Background Information

I. Background Information

Figure 1-1 One of the many signs banning the act of skateboarding in Dover Township.

Imagine coming to your favorite tennis court to play some quality tennis with your friends, and you suddenly notice a sign that says: Tennis Prohibited by Law. Imagine going to your local baseball field and coming across a sign stating: No Baseball Allowed. Sounds ridiculous, right? However, this is a very real problem that faces skateboarders of Dover Township everyday, as evident in Figure 1-1. Everyday, skaters are constantly being harassed, hassled and even arrested for doing something that they love. And what, you might ask, is the major cause of all this trouble with skateboarders? Well, all of these problems stem from one pressing fact: Dover township’s lack of a nice, fun-filled environment for its citizens to skateboard. It is just that a local skate park be constructed in Dover Township.

Figure 1-2 Skateboarder enjoying the ramps of a concrete skatepark.

Dover Township is a district of New Jersey that is of significant proportions. Today, there are three high schools, three intermediate schools, thirteen elementary schools, ten parks, twenty-two basketball courts, forty tennis courts, thirty -five baseball fields, and over sixty soccer fields located in Dover Township. However, nowhere is there to be found a single skate park. Skateboarding’s popularity has exploded over the past few years, especially in the United States. Many recent marketing studies show that skateboarding is growing more and more popular with kids; and basketball, baseball, and football losing the younger audience. And Dover Township is no exception to this. Over fifty percent of Dover Township’s teen population skateboards, which seems reason alone to construct a skate park.
Not having a skate park in Dover Township is extremely unfair to the innocent skateboarders as well. Many people complain that skateboarders are ruining public property and destroying the town, but this is just not true. Skateboarders are indirectly being forced to skate in areas where they are not wanted. For you see, there is nowhere else to turn. Because Dover Township does not have a skate park, skateboarder’s resort to doing what they love wherever they can, whether it is down stairs, or down a curb. And because of this, skateboarders have gained a reputation for being “hoodlums” with no regard for public property. As you can clearly see, these accusations are erroneous, and all of these problems could simply be avoided if a skate park were to be constructed.

Figure 1-3 Professional skateboarder Corey Duffel showing off his wounds.

Lastly, a local skate park would provide a good, clean, safe area for children to skateboard and have fun with their friends. I’m sure that you would prefer your kids hanging out at the local skate park, rather than skating behind stores or on busy highways, or sneaking around illegally and getting into all sorts of trouble. A skate park will also minimize the risk of injury that threatens skaters, such as those seen in Figure 1-3. The universal rule requiring helmets to been worn at skate parks keeps kids much safer than if they were jumping down a flight of stairs with no protection whatsoever. In addition, skateboarding is a healthy form of exercise and an easy way to keep kids in shape and active, and can help combat with the wave of obesity that has recently swept over the United States. As you can see, a skate park seems to hold all of the answers we seek.

Figure 1-4 Future site of Toms River Skateboard Park, located at Shelter Cove.

All in all, it would be extremely beneficial to construct a skate park in Dover Township. It would provide a clean, fun-filled and safe environment for the overwhelming population of skate boarders of Dover Township to do what they love. In addition, it would help cope with the unfair prejudice that is imposed upon all skateboarders. Some might say that a skate park would be too expensive and costly to maintain. However, a small yearly member ship fee could be imposed to help with these everyday expenditures. The basic question that you have to ask yourself is: are you tired of today’s youth, your own kids, constantly getting into trouble and mixed up in things they shouldn’t be? Therefore, I plan to design and model a skatepark that fits the needs of Dover Township.