Skate Park Negatives

The Skate Park is one of my fav places to go and have fun, but despite the all the positivity at the Skate Park the worst thing at the park is when a bunch of "wanna be" gangsters roll up into the park with their pants sagging and large t-shirts that cover their knees.  They usually come about 10 people deep because they do not contain any self defense or offensive methods so they use the element of numbers to intimidate a foe. For example about 3 years ago I was having a late night skate session and in the corner of my ear i hear a terrifying screech of intense pain, as I get close enough to see I caught a mob of guys beating a skater with his own skateboard. Back up was coming so I decided to help him as I ran over pulling the guys off of the skater. The situation ended with a few bikers chasing the punks down the street and the ambulance taking the victim to the hospital.

Unit 2

"Park History" louisvilleky.gov. n.d.

This article is about the history of the Louisville Skate park/ Extreme Park.  It explains how the park came to be, the established date, what precautions that were taken post due to the skate park being made,  and the opening of the Louisville KY Skate park.  The Author of the article is unknown but it was posted by the louisivlle.gov website.  Since this is only the history of the Louisville Skate park it has no voice yet, I managed to pull somewhat of a quote out of the text. "Local government officials recognized the need for a place where children and young professionals could practice their skills without disrupting business."  I believe this quote works with my piece because that is where the skate park originated from, ideas, and people thoughts about the youth which is amazing.  The skate park has brought a lot of people together over the 9 years it has been up and running. 

I could use this text in further research but, the text definitely has some room for updating. I cant tell when the text was posted but a lot has happened in the 9 years it has opened for example: the Skate parks bathrooms are closed and when the park first opened they weren’t done remodeling the main bowl section, and I don’t know if anyone else cares but I would like to know where the advertisement for the public input sessions about the park in 2000 were aired at (lol I was only 9 at the time). I still think its some useful information.

Unit 2 Part II

Wolfe, Bill  "Louisville Extreme Park: A Playground for Daredevils." hellolouisville.com. n.d. Web  May 31, 2010

This article is a summary of the Louisville Skate/Extreme Park.  The author is a local journalist who has attend a few competitions at the Skate Park and he claims that its a "Playground for Daredevils". Quote Bill Wolfe "Skaters, skateboarders and cyclists use the Louisville Extreme Park at their own risk and are required to wear protective helmets. No smoking, drinking, drugs or food are permitted within the park’s fenced skating area." A law that isnt enforced any more, I guess you could say, and it look passed because first off no one wears helmets unless you are doing 8 feet and over bowls, (those are were most of the injuries prolong at), second people sell drinks and food to the skaters for profit and the nearby skateshop is usually closed. Personally it whatever goes at the Skate Park, they even provide you with an emergency button (that I have accidentally ran into before). I dont know if it absolutly works but its there.

I could definitely put this as important information in my article because  there are government rules but, they are not enforced which paradoxes to jay walking I guess. And in this article Wolfe was pretty much on point about all his facts. I would like for him to explain that there are 2 sets of stairs (i dont know if they are neccesarily there for skateboarding) but they are there and should be in the description of the park, due to the fact that many skaters and myself have done various tricks down the stairs.

Sources

With the sources found, I was planning on using them to both enhance and explain more in depth about my place.  By providing more history, different view points of people who have visited my place; what they thought about it, the scene around my place, is my place beginner friendly, ect.  Also, I really wanted to integrate rules and different policies my place offers and which ones get followed and which ones get passed by.

Intaglios

Page 504 in section 2 parts 30-33. This was my favorite part because he explains from the ground the constructor of the horse made a vivid image of the horse but when he glanced at the aerial photo he noticed how crudely crafted the horse was. The horse was also created on ground so hard only a few ocotillo cactus were living, and no matter how large it is you could easily walk past it so it doesn't need fences or plaques so it wont be disturbed by vandalism.  Also I like how he said, he thought, the image was meant to be seen on the ground and not by the gods, but to be seen by the shadows and light from above on the ground.

My Cave and Ascension

One of the most caved in time of my life was in high school.  I went to Louisville Male High School.  In the high school I went to drama, smoking, doing drugs and reality shows were the fancy of the majority of people in Male's cave.  I myself weren't into those activities and I did not fit in very well.  In my spare time on the weekends instead of going to parties I went skateboarding with my younger brother and my friends, also I kept up with music, styles, and trends in other states and countries (things you couldnt find watching television). I would return to school telling others about the progress other cities were making.  Many times I tried to make a bboy club at my school but I got NOGAFed (No One Gives A F**k) many times and I never got enough people to be interested and join my club. At the end of my Junior year of high school I traveled with my friends to Chicago to my first bboy jam (a competition for hip hop dancers) and when I returned home i spread the news about all the new things I saw and how everything was changing and how Louisville is behind. People still didnt care and I just did me. Finally I reach college and make an RSO (Recognized Student Organization) for dancing spreading the love of Hip Hop.
The place i choose can be considered and ascension b/c the Skate Park is a place where all kinds of people join together and meet. Bikers, bladers, skaters, and the list goes on. 

The Allegory of the Cave

Yes, I am on the side of Socrates.  "Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything" (a splice off of the original quote) in most cases people who are poor and dont experience life as "they do" appreciate the smaller things in life depending on the person. For example I am born and rasied in what Louisville calls the "ghetto" and the "hood" of Metro Louisville. I do admit a large amount of people here do appreciate the small things in life and they hope for the better for their children and the youth of the West End (the area where i live) in a way it resembles the cave because we see shootings and horrible crime on a daily basis.