Skateboarding and Reading

I have just read the article http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/650705/skateboarding-and-reading-coming-together/ about getting skateboarders more involved with reading,

These kinds of organizations and events are what are improving what people see in the skating community. When parents see that skateboarders that their kids look up to, are making an attempt to get them involved with reading makes them see that skating isn't all about what they think. When these kinds of events take place and are exposed in the news it will help increase the population of the skating community because when kids are trying to discover new hobbies their parents aren't trying to push them away from skating because they feel like it is a bad influence.

Skate and Destroy Riot

I have just read this article on the Skate and Destroy Riot that had occurred a few months ago in Hollywood,

http://xgames.espn.go.com/skateboarding/article/8505207/lapd-riot-squad-surrounds-bake-destroy-video-premiere-hollywood-calif

This article shows why skateboarders have gotten such a bad reputation for being wild crazy people who have no remorse for the other skaters who make an attempt to make a positive lasting impact on our community. Skaters have never had the best reputation for being good civil members of society, but some of us have made an attempt to change what people have thought about that, but when events such as this riot occur it completely overturns the attempts for change that the others have made. I think that these people who started this riot need to take a second to think about why people look down on the skateboard culture so much and how their actions have destroyed the actions that the others have made.

Tony Hawk's Charitable Efforts

I have recently read this interview of Tony Hawk about his Charitable efforts,

http://www.looktothestars.org/news/9700-exclusive-interview-tony-hawk-talks-charity-and-operation-smile


I feel that this interview really shows the better side of the skateboard community and how not all skaters are these aggro driven maniacs that have no respect for their surroundings. Tony Hawk is one of the leading figures of skateboarding and it is great to see that he is making an attempt to make a lasting effect on not only the skateboard culture and society but our world in general. When he started the Tony Hawk foundation it served as a larger power to help gain support for skaters to build new skate parks and other skateboarding facilities and events. All in all I think that Tony Hawk is a great leader for the skateboard culture and the skaters that give us a bad name should look up to him and make an attempt to follow in his footsteps.

Police Cite Teen Skateboarder

I have just read an article about a teen skateboarder in Oak Creek that was cited for skateboarding,

http://oakcreek.patch.com/articles/police-cite-teenager-skateboarding-down-howell-avenue

 I think that it was a little strange that the man was skating outside so late at night and that the cop did the right thing to pull him over for suspicious activity, because it isn't normal to be out skating that late at night. I believe that the man made a very bad decision to get in an argument with the officer  and he is giving the world a bad outlook on the skating community making everyone think that we have no respect for the law or our surroundings when really it is just a small few who do these sort of acts. I find it to be outrageous how these few people wonder why a majority of people look down on the skating community when they pull off stunts like this. It is just baffling to me.