From the article: How should I act at skateparks?
Skateparks are built for fun, but cramming that many skaters into a concrete bowl is asking for trouble. From tempers flaring to collisions, to having to share the park with bikers or, worse, rollerbladers ... everyone’s got a story. What’s the worst behavior you’ve seen at a skatepark? Share Your Stories
crossed up
- I was at the local skate park with a bunch of kids from school, and this guy just finished his run, and came back up to the group. I dropped in and went to try his line, but wouldn't you know it! He went again and came right up be hind me as I went up a quarter pipe! I yelled out "watch out man!", but he didn't hear and fell right on top of me. I ended up with a twisted ankle, and he had a broken arm.
- —Guest Sk8tr
annoying ppl
- 1 day it was snowing so i decided to go to the local indoor skatepark. it was filled enough with experienced riders, but dead in the middle just standing there with their boards. I dont usually mind seeing a couple of new riders who just learned, but here there was at least five probably ranging from 7 to 11 years old. when they were asked to move they would just look at you with a confused face and stand there. one dude eventually freaked out and yelled at them til they left
- —Guest idk111
realllyyy..?
- i was at this indoor skatepark with 4 friends and we were filming my one friend land 180s up a bmx quarter pipe(huge) and then ba ck down landing 360 flips up the big bank and then these kids just start yelling in the most annoying weird yell and ruining are good filming sesh and another time some guy brought his dog to the skatepark and the dog would move everytime u rode by it and almost knock u off ur board.. the dog led to 3 different areas. kinda like an intersection.
- —Guest $C
High Guys
- I was at the skatepark and I haven't skated for a long time (I'm 14 and I've been skating for like 3 months) and I see this dude behind one of the ramps doing some drug that I haven't even seen before. I just ignored it and didn't go around there and just kept skating, but then, the same high guy came right up behind me and knocked into me and I almost fell on my head and I scratched my back really bad. And guess what, instead of helping me up he just says hey you got a cig?
- —Guest ?
Don't skate beyond your capabilities
- I always thought it would never happen to me, but you never know what could go on. I didn't think wearing a helmet was such a big deal until IT happened. I was with my friends Kieran and Kai and when we went in these chavs on their BMX's rode up to us and started calling us emo just 'cos we wore checkered clothing and have long black hair. So I told him if I could land a trick and a trick in which I allowed one of the bikers to choose they could leave us alone, but if I couldn't they could continue with the insults. So he told me to hand a boardslide down a 20 stair set rail across the road in a little kiddies park. I thought I had it but in the process of landing, I put all of my weight on my right foot and fell 20 feet head first. I was bleeding through my ear and it was coming out fast. The bikers rode off and my friends called an ambulance. I blacked out as I hit and woke up in casualty with an extreme pain in my head. I've nose lost my sense of smell and have amnesia. Skate safe.
- —Guest James
Just Beat It
- As someone who ridden public and private skateparks for many years I can say that the problem is usually just bullies. Let's face it, skateparks can and do draw a regular contingient of people who can't spell, pronounce, or recall the definition of ettiquEtte (these may be some of the same people that don't like to wear helmets; a cause-effect relationship). I'm 6'1" 210lbs. so I like to ride in and body-check a bully that's harshing on a smaller dude and say, "Oh, my! Are you OK? I sure didn't see you there, my freind. Here let me help you up." Now THAT's polite.
- —SirBailsAlot
What happend to me...
- I was skating in the bowl and I was coming up one side pulled an Indy and just as you know it BOOM! A board hit my head... I was just lucky I was wearing my helmet and I am only trying to do my best, I got off my board and looked around I saw a few bikers and a skater. And then I asked him "How can you skate without a board?" He replied "You stole it!" I was holding it because it hit me then I said "I didn't steal it and chucked it near his feet, My mate pulls up on his bike behind me and goes "Hey Chazer wats up?" I said "This dork threw hit board at my head" I showed him the helmet and it was scratched badly Sam (My other friend) came up behind him and pushed the other skater over and that's when IT started he got up and punched Sam in the face I just stared and all of the other people in the skate park gathered round and chanted FIGHT FIGHT! Just then the gate man came in and sorted it out.
- —BoardMapper
Punched in the face
- A kid was arguing with another for getting in front of him, and socked him in the face.
- —Guest ChaserYo!
Pinic at a skatepatk!!
- Hi, i wanted to share this story to see how much people are willing to push skateboarders. Not long ago after our ONLY skatepark in the whole country (i live in Malta) was built, people were really curious of what goes on there. A "family" of some kids and middle aged women, decided to picnic in the main pathway to almost every ledge, gap, rail and ledges. After politley my friend ask them to move, they just ignored him and continued talking and littering the place. off course there were alot of people as the park was only opened the weekend before. skaters here are almost all polite and care for others so everyone was crushing and falling just not to hit the picnic-ers. As my friend asked them politley again. they just ignored him again. this pissed him of so bad that he went and bailed on purpose exactly in their picnic table. they never showed up again and everyone skated happily ever after (haha)
- —Guest Reuben
gave up
- I use to love to watch people skate at my local skate park but last summer i just decided to never go back. a lot of my friends use to skate but they all moved away. i still went to the park just to watch because i've always wanted to skate but was to scared. well one day i went there but i relized that this guy i liked was there (he's like the bast skater where i live) and one of his friends was suppose to teach me how to skate. well he was showing me how push off and he slipped and fell and broke his arm. he got up thinking that i tripped him and he went over to matt (my crush) and showed him his arm and said that this is why girls shouldnt try to skate. but then one of my long time friends came along and showed him up and matt didnt like that so he went went inside the youth center and told the owner that me and my friend tripped his friend and he broke his arm so we got kicked out. "that will teach girls to never skate around here" matt said to his friend so ill never skate again!
- —jackle3
6 foot Shadow
- I've been to a lot of skateparks back in my hometown, and ever since i moved people have been pretty nice. But it doesn't seem to be the case at skateparks. I remember a month ago I was at a new skatepark and I can adimit, I didn't exactly know how things worked around there so i was the receiver of some very angry glares. I was just walking around when some random guy starts following me. I did't know what he was doing so a stopped and said hi. He acted lke he didn't hear me so I began walikng again but I could hear his footsteps and he shadow still following. By this time I wasn't in the mood to skate any more so I just walking around the ramps and rails just looking to see if I could attempt to land any of the tricks i was thinking about trying if this dude would stop following me. I started to give up I couldn't lose this guy, I was heading to the bowl when I feel someone push me in head first. I can easily say that I've never picked a better time to use a helmet.
- —Guest Eat_Veggies
haters
- The worst etiquette is hating. People who continue the moronic ant-rollerblader talk...oh, like Steve!!! I can ride a board fine, my best trick is a nose down a stair rail. But I prefer blading because I can get bigger air. So, people were skating fine, and this 12-year-old threw his board in front of me right when I dropped in and I ended up bailing. He laughed and said "fruity" or something like that. I took my blades off, picked his board up, and did a better heelflip than he'll ever do, and then took it over to the steel girder on the wall and snapped his tail off. I never snake, always watch the group to see what lines people skate, and respect those who are going big and let them rip by when they need to. So...the worst etiquette: grownups who act like little children and say "worse, rollerbladers". Grow up!
- —Guest Mark Hartmann
walking in the middle of the park
- i was in the skatepark, an indoor one. and there was this one dude that everyone hated. he had no board or anything. he was just walking around in circles where everyone wanted to skate. and he would come up to you right before you go and ask if you have a dollar so he could buy a drink. and if he got a board, he just threw it across the park and pushed you over. and he would sit and eat and have a meal on the fun boxes! i don't know about you, but to me, that's really annoying and stupid. i'm surprised he didn't get hit with a bike or anything.
- —Guest marty
worst ever
- So, I was at the skate park and it was a nice sunny summer day.I was keeping to myself, but then one of the guys at the park decided to bring his girlfriend in the park. She was loud and disrupting talking on her phone and popular so she soon felt the need to invite all her friends there. They were just following him and sitting on the obstacles. Worst behavior, not by the skaters but by their popular girlfriends.
- —Guest PennyNickels
