The last time I went to Norwalk Skatepark, there were so many little kids just starting to learn how to skate for the first time and trying to figure out what tricks were cool and going through the awkward stage of pushing mongo and just not knowing the ettiquette. Upon my return, I noticed that a lot of these kids got bigger, and they definitely got better. Now that I've been fully back on board(no pun intended) for almost a full year now, I brought my camera to the park the other night to try to figure out why some of these guys skate for good.
Skate for Good: A Night at Norwalk Skate Park from nando yiv on Vimeo.
Based on a pre-determined set of questions, I found that although the skateboarders varied in age, they found skateboarding or decided to keep skateboarding for the same reasons. Most of them came from a mainstream sports(baseball, basketball) background but succumbed to skateboarding's appeal because of the personal responsibility and the comraderie that came with it. It requires athleticism but doesn’t require an organized team, or coach, or regulation area to skate in. That was the unanimous sentiment based on the responses to the questions.
If you’re ever in the area, feel free to stop by Norwalk Park and watch the kids tear it up.
P.S. The grown-ups could hold their own as well.
