Posted by: Dave Berry | Jun 1, 09

The joy of skateboarding is unmached by anything I can think of. You're outside. The sun is shining down on you. You are on a mission to have fun. While you are pushing through the streets, strip malls, and parking lots of your town there are no rules. It's just you and your board vs the world and it's a great feeling. But there are spots that offer terrain that you just don't find in the streets. We call these skateparks and they are (usually) great places to skate fun boxes, half pipes, and rails, not to mention meet up with other skaters and the crusty old school dude who just might buy beer for you and your little buddies if you're cool enough to him.

Skateparks are different from thrashing around on the streets in that you have to learn to skate with people that you have never met. This is by no means hard, but I've been noticing that the current generation of groms (yeah you, little kid) don't have much, if any, regard for those around them. If you're under the age of 13 then you need to memorize this article because you've been irritating the crap out of the rest of us at the park.

First of all, when you enter a park you are last in line for everything unless there is nobody else there, which hardly ever happens. This goes for everybody. I don't care if Tony Hawk shows up at the ramp, he's waiting his turn just like the rest of us. There is a loose rotation that naturally gets established in parks and you need to observe and abide by it. Find your place in line and keep in it.

Next, don't be a snake. Snakes are by far the worst type of skaters. They are worse than hippies, rollerbladers, and high school football coaches combined and easily become targets for beat-downs. Don't cut in front of someone who is pushing up toward a box or drop in on the ramp out of turn. It's easy to not be a snake; just be aware of who's up for what. I'm not saying be a traffic cop. All you have to know is if you're clear to hit the spine, rail, or box. If you are then hit it. If someone is burning across the park in the general direction of the spine, rail, or box then let him take his shot. Whether he hits it or not is none of your conscern.

Don't try and win the "cool contest" either. The kids that are trying to be cooler than everybody are typically some of the biggest dicks you'll ever meet. Being cool just comes naturally and when you try to force it you always end up looking like a jackass. Skate at your pace and on your terms, just remember to not snake anybody.

Half pipes, bowls, and snake runs have a couple of unique rules that you need to know as well. I'll start with half pipes. First of all, there is a solid rotation on the half and if you cut in line you're going to get your ass kicked sooner rather than later. When a skater is standing on the deck with his foot on the tail of his board that means he's waiting to go. If you're not sure who's up look around. If you see another skater point at you then it's your turn. The same applies to bowls. Also, with bowls there is a different style to the skating than with a ramp. Bowls are there to be carved with some gnarly grinds thrown in. Bowls are all about flow. Skating a bowl like a half pipe is not rad. In fact, it totally sucks and you groms need to knock it off. Snake runs are similar to snowboard parks.

Only one person drops in at a time. How hard is that? Why can't you little kids figure this one out? When it's your turn to drop in then raise your arm to signal that you're dropping. If you see somebody raise their arm and you're in their path then get the hell out of it! If someone is in the snake run don't drop into the bowl at the bottom of it because that will result in a crash and whoever is going faster will win. The guy coming out of the snake is always going faster.

Are you worried about getting props? Don't be. The guys that get props are the guys that give props. It sounds cliche but it's totally true. Don't give props on every single trick, but don't skimp on the props either. When somebody busts somthing sick then give him some props. Is that hard? No, it is not.

DO NOT bring in little kids who aren't on boards, especially if they are under the age of 10. These kids have no idea of what is going on around them and do nothing but cause problems. They get in the way. They cause wrecks. They can get VERY hurt. If you find yourself babysitting your six-year old cousin then stay at home and play Wii. If you bring him to the park I will kick your ass. I am so sick of unsupervised little kids running across the ramp while I'm in the middle of a run.

Respect the older dudes. We've been around for a lot longer than you have and we're not going anywhere. We earned the right to drink beer on the deck of the ramp. You haven't. Speaking of which, if you have some beer offer it up if you can spare it. If not it's no sweat.

If you're going to tag the park then make it good. I'm getting pretty tired of seeing lame, single-line ICP tags at the park. Just like everything else, go big or go home. Better yet don't tag the park at all. It's far easier to dose it with stickers anyway.

Basically just be chill to everybody at the park and we won't kick your ass. Follow these guidelines and you should be fine for the rest of your life in pretty much everything now that I think about it.

Shred Hard.
Dave Berry.