Sarah Gore has asked all of us... that is, skaters from both Indianapolis (and, surrounding areas), as well as skaters from the state of Indiana (and beyond) for "Letters Of Support" for a new skatepark in Indianapolis. Wanna help?! Just follow our lead, and write one of your own!
Whatever you do, your letter should be well-spelled, well-written, and... maybe, most importantly... sincere. We went all-out for "sincerity", as you can see! Have a look:
"Dir Sirs and Ma'ams:
Hello there! My name is Bud Stratford. I am a 37-year-old skateboarder that uses the "current" Indianapolis skatepark… that would be, Major Taylor…at least once a week. I'm sure that "37-year-old-skater" sounds a bit odd. You probably don't hear that, every day. Fortunately for me, I also happen to belong to a 20-or-so-member skateboard club, that is entirely made up of 30-something-year-old-skaters. So, it's not as "uncommon" as you might like to think.
I would probably use Major Taylor more often, if I weren't always on the road every weekend, skating at other area skateparks with "The Crew" (Terre Haute, Greencastle, Louisville, Carmel, Noblesville, etc…). We may be old, but we still get around. Right along with our wives, and the kids…
Obviously: As a skateboarder, I wholeheartedlysupport a new skatepark in Indianapolis. I would actually support several skateparks in Indianapolis, if I thought that Indianapolis would build as many as I'd like. If there's anything that I could get happy about paying taxes toward, it would be "more skateparks".
The way I see it, having a quality skatepark that I like to spend my days at, is a "quality of life" issue. My life is a heck of a lot more "quality", when I'm out skateboarding. That's why I keep doing it, long after my "grow-up-by" date has come and gone. It's fun, it's good exercise, and it sure beats watching Lifetime movies while I'm running in place at the stupid gym. It's fresh air, and it's good times. It's good for me, and it keeps me feeling a lot younger than I really am. Life is grand, what more could a guy ask for…?
"A Place To Do It". That's all I need. A skatepark. To skate at…
Skateboarding is good for kids, for the same reasons. As a kid, I got into a little trouble. "Skateboarding" is synonymous with "trouble", for most citizens. Especially when you're doing it on their property. However: As a kid, I surely could have gotten into a hell of a lot more "trouble", if I weren't constantly "wasting" my time learning tricks, or figuring out how to not kill myself on these beastly contraptions. They're certainly a challenge, that's for sure. Challenges, of course, are also super-good for kids. They keep kids occupied, and tires them out. And, as we all know: "A Tired Kid, is a Good Kid"…
Skateboarding is currently one of the fastest-growing "sports" in America. Well, of course, we can all see why: Because, skateboarding rules! Anyone can see that. Well: All of those kids… and, adults… will need places to go, and skate. If not here in Indy, at our local skateboard park… then, where? As it sits, we... the "older" skaters of Indianapolis... drive for hours every weekend, to take our kids out of town, and spend our hard-earned dollars elsewhere. Why, you ask? Simply put: They have better, and less crowded, skateparks! Major Taylor is a great park, don't get me wrong. But, there are days (like, on any weekend day, for starters...) where you can't even see your own toes through the massive throngs of skaters. So: We go elsewhere. It's that simple.
But: If we had the choice, we'd probably opt to stay closer to home.
I think that pretty much covers it. Thanks so much for listening,
Sincerely yours,
Bud Stratford
Old, fat, and balding skater (That does pay taxes, though…!)"
Yeah. Something like that...
Maybe I should have sent a pic along, just to show that I'm not the only crazy, 30-something-year-old-skater in Indianapolis...?! Bart was asking me about this photo, just last weekend. Bart?! This one's for you!*
* And, your handful of nads there...! What were you thinking?!?!
