Saturday, November 20, 2010

My Implausibly Plausible Skateboarding Plan

So there's a little ramp skate/bmx park tucked away in a corner of the Kent County YMCA, which includes a little footie halfpipe.

Which means that when, for example, Vivian is having her swimming lesson, Jennifer is erg-ing, and Julia is chilling in the brand new Active Family Center, I can do some skating -- in fact, that's what we did today. My solo session could be described as "kick turning until I got tired," but I established that I still have the rudiments down and that I need to start doing a lot of squats.

So, fun, but not too crazy, then I discovered this:

Yes Virginia, Providence does have a concrete municipal skatepark, tucked back in Silver Lake, at the Neutaconkanut Recreation Center. It has a shallow but vertical half-pool in one end and lots of tight little banks, so, challenging and just the kind of thing I've always liked to skate. Also, it is a 10 minute drive from my house, and, even better, a five minute drive from Vivian's pre-school, so quick morning sessions during schooldays when things are presumably quiet are a definite possibility. There's also a playground next to it. Skateboarding is starting to seem very convenient for the urban daddy.

So now all the long-dormant sk8 gestalt's are rushing back to the fore of my consciousness... that park may require a new deck... how do I orient myself to the skating world 20 years later? Barrier Kult!?!

I do have a space at the bottom of my driveway where I could put a Jersey barrier...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

onliville park is fun for sure, but the bowled corner is shallow for sure pretty fun, bikers ruined the pool blocks though. fun back and forth park when no ones there....china bank is also super fun. right next to provi.