Why Do Skaters Get Annoyed With Scooters in the Park
The main reason is that kids on scooters often don’t pay attention and cause accidents, often from doing forever runs or snaking. It’s easy to jump right in without learning the skatepark etiquette and spatial awareness in the park that keeps everyone safe. Not just kids, but some parents forget to supervise their kids or teach them the foundations of a conscious rider.
It’s Not Just Scooter Kids, But Scootering as a Sport
For context, it’s common knowledge that skateboarders have a lack of respect for their fellow skatepark shredders. It’s complicated but similar to how roller bladers used to get beef back in the day.
Skaters are apart of an exclusive club that has battled with learning an extreme sport with a high level of difficulty. That respect often falls flat for park riders on scooters due to its lower barrier to start and learn tricks.
8 Reasons Skateboarders Should Stop The Scooter Hate
Eventually, the hope is that kids and teens will drop their training handles and evolve into full fledge skateboarders. Until that happens, here are a few reasons skateboarders should appreciate scootering!
- Scootering starts them out on wheels very young. You have to crawl before you can walk, and you can start out on a scooter before you can skate. Toddlers can start pushing and riding way before they can skate!
- As toddlers gain confidence, they can advance from 3 wheel scooter to 2 – drop a training wheel. The trend of losing the handles as they gain balance and confidence for the next level. You gotta start somewhere!
- Teaches you how to push. Learning some basics that will benefit future skateboarders, and mastering one foot on the deck and one pushing is essential.
- Practice riding ramps, pumping, going up and down transition. Gaining speed, flowing through bowls, and boosting off quarters will translate nicely to skateboarding once mastered on a scooter.
- Getting into scootering means exposure to skatepark culture and awareness of the skate culture as a whole. That unique culture isn’t in mainstream tv, sports, and common places kids have exposure to.
- Creates nice family-friendly, diverse skateparks of all ages. Branding a park as a place for everyone, not just high schoolers, but a place for kids to ride. The kind of places cities shows respect and funding.
- More riders, more interest in skateparks, more city support for building new facilities. The world needs more skateparks!
- The family-friendly cultural profile is very different than the rebellious skate culture. Parents trusting the skatepark is a welcoming place to enjoy learning a new sport makes skateparks a more inclusive place.
- The golden rule: treat every scooter kid as if they are a future skateboarder. We skaters need to welcome them with open arms and win them over slowly. Even if scootering is a hobby they don’t grow out of, always respect everyone!