating with me I give everyone the same respect and opportunity to skate that I would want myself.

[arcane]

Board shooting is a chickenshit move, IMO. An amiable confrontation usually resolves the problem.

What he said.

[RastamanD]

OMG thats real grown up shooting a board at a kid...what if he broke his arm when he fell. how would you feel you ####tard

[ollie]

Please. I've been hurt pretty bad because of this. Did the kid care? No he did the same thing again a few minutes later. I would rather hurt myself actually skateboarding rather than because someone decided to skate in my path when they should have waited for me to finish my trick.
You cannot defend this behavior with any credibility. Unless you are one of the assholes this thread is about.
Imagine bombing a hill. And every 20 feet some kids decides to skate in front of you and you either had to jump off your board or take a slam or run into them. Whos the asshole? Sorry if my board hits you, but who is really at fault?

[streetheap]

????alright???? The only one defending poor park etiquette is you.

[elementalzoo]

Some of you dudes are totally missing the point. And I know damn well if a bigger, rougher cat were around you would talk wayyyy differently to him than you do these kids. So don't front. If a grown man that you suspected could kick your ass in a NY minute is someone you'd think twice about screaming at or whizzing past to prove your point, then don't do it to kids. If you wouldn't bark at this same dude from across the park like you do kids, then the fact you do it to kids proves you're a bully. You act like that because you're bigger, no other reason. So stop it. Go talk to them like they're people and never forget the park is not yours alone and when cities build these things, it ain't with skategeezers in mind, like it or not.

It's retarded as hell to talk to or treat kids who don't know better and weren't schooled the way were, as if everything happening is just about you.

If the park you skate in is having problems with kids that don't know 'the rules', then talk to the people on staff about periodically having an etiquette briefing, for lack of a better term, when the park opens and before anyone's allowed to skate. Doesn't take more than five minutes and while you're at it, volunteer to do it for them.

And if you're skating a free park that doesn't absolve you of the responsibility nor difference of being the adult skater. You're JUST as responsible for collisions if you don't bother to take a preview of the line you're about to push off on and a kid gets in your way. If you want respect, you have to give respect. When you stoop to muscling kids around like you're mr.billy badazz, you look and sound like a d*ck no matter how justified you think you are.

[arcane]

My son is 13 gets excited and may not think sometimes about skatepark etiquette, even after being reminded. If some grownup were to shoot a board at him because they thought it was the better thing to do then just chill out and he wound up eating ground I would sit him down and explain to him, again, that some people are just a##holes.

Edit: Then I would let my son kick the crap out of them.

[ollie]

Exactly, you have to show respect to get it. Lack of respect will get you none. Its that simple.

"????alright???? The only one defending poor park etiquette is you."
And to this douche. Don't ever visit a skatepark. You don't belong there. I'm one of the nice guys at the park. I make sure the kids get as much skating as they want. And I give them as much room as they want. I'll help them where I can, and teach them some ediquette. If they don't want to listen they don't want to listen. If they don't show the same respect towards the people skating there they shouldnt bitch when someone runs them over. If you have a problem with me, you really dont belong at a skatepark at all.

[elementalzoo]

Pfft, wow ollie, you're really core huh?

Kudos for bothering to talk to them at all, but you may be in the minority. And that's the bad part.

If you're a legal adult and you hurt a kid to prove a point or try to absolve yourself of it when the cops show up at your door because SuperBrat got hurt by your maneuver and had to be taken to the hospital, they won't buy it. If even one person at the park thinks you did it out of frustration, you're in for a bumpy ride. YOU are the adult and in the eyes of the law, you're expected to have better self-control and maturity.

[streetheap]

Exactly, you have to show respect to get it. Lack of respect will get you none. Its that simple.

"????alright???? The only one defending poor park etiquette is you."
And to this douche. Don't ever visit a skatepark. You don't belong there. I'm one of the nice guys at the park. I make sure the kids get as much skating as they want. And I give them as much room as they want. I'll help them where I can, and teach them some ediquette. If they don't want to listen they don't want to listen. If they don't show the same respect towards the people skating there they shouldnt bitch when someone runs them over. If you have a problem with me, you really dont belong at a skatepark at all.

I said that. OK. No need for name calling. I don't really know how to respond to that, other than tell you I will continue skating the same way I have for the last 30 years. And that doesn't include shooting boards. I think the point of this thread was aimed at people like you...

[a_d_smooth]

The skatepark I go to is pretty cool actually. The older guys respect the younger kids, and the kids know not to mess with the bigger guys. I went to a park in Cali and saw some older dude (late 30's) throwing his weight around... and I was just like Ewww... I kind of felt bad for that guy, loser... seriously grow up, you are the minority, a skatepark isn't just for kids, but it will always be built for kids as a haven to hone their sport and not destroy some one else's property.

[Speedo]

I'm one who's been doing parks for a long time, and have have had few problems, if any, with the kids.
And I'd never shoot out one of my rolling missiles to make a point.
NEVER have.

But I WILL find my line hopefully, and hope that they are watchful enough to see the train-a-comin'.8)

[Warren]

The only other people I ever see at the park that are as old as I am - are parents sitting on the benches watching little Johnny.

Most of the kids go up to my sons and say that they wished their dad's skated with them.