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here's some skating tips-I'm sure that a few of you out there have noticed, in recent times, that you roll up to your favorite skate spot, only to find it rendered unskateable. You know, those white plastic discs, bonded to that perfect ledge, lined up perfectly, or the ugly bolts, jutting out from that once smooth handrail you wanted to grind. Well, whatever the spot was, it's now unskateable. No matter where you live, I'm sure that for every skate spot you have, there are an equal number of spots that are 'almost perfect'. These would-be spots usually have minor problems such as a lack of runway or landing, cracks, or kinks and knobs. So for the sake and the convenience of the fellow skateboarder out there, we are offering some alternatives, once the skate stoppers hit your town.
One of the most common problems with finding that 'perfect spot' is not having enough runway or landing. Many spots would be great if only there was a bit more of either (unless, of course, you're grinding a ten-stair rail that runs straight into a wall- then, you're screwed). All you need is a buddy with a pickup truck, and a poorly guarded construction site, and you're in business! Get creative! Use your imagination! Lay wood down one set of stairs to get speed for the next set , or prop a piece of wood up to get up on that really tall ledge, the possibilities are endless!
How many times have you driven down the street and suddenly, a spot catches your eye? So, naturally you jerk the wheel to the curb, nearly running over some pedestrians, and scaring the crap out of your poor girlfriend, only to find out that there's a big old crack in front of it? Well, now it's time to look at those spots again, because you can "fix" those cracks to make your spot skateable! All it takes is a little bit of pre-made concrete patch, or "Patchy". Patchy is a simple putty-like substance that dries as hard as cement, and pretty smooth, too. It comes in a little bucket, and you can buy it at most hardware stores. This bucket costs about five bucks, and is good for about five or six good sized cracks (you can be liberal with it, it's cheap). You will need putty knives for this, too. The plastic ones cost less than a buck each, and they work just fine. I'd recommend getting two, cause then you and your buddy can roll up in the middle of the night, patch up the crack, and get away relatively quickly (putty knives can be found usually right next to the putty itself). Also, two knives make it easier to apply, and put the unused stuff back in the container. This stuff takes about 12 to 24 hours to fully dry, depending on how much you used. It dries gray and if you're neat, it can blend in nicely with most cement surfaces. If you want to conserve your patchy, then try to fill the crack in with dirt, or twigs first, then apply a thinner coat to the top. Just make sure its smooth, and this way it will dry a bit faster. If you can't find patch filler, and you're really hard up, try filling the crack in with dirt (really pack it) and then cover it with duct tape, or grip tape. You get the idea. It's definitely not as good, but it works in a pinch.
Now, that takes care of the cracks, and the runway and the landing are perfect. Now lets deal with that nasty kink at the end of the rail, or those knobs they just put on (disclaimer: we here at skateboard.com do not necessarily condone the altering of, or dismantling of, public property. This information is for novelty purposes only. That said, let's move on). While you're at the home depot, getting your putty knives, I'd suggest investing in a hacksaw. You can get one for around ten bucks, and with it, you can saw off the kinks on those rails. It definitely takes some elbow grease, and it's kinda noisy, but it works. Sawing through a weld is really difficult, but sometimes it's necessary. As for those little white discs, try taking dad's sledgehammer to 'em. Oh yeah, this is vandalism, so always have someone watching your back.
Skaters are, and have always been, a resourceful group. When the parks closed down, we went to the streets, and now they are trying to take our spots away? Let's make more! Let's take 'em back! There are many other ways to take back a spot, too. Just think practically about it- cant skate it during the day? Light it up at night! You can use work lights and an extension cord if there's an outlet nearby, if not, try your car lights. No? Get some friends together, and invest in a generator. Security won't let you skate? Bribe them! Believe me, it's worked. From now on you should look at every spot differently. Light it up, patch the crack, bribe the guard, lay down some wood, saw the rail, or hack the knobs off, we can ALWAYS make more spots. Just imagine if every skater in the world went out and fixed just one spot each. We are talking about millions of new spots that could virtually pop up overnight! Every time I look in a 'letters' section of any skate magazine, there's always at least one letter about some kid who doesn't have any spots to skate. So I'm offering an alternative. Make your own.
in other news, Skateboarding in Serious Danger!
Skateboarders, regardless of age, or size, or ability have the opportunity to help skateboarding and preserve public skateparks throughout the United States. It's simple, all we need to do is send letters to a few California legislators. Well, a few thousand letters. Maybe a few hundred thousand letters.
Why? There's a new law in California, SB 994, now being considered by California politicos, that will allow California cities to keep open the parks they've already built, and allow for hundreds more parks to built. SB 994 will guarantee public skateparks in California for the next five years, but only if we convince the legislators to approve SB 994 and send it to California's governor, Gray Davis.
Even if you don't live in California this law will affect you if you're a skateboarder. If SB 994 is not approved, if California legislators don't feel it's important, then the public skateparks in California could be shut down and close as of January 1, 2003. If California's parks closed other states' insurance providers and politicians would surely wonder why, and then perhaps re-evaluate whether their public parks should remain open.
California's liability law, SB 994, is important to every skateboader, everywhere. Skateboarders can help skateboarding by writing letters to these few legislators, urging their support of the new law. It's not just skateboarders, either, it's skateboarders parents, friends, teachers, business associates...anyone can write these legislators letters to let them know we want public skateparks as part of skateboarding's future. |
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