Saturday, October 16, 1999
Y skate park opens today
'Zoo' boasts 6-foot ramps, curves galore
BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON — In the cool breeze of a fall afternoon, three Lebanon High students tested out the new skate park at the Ralph J. Stolle Countryside YMCA and labeled it “cool.”
Over the course of a half hour, the kids performed tricks on BMX bikes and in-line skates that defied gravity and adult common sense. They hopped from a ramp taller than the average person, down its slope, up and over a 3-foot ramp; crouched to touch the wheels; backed up another 4 or 5 feet; and skidded to a stop.
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IF YOU GO
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< The Countryside YMCA's skate park, the “Zoo,” officially opens today. Festivities kick off at 1 p.m. and include an exhibition and safety talk with four professional BMX riders, free pizza and open skating.
The parks' hours will be 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Hours for skaters and bikers will alternate. Call the Y at (513) 932-1424.
Fee for Y members is $3; nonmembers pay $6.
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Seeing trick-skating and biking live is like watching the end of the Blair Witch Project: each turn around a corner evokes a gasp, each jump demands another pump of adrenaline.
“This place scares me to death,” said 16-year-old Elijah Prewitt. “And I like it. It's a whole new challenge.”
Across the country, kids in droves are attracted to the combination of risk and independence in the sports of in-line skating, skateboarding and BMX biking. The popularity of so-called trick sports has erupted in the past decade; in-line skating alone has attracted 8 million enthusiasts across the country.
In post-Columbine days, skate parks are increasingly seen as one of the options for communities scrambling to find ways to engage middle and high school students.
In fact, the Lebanon Y had been considering a skate park for more than a year. The shock of 15 dead Colorado students spurred action.
“We realized we really needed to be focusing on programs for this age,” said Amy Dingle, program director of youth and adult sports.
By June, the board decided to use a $60,000 donation from Coca-Cola to build a park, and the Y assembled a committee of a dozen skaters and bikers in middle and high school to brainstorm on design elements.
The result: the “Zoo,” with more than 21,000 square feet of asphalt and ramps 5 and 6 feet tall.
Those who wax nostalgic for the days of warbly Hokey Pokeys performed on the four sturdy wheels of roller skates should probably take a pass on the Zoo.
This isn't the tame skating of adults' teen-age years.
Skating and biking these days features kids in baggy jeans and bicycle helmets improbable moves like the “grind,” “X-up,” and “stale grab.”
The appeal lies not only in the fancy moves and adrenaline factor. Kids also like the freedom.
“Instead of organized sports, this is something I can do to push myself without someone telling me how to do it,” said 15-year-old in-line skater Owen Sizemore.
Elijah put it more simply: “You're your own coach with a bike.”
Each of the three kids detailed their share of injuries, from scraped knees and elbows to sprained ankles.
In the five years since Elijah took up BMX biking, he has recorded three broken arms and spent the summer with “hamburger face” — his cheeks and chin a mass of scabs and scars from a run-in with pavement.
During the 30-minute test run, the three teens fell about a dozen times. They picked themselves, shook it off and headed back to the ramps.
Y officials anticipate there will be some injuries. They have put in place strict rules about wearing helmets and other safety equipment. Parents will be required to sign a liability waiver. And the park will have two staff members, at least one over the age of 21, and both trained in first aid.
“There are risks in everything,” said Steve Boland, Countryside's president and chief executive officer. “There are risks in gymnastics. In diving off diving boards. We've got a climbing wall here. ... It's going to be safer in our outdoor parks than virtually anywhere else.”
Choices are limited for skaters and bikers. The curbs, sidewalks and benches in downtown Lebanon pose several hazards, including the possibility of a citation from police. A Lebanon ordinance bans skating in the central business district.
A handful of Tristate parks have opened in the past few years but are at least 20 minutes away. The nearest is the half-acre Baker Bowl Skate Park in Middletown, which, after nearly four months, already draws up to 200 skaters from the region. In Kentucky, Boone County park officials are considering a petition from parents and kids to build a skate park.
Even before by its first day, the Zoo in Lebanon already has met a component of its mission. These three kids, who served on the planning committee, feel a part of something, like they've made a difference and contributed to their community in a significant way.
“At first it was just an idea,” Elijah said. “And now ...”
His voice dropped off as his eyes skipped from ramp to ramp, each with names like spine, elbow or hips. He smiled.
“That's the coolest part.”
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