A Skatepark for Parkdale!
As the group assigned to the topic of recreation in Parkdale, we have chosen to focus on the idea of adding a skatepark to the community. Although Parkdale is a great area of our city, like all things, we believe that it can be changed for the better. Parkdale is a neighborhood with lot’s of kids, and kids need things to do when they get out of school to keep fit both mentally and physically, otherwise they can turn to negative things from graffiti to drugs. We have seen these things happening, and we know that the community wants them to change. What we have done, is looked at the root causes of these things and come up with creative solutions to put them to an end.
A problem in our community, is young teens participating in illicit behavior like vandalism amongst other things. We believe that one of the root causes of this is the fact that today’s youth isn’t being given other options of things to occupy themselves with. We think that a skatepark would be a way to get kids interested in positive things like being active. So the question is, can skateparks reduce illicit behavior in communities like Parkdale? Most people would say no, but I say it can. One of the few things that skateparks can do to stop illicit behavior is provide a few possible distractions. One of said distractions is the opportunity to make new friends and become social. This provides people with friends, better opportunities to develop social tact, and become better friends with other people. Another related distraction that is affiliated with skateparks is that it gives a location for children to “hang out” at so that said children don’t go to suspicious places like certain clubs and “entertainment” places. Yet another reason there should be a skatepark.
If you are familiar with news in the Parkdale area, you will know about the tragic deaths in the area with pedestrians. Although terrible, these incidents have shown us that public safety needs to become a priority. We think that a skatepark in Parkdale would mean a safe environment for skaters. But the benefits don’t stop there, a skatepark would also increase safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists that are in the area. It was in October when I was walking home from school. At the corner of King St. and Close Avenue a small group of kids were practicing their skateboard tricks. One of their boards went into the road. Luckily, no-one was hurt and neither was the skateboard, but they were putting themselves in danger as well as all of the drivers in the road. The car had to stop in the middle of traffic to allow for the kid to retrieve his board and the kid had to go into the road to get it. Not only this, but the kids were on private property. But don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that these were bad kids. I am saying that they need a safe a lawful place to do what they were doing, and just a mere block away from there, at Queen and Close, is where we want to do it.
Did you know skateparks don’t only reduce illicit behavior but also can reduce damage to private property? You may be saying “that’s stupid” or “you’re insane” but it’s true, skateparks reduce damage to private property. It may be an indirect method but it works all the same. Skateparks reduce damage to private property by giving a place for people to skate so that people avoid skating on other people’s property. Did you know most of the time police and skaters clash is usually over private property damage and that it’s a major problem in the suburbs. A way to deter skaters from skating on private property is to make a skatepark so that instead of skating on private property the skaters skate on a designated place. 3.5-9% of skaters experience traumatic head injuries because of skating on private property. Using the facts that we have at our disposal my group of highly trained skate-experts have decided that having a designated place for skaters will have positive effect on the safety of skaters and non-skaters alike.
Children in Phoenix get hit by cars every year in the U.S.A because they don’t have any place to skateboard so they skateboard in private property and caught by the property’s owner and get taken to the police. The mothers of the children who got caught by the cops had to pay the owners for the damage that their children caused to the property for skateboarding on their property. If Phoenix had a skatepark skateboarders wouldn’t have to skateboard in the road or in private properties and the police wouldn’t have to get involved in any of the cases above. About one skateboarder dies a week in the United States getting hit by cars and other vehicles and average skater recreates with constant reminders that most of the community doesn’t want them around, that they are at risk of getting a ticket, and that they can get hit by cars and other urban hazards so my conclusion is that if we built a skate park here in Toronto all the problem above could be avoided and everyone could go back to their business and skateboarders could have a place where they can skate and not get a ticket for skateboarding in public or private property.
According to The Childhood Obesity Foundation, childhood obesity has taken a dramatic turn for the worst. In 1978 a mere 15% of kids were obese but by 2007, 29% of teens had unhealthy weights. If this pattern continues, by 2040, up to 70% of adults will be obese. Skateboarding helps you burn calories. Skateboarding uses more calories than any other physical activities, most people shed between 150 to 500 calories per hour.There as many other activities out there that involves as much as body as skateboarding.Skateboarding is a good way of relieving stress,skateboarding takes your mind of many thing and helps you relieve stress and it makes you think you have more control over the aspects of your life and it can also help you relax when you accomplish how to do tricks on a skateboard. Skateboarding brings happiness and self-confidence.
As many people know, there has been a stigma around skateboarding for a long time. But in all actuality, skateboarding has many mental health benefits even in the classroom! A Globe and Mail Article quotes John Ratey, “If you want to raise test scores, we have documented evidence – big-time evidence – that that the key is to include fitness-based activity in the day,” states John Ratey, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and a lead researcher in the area. “There’s no question about it.” It goes on to explain that the benefits in academic performance and attention are also very significant: Not only do children with higher fitness levels have a more developed brain structure and more impressive performance tests, but exercise – even small doses of light physical activity – into classroom time will improve student’s ability to re-focus and their test scores.
As a community that has many newcomers to Canada, Parkdale isn’t the wealthiest place. But this is why a skatepark is such a good idea. The estimated costs for our skatepark come to $10 000. Granted, it is an investment. But after that, it will likely require no maintenance. Skatepark.org says that once a skatepark is built, it will require little to no maintenance. This is one of the things that sets skateparks apart from other forms of recreation. Thousands of dollars are spent on recreational maintenance every year, and that money comes from taxpayers. These things are important, but if a skatepark is added to the picture it means a way for people to be active in a way that needs basically no maintenance so they also don’t have to pay as many taxes. Win win!
Picture an empty lot. Just sitting there unkempt and unused. Land in an urban community like Parkdale isn’t cheap and none of it should be wasted. Unfortunately, this is exactly what is going on right now in our school’s community. But if this lot was cleaned up and turned into a recreational site it could change the way our community was seen by others. For the last few months the skateboarding community has been buzzing about the Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark. It was the amazing result of a mother’s commitment to creating a memorial for her sons. She rallied to community together and now, the park has become a community meeting place that has gotten kids and adults alike active strengthened the community and looks absolutely amazing! After seeing this situation, we have been inspired. We know that we have a strong community but we need to show it by adding public areas where people can see and use the product of the community’s commitment to improvement. We are also aware of many artists and would hope to decorate the skatepark. In fact there is even already a mural on the site that we have been looking at!
Skateboarding is a sport that takes much patience and perseverance. These are skills that will be very important later in life. As a skateboarder myself, I know how hard it can be to successfully learn a new trick: it can take weeks, or even months. But a lot of the time, kids can be discouraged by the fact that they don’t have a place to go to practice these tricks. We want to give kids an area to practice. Not only their kickflips, but the values of patience and perseverance that come with learning them.
Being physically active, is something with endless benefits. But if one were to ask a child for ways to be active, it is well known that the most common answers would be thing like teams and clubs. Although these things are great, they can be extremely expensive ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars a year and according to the Parkdale Community Health Centre, 45% of Parkdale’s residents live below the income cut-off line. But we are vouching for a new form of physical recreation to be introduced to the community: skateboarding. A skateboard and helmet can be purchased for under fifty-dollars and they can last years. These things make skateboarding a sport that is easily accessible to a wide range of people and one of the most inclusive forms of recreation. These are the reasons why we believe that a skatepark is an essential aspect of Parkdale’s future. We pride ourselves on being diverse community as Queen Victoria Public School alone has over 30% ESL students, and our group believes that we must also accept our economic differences by providing the community with ways to stay physically healthy whatever your paycheck. We know that investing in a skatepark, is the best way, and the fastest way, to do this!
Finally, we believe that a skatepark will bring the community of Parkdale together. If we start a petition and get the word out there we will rally more supporters and potentially be able create this skatepark. Through doing this, we will inevitably create bonds and learn each others strengths. This means that even once we have created our skatepark we will also be able to pursue other community initiatives. And once we have achieved that, we will be an unstoppable community that never stops improving.
In conclusion, my group and I believe that having a skatepark in Parkdale would improve the overall community of Parkdale. So what have we covered in this essay, we have covered skateparks reduce illicit behaviour, a safer environment for skateparks, skateparks reduce damage to private property, more skateparks means less run ins with the police, physical health benefits, skateparks are a fiscally responsible option for recreation in a community and require little to no maintenance, skateparks can aesthetically enhance a community, skateboarding can teach the value of perseverance to teens, skateparks can bring a community together, and finally skateboarding is a sport that is easily accessible to a wide range of people. All these points go to show that a skatepark will an essential part of the Parkdale community.
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