Stickers didn't get finished quite yet, I have to order the clear sticker plastic from an online store. Apparently I forgot that I live in a faraway forest, tiny island village where futuristic clear stickers are a mystery to all those who work in the four local print shops. I guess I have to sort of finish the drawing/design part. The one I've drawn has Jem hair, which I think is only cool to me.
I have two weeks off now to rest my sore bones, and really need to get some new shoes. I think my feet nearly came apart, they are so sore from jumping and running in my old pair of suede gone baggy, worn in, worn out, time softened, rounded cornered skate slippers. It is time.
Almost forgot the most interesting part of the evening! Following the lesson, there was a meeting in the youth centre attached to the park. It was full of city honchos, and the youth centre staff were putting on an open house and presenting their new programs and outreach developments within the community (and there are some awesome developments, the ladies in charge deserve props!). So near the end of the presentations, Kathie, my 'boss' sees me hovering over there by the food table in the corner, and introduces me as 'one of our casual staff and also our skateboarding instructor who is working hard to get girls into the sport'. Yay!
As if having all the eyes in the room on me wasn't enough, there were clear looks of distrust/ disdain/ disapproval on more than a few faces! I got a definite feeling that the skate park meant nothing to them, and I guess- why should it? But wow! In the meet and greet following, this vibe continued as I tried to introduce myself to the mayor and some city councillors. It occurred to me that skateboarding has a pretty bad rep here in this community, and at one time not too long ago, I would have been very proud of that. But then I started to wonder how is that image persisting, with the X-Games being on TV, and so many kids into it now; and most importantly, how will that attitude affect skateboarding's future here-what if they decide the park isn't worth the trouble? This indoor park is run by these people, they decide whether or not to repair it and/ or keep it operational. They got a really decent outdoor park built, and have a one of a kind indoor. This thing is a gem. A city run youth centre with an indoor skate park has an incredible draw. We are so lucky. Now I know that I am going to have to work to get some love for it, to keep it open and operational as well as appreciated. I have some PR to do. Great.
Here is the link to the newspaper that covered the open house. Notice that the skate park is referred to as an amenity alongside and on the same level as a ping pong table (p2). Huh?
http://www2.canada.com/comoxvalleyecho/story.html?id=d523e72a-5a4e-413b-b995-e25233b825fb
This is so much more than a ping pong table!
