Skateboarding: An Arguementive Essay Essay, Research Paper
Somewhere a teenaged kid is happily riding his skateboard trying to have a good time by fully living his youthful years, when he is suddenly grabbed from behind and forced to the ground by a police officer. Some would call this justice, but this innocent child has been vengefully harassed for a crime he didn’t even know he was committing; a crime of being a skater. Most of us have never experienced such a horrific ordeal, but for a skateboarder this is a common reoccurrence that is happening way too much. Within the San Jacinto Valley there are many young people of various ages that are continuously searching for new and decent places to do what they love to do: skate. Unfortunately, there are no city-provided locations for skating, so skateboarders turn to public establishments that suit their need and desire for skating. This is not the problem though. The real dilemma is that skaters are being hassled for skating at places such as banks and schools. Luckily there is a simple solution: unless the city provides free and adequate locations for skating, skateboarding must be allowed at public places.
Many business representatives and school officials have legitimate reasons for the abolishment of skating on their premises. One complaint of businesses is that the skating disturbs customers or discourages would-be customers. Although many skaters, who show a little common courtesy, usually skate after the business is closed, this is a logical argument. Another reason businesses ban skating is that they complain that the skateboarding causes damage to certain types of sidewalk and pavement or that the wax used for certain skateboarding techniques causes unwanted and often unattractive destruction to their premises. A clever proposition to solve this problem is this: If a certain business does not want skating to be allowed on their premises, than the city could collect a fee or tax to abolish skating within their property. The money from this fee could be used to purchase and construct a local skate park that would be open to the public free of charge. If a mello-roos taxation system was enforced then the money could be used to pay for the salary of employees of the new skate park. Either way, the problem would be resolved.
Schools often have similar complaints regarding the habits of skaters. They also say that skating is destructive to their school campus. But the question the school system should answer is this: If the school builds tennis courts for tennis players to use or spends millions of dollars on a stadium for multi sport use or makes a gym for basketball and volleyball, why can’t the school create a campus skate park? It would cost substantially less than a stadium or gym and would keep skaters from skating on the rest of the campus. Are skaters not athletes? Or are they just less of an athletes than the rest?
One indisputable argument for the ban of skateboarding at public establishments and schools is the liability factors. Faculty from local schools argue that if a skaters hurts themselves while skating at the school they could sue the school. Because the school has no insurance plan for these incidents, it is only logical to ban skating at schools. Even with these prohibitions, skaters still skate at schools and they probably always will; but if a campus skate center is established or if a local skate park is created, then it would be assumed that the illegal skating would be decreased.
Within the San Jacinto Valley there is currently only one location for decent skating. It is a very well accommodated center, but it costs too much money for low grossing teenagers and kids. Currently the admission for four hours of skating runs about six dollars. For instance, it can be assumed that a pretty well-off kid may get ten dollars a week for allowance, hypothetically. Now if he or she wants to use the pay skate center they have to spend over half their earnings for only four hours of good skating. Where will that kid skate for the rest of that day? Or where will he or she skate for the rest of the week?
Skateboarding is a leisurely yet vigorous sport that is on the rise. As a parent ,you should encourage athletic participation from your children, which includes skateboarding. The child might be acknowledged as a punk or vandal, but within his simple mind he knows no wrong but is just attempting to acquire skill and achievement in a fulfilling sport. Yes, skating is a sport, like football or baseball. Should parents or admirable community leaders discourage this athletic involvement? No. Then why is skateboarding being treated as a crime? When Pro-Skater Colin McKay was asked about how the law was cracking down upon skateboarding, he responded with: “…[the city] would rather spend thousands of dollars having the police come and raid [skating locations] everyday, wasting the city’s money. We still skate there everyday, and the cops come and we just disperse…We skate whenever we want. The cops come and we run away.” Colin McKay later went on to argue that tax money should be distributed to help establish local skate centers, rather than to pay the salaries of the police who are incriminating skaters. Colin’s view is one that the San Jacinto Valley should take into consideration. Because unless a toll-free, city-provided location for skating is provided, skateboarding will continue on public premises regardless of the consequences.
“By treating [skaters] like criminals, police are generating a hatred that will lead us in a different direction, direction that no one knows.” -Eric Hsu