To the editor:
Re: "Residents ramp up opposition to skateboard park," Nov. 8.
My name is Kevin Kelly. I'm the owner of BLVD Skateshop and a longtime skateboarding advocate in Vancouver. I assure you the "anti" theme of your story is nothing new to us, but I must rebut the comments made by Mr. Leung. People like myself and many others have worked very hard over the years to help alleviate the negative perception the public has towards skateboarding and stories like this are only fair if both sides are heard.
Through your eyes, this new facility seems to conjure up images of lawless, pitbull owning taggers that somehow pose a threat to the children in the area.
Through my eyes I see a cost-effective recreational facility in an area that needed it. A spot that will prove itself over time to be a healthy place for skaters young and old, male and female-of all races to have fun, interact, exercise and develop their skills. Your apparent concern for the age of the users only shows that your lack of familiarity with our culture. It is entirely commonplace for a nine-year-old to be skating beside a 30-year-old at a skateboard park. Mentoring is a big part of being a skater and it's not something that has ever been an issue for us. Mr Leung's comments about the park's terrain features also go to show his lack of knowledge on the subject. I run youth skateboarding lessons through the city and I can assure that the new spot is excellent for beginners and will be well used by kids. As far as the other points raised: Graffiti at skateparks is 99 per cent of the time not done by us and litter is an issue everywhere; same goes for off-leash dogs.
The large number of users is merely the result of a new spot popping up and a lot of cu-rious skaters from all over coming by to have a look. This is common, but the novelty will quickly wear off. Hopefully with good communication between users, neighbours and the city, this spot will prove to be a great thing for the area.
Kevin Kelly,
Vancouver
