As we all know, almost everything has been closed due to COVID-19 except essential businesses, and we have been encouraged to social distance. People have been advertising how they have been social distancing from walking their dog around the neighborhood to painting in a local park, one particular group has been “outed” and that is skaters. Venice skate park is notorious for its ramps and vibes, however many skaters woke up to a sandcastle thanks to the city council. It was decided that in order to “encourage” social distancing, the skate park would be filled with 37 tons of sand.
It is understandable that we need to be aware of the situation and the severity of the virus, however when is it too far? Some people are outraged that the city would spend extreme amounts of money to fill a skatepark with sand, while there are many homeless people on the boardwalk of Venice who could use that money and those resources during this pandemic.
In response to the “sandcastle”, a group of dirt bikers took to the park and made sure to post all about it. Dirt bikers were taking advantage of the sand ramps and joining the skaters to shout a big “nice try” to the city. One person tweeted “checkmate government dweebs” after shoveling large amounts of sand out of the park.
“They don’t put sand in other parks,” he told CNN. “You’re telling me you’re allowed to go to Walmart, where there’s 500 people at once, but you can’t go to the skate park where there’s only a handful of kids who want to be outside because they’ve been cooped up?”
Being inside can cause lots of stress and for many people, skating and surfing relieve that stress, but it is all being taken away. Resources should be used on more pressing matters, not stopping kids from skating.
my thoughts & some mumbo jumbo 
4 replies on “Hating the Skating”
The action sports community is definitely taking a hit due to coronavirus. As you said, many people rely on surfing or skating to “relieve stress”. I think it could be taken even further. Surfing and skating is a crutch on which an entire community rests. Coping with difficult life events, mental illnesses, and boredom is not an easy task. Since the 50’s, people have been turning towards surfing or skating to distract themselves from unpleasantness.
That being said, everyone is suffering in one way or another at the moment. Action sports enthusiasts will push through.
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I think this an interesting phenomenon I have seen during lockdown throughout the country, specifically in California. Venice closes skateparks, but beaches in OC are still open? It is confusing to me why outdoor activities where people do not congregate (surfing, skating, skiing) cannot remain open with limitations. Then CNN quote is particularly insightful, you come much closer to others inside these stores than you would engaging in any one of the activities listed above, and I think they are a great way to escape from our homes and interact with others, all while being safe. It will be interesting to see if and when these places reopen, but I would put them at the top of the list.
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Hi Molly! I definitely agree that staying inside for such a long period can cause a lot of stress. A skating park no doubt has less people than a grocery store so I understand your concern on why it is being filled with sand. My guess is that the government doesn’t think it is a necessity and has basically closed down everything that isn’t serving food. Beaches are closing and protests arise. Although I am upset about the situation, I also understand why the severity of the virus has caused the state to close the beaches. In my opinion I think there was not much reason to close the beach because people can still be 6 feet apart at the beach and practice social distancing. However, I don’t think protests are a good solution to this problem because there is a deadly virus that is highly contagious at this time. I totally agree that resources should be used on more pressing matters during this pandemic.
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Molly this post is so funny to me. Immediately I knew that people would just remove the sand after reading the first couple of lines. I agree, and think it’s absolutely ridiculous they would spend so much money on sand when there is such a large homeless population at Venice. Living in LA, I know that there will always be a large amount of people at Venice, and it’s laughable that people really thought it would change overnight because of some sand. I feel sad for the kids that have difficult lives at home, and use the skate park as an escape.
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