Dedicated to providing the information necessary to ensure safe, rewarding, freely-accessible skateparks are available to all skateboarders. http://www.skatepark.org 2009-07-02T21:23:52+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/images/M_images/SPS_logo.png text/html 2009-05-21T23:00:09+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/sps-2009-summit-recap.html SPS Volunteers met in Portland, Oregon this year to review the past year's efforts and plan for the future. SPS Volunteers met in Portland, Oregon this year to review the past year's efforts and plan for the future. Every May, Skaters for Public Skateparks volunteers meet for a weekend of skateboarding, planning, and to provide others with updates on their local efforts. Since 2004 these Summits have been held in cities that have shown support for their skateboarding citizens. This year... text/html 2009-03-01T20:03:54+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/the-book-for-skateboarding-education.html Skateboarding: Instruction, Programming, and Park Design (http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?isbn=9780736074261) . Published in January 2009 by Human Kinetics (http://www.humankinetics.com/products/showproduct.cfm?isbn=9780736074261) , Skateboarding takes readers from rudimentary parts of a skateboarding through to forms and fundamental trick progressions. There's an exploration of skateboarding terrain and policy as well for those skatepark geeks out there. At its core, however, this book helps demystify skateboarding for educators and Parks officials. When skatepark activists are asked what they should do with the park after it's open, this is... text/html 2008-02-14T11:36:04+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/faqs/sps-positions/we-need-a-skatepark-where-do-we-begin.html Whether you’re a community activist or facing a passionate group of constituents, you recognize that skateboarders in your area need safe places to recreate. What you do with that knowledge could mean the difference between a incredible new facility that the community is proud of or something that falls far short of that. Going into the skatepark development process with a good grasp of the kinds of decisions you will be making is the most important—and for many the most elusive—part of planning for success. As a community... text/html 2008-12-17T10:14:47+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/2008-sps-annual-recap.html 2008 was a big year for Skaters for Public Skateparks. Across the nation skateparks are being built in record numbers as communities realize the long-term economic and social value of these facilities and SPS had an instrumental role in many of them through its network of regional advocates, presence at trade conventions, and printed and online literature. The year also saw some challenges as shrinking municipal budgets continue to strain upcoming plans for capital improvements. Although in the scope of... text/html 2008-12-07T12:49:15+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/lessons-in-flow.html New Oslo Opera was inspired by and intended for skateboarding. Skaters have always been more sensitive to architectural form than your average city-dweller. Finally it appears that architects are picking up on skaters' desires and creating forms that are intentionally interactive. It has been no secret to urban planners that successful public spaces require public participation, and few groups are more participatory than skateboarders. Architects are learning that by creating forms that attract skaters they can immediately activate a space like never before. Wired Magazine recently covered this... text/html 2008-10-18T22:52:28+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/the-nederland-story.html Nederland's Nathan Lazarus Skatepark is on the verge of opening, after five years of effort. I've attempted to distill some of what we learned through the advocacy process in hopes that others can learn from our successes and from our mistakes. Our experience is probably most applicable to small communities (Nederland's population is around 1,500). Nederland's skateboarders worked hard to stay in the community's eye. Seasoned advocates catalog their participation whenever they local teens are engaged in the project. Beginnings Nederland can be a great place to live, but let’s... text/html 2008-09-27T10:36:48+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/skateboarding-in-afghanistan.html check out their site (http://skateistan.org/) and support them (http://skateistan.org/how-you-can-help/) in whatever way you’re able. text/html 2008-09-06T11:27:27+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/visit-us-in-baltimore.html Great skateparks are within our grasp. Skaters for Public Skateparks will be partnered up with the NRPA Expo (http://www.nrpacongress.org/) is where people who make decisions about parks come to expand their understanding and learn about new products and services. It’s a great opportunity for SPS, IASC, and the THF to promote best practices in skatepark development. This will be the third consecutive year that SPS has exhibited at the NRPA Expo with IASC and the THF. NRPA Expo Baltimore... text/html 2008-07-12T12:23:12+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/what-s-wrong-with-this-picture.html It's not every day you see an overweight kid on a skateboard. The TIME magazine cover from June 23, 2008 illustrates this perfectly with their special report on youth obesity. While the article doesn't address the health aspects of skateboarding specifically, it surveys the overall health of American youth. The bottom line is that one-third of American kids are overweight. It's a problem we need to address today. Skateboarding remains one of the nation's most popular activities among kids and... text/html 2008-05-25T15:23:35+01:00 http://www.skatepark.org http://www.skatepark.org/news/latest/2008-sps-summit-recap.html Read more... (2008-summit-recap.html)