I just got my first skateboard, where should I go?
2024/05/22
Spring seems to be the season of first-time skateboarders, and one place you'll find them is the skatepark. But should they be there?
I don't want to say, "no, the skatepark isn't for you" (as long as you're riding something that doesn't have a motor). But I think you can have a better time if you go to the right place.
When first-time skateboarders go to the skatepark, I'd guess their mindset is: "I just got my first skateboard, and skateboarding is done at a skatepark. I'll go there." It's similar to "I just got ice skates, I'll go to the ice rink."
But I would think of it more like baseball. If you want to teach your kids how to play baseball, you probably start by teaching them how to throw and catch a ball. Would you go to a baseball field for this? No, I think most people would do this in their backyard, or in an open, grassy space at a park.
Similarly, when you get your first bicycle, would you go to a velodrome? No, most people learn on a quiet street, or a parking lot, or a park.
When you get your first skateboard, what you should do first is learn how to stand on the board and roll. Then learn how to push, turn, stop, etc. You want to learn all the basics. You can do this anywhere. A decently smooth parking lot is perfect. Or a smooth, empty street.
Yes, a beginner can do some things of value at a skatepark. You can roll up and down banks. You could roll up and down transition (quarter pipes). But even with these, it's essential to feel comfortable on your board.
Furthermore, if you can't turn, stop, and control your board, it can be dangerous to go to a skatepark. You need to keep yourself from colliding with others, and keep others from colliding with you. If you can't turn or stop when necessary, you're creating a danger for yourself and others.
You need to control your board, too. If you send your board rolling across a skatepark without you, it's dangerous for anyone whose path it crosses. This could even happen to you, where someone else loses their board and it rolls into you. You need to have the control to be able to avoid others' stray boards.
Long story short, my advice is to avoid skateparks until you feel very comfortable on your skateboard.