Jun 2, 2015 | Activism, Skateboarding
Go Skateboarding Day 2009
“It’s the cops! RUN!”That was a very common thing to yell amongst my group of friends when we were 13-16 years old. We didn’t know how we’d be punished if we were caught and we didn’t want to find out. Would it be a fine? Jailtime? Would they take our tools away?
Were we robbers breaking into homes and businesses? No. In this case our “tools” were skateboards. We were a bunch of kids that weren’t interested in anything else but skateboarding. All day, every day.
It’s nearly impossible for a non-skater to understand our obsession. Skateboarding is truly unlike anything else. On the surface, it’s a demanding physical activity that requires discipline and practice. But it’s SO much more.
Most physical activity can be categorized as a sport: basketball, hockey, football, baseball. Skateboarding lacks the team aspect of the aforementioned, which makes it even more particular. Skateboarding has an entire culture around it, with art, music, fashion, and even language that’s exclusive. It’s relatively inexpensive to get into and can be practiced, to some degree at least, almost anywhere at any time.
This is why it’s so hard for the layperson to understand. It’s never been an Olympic sport and may never be. Even skateboarding competitions go against the grain– many of them are judged by the riders themselves.
To me, skateboarding is not just a hobby. It’s something that my life revolves around. I’ve worked in the skateboard industry, I try to ride my skateboard as much as possible, and I talk about skateboarding probably every day. Hell, I’m writing this damn blog about it.
It’s crazy to me that the thing I’m most passionate about is frowned upon by so many. And that I had to get together with a small group of people to start a group that speaks out to try to allow myself and others to practice this passion.
Non-skaters don’t understand. They see grown men hanging out with teenagers and it’s strange to them. This is one of the great things about skateboarding– it smashes down barriers like age, gender, religion, race, and things that might otherwise segregate people. It’s second nature for me to join in on a game of SKATE with skaters far younger than me, or yell, “Yeah!” when I see a skater land a trick whether I know them or not.
It’s sad that to this day I’m uneasy around police officers. I must admit, it’s a little embarrassing running from police or security guards that are far younger than me. I’ve been skateboarding for over 25 years and I still feel like I’m doing something wrong every time my feet hit my griptape.
Zev Klymochko
Co-Founder and Co-Chair
Calgary Association of Skateboarding Enthusiasts
May 16, 2015 | Activism, By-laws, CASE News, Skateboarding
Under Calgary’s Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, Section 344 (7) skateboard ramps are not allowed:
“A skateboard ramp must not be located on a parcel.”
However, Councillor Evan Woolley hopes to change this unnecessary bylaw when he makes a notice of motion next month. Let’s hope it goes better than last time a councillor tried this.
The Calgary Herald ran an article on this topic today:
Calgary should repeal ‘outdated’ backyard skateboard ramp ban, says city councillor
Trevor Howell, Calgary Herald More from Trevor Howell, Calgary Herald
Published on: May 15, 2015
Calgary’s longstanding bylaw banning skateboard ramps on private property is outdated and should be scrapped, says Ward 8 Coun. Evan Woolley.
The inner-city councillor says he will introduce a notice of motion by the end of June to repeal the existing rule and allow homeowners to build ramps on their yards — a practice the city outlawed in the mid-1980s over growing hue and cry the wooden structures were dangerous, unsightly and noisy.
“Skateboarding is very mainstream,” Woolley said. “We should have no business deciding what kind of activities we allow and don’t allow in a backyard around sports.
“Let’s not forget, skateboarding is a sport,” he added. “If someone wanted to put a little ice rink in their backyard so their kids could play sports we would fully let them do that.”
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The backlash against skateboarding in Calgary stretches back to the 1980s when the sport experienced a surge in popularity among kids and teenagers.
With few amenities, skaters typically honed their skills on city streets, sidewalks, parking lots and, in rare instances, in their backyards on large three-to four-metre-high “vert” ramps, popularized by then teenage professional riders like Tony Hawk and Christian Hosoi.
City officials reacted by banning skateboarding on most sidewalks and roads and by 1986 began cracking down on the proliferation of ramps that could have “a detrimental impact on adjacent properties,” according to a planning commission report at the time.
Former alderwoman Barb Scott described the growing number of ramps as a “critical, critical problem” successfully spearheaded the bylaw that remain in place today.
Over the past 30 years, the public’s perception of skateboarding has shifted dramatically as the sport grew into a multi-billion-dollar industry and gained mainstream acceptance through high-profile televised competitions.
Cities across North America slowly began building skateboard facilities, including Calgary’s renown Shaw Millenium Park, which opened to much fanfare in 2000.
Yet Calgary may be the only major Canadian municipality that prohibits ramps on private property, said Zev Klymochko, founder of the Calgary Association of Skateboarding Enthusiasts.
“No one wants a 12-foot-tall vert ramp in their neighbours’ backyard that obstructs their views,” Klymochko said. “And that’s not what we’re expecting. Now it’s mostly mini-ramps, which average about four feet in height.”
Wade Cose, 41, stood on his first skateboard 30 years ago.
Seven years ago, Cose built a four-foot by 16-foot mini-ramp in the backyard of his southeast home. Within six months, the city forced him to tear it down. He promptly dismantled the ramp and moved it into a newly built garage, where it remains.
“We were going to build a garage eventually, but it was always going to have a mini-ramp in it,” he said.
“If they’re really looking at it I would say put some limitations on it for size. You don’t want someone putting a vert ramp in their backyard,” Cose said.
Klymochko said Calgary’s building and noise bylaws could prevent larger ramps from being built or used too early in the morning or late at night.
Further, he said allowing ramps on private property promotes a healthy activity and lets parents monitor their kids in a relatively safe environment instead of having them skateboard on the street.
“In some ways it’s similar to the secondary suite issue where there’s already dozens, if not hundreds, of these ramps in Calgary already,” Klymochko said. “This would just decriminalize it for people who already have ramps on their properties.”
Apr 5, 2015 | Activism, CASE News, Events, Skateparks
Come join us on Saturday, April 11th as we clean up Millennium skatepark! Bring a broom and dustpan if you can. Work gloves are recommended. We will have some TLC Kits on hand from City of Calgary Parks.
If you’re skating Millennium that day, please be courteous to those who are cleaning up and give them some space.
