People-Watching at Stamford Skatepark

The Scalzi Skatepark closes for the season around Thanksgiving, so go check it out if you haven't yet done so.

It's fun to sit and watch the older (I mean, over 18) dudes do cool tricks, and the younger ones (like, 8, 11) try out their moves in the little bowl. You do sort of feel like a stalker just sitting there, but unless you really are a stalker, I wouldn't worry about it. There are skaters of all ages, from 4- 45, so it's great people-watching. Cove Island Park and Capriccio's outdoor eating area are other ideal people-watching spots while the weather is still decent.

This pic is from Bill Helene, one of the guys on the second half of that age continuum. He's regional director of Skaters for Public Skateparks. You'll often find him at Scalzi Park (location of the Stamford skatepark), skating, taking photos, and in general being a calming presence. (At least I feel better when other people closer to my age- 33*- are around.) Bill is also a photographer and has some great shots of the Stamford skatepark in progress.

You can read more about skateboarding in Stamford under my "Skateboarding" tab.

Related Stamford Talk post:
--Oct 2007-- Fall: Last Days of Outdoor Dining

*I know, can you believe I'm 33? I don't look a day over 29. Click here to read more.

Mellow Stamford Skateboarding Video

I'm mentally wiped right now, so I'll just link you to an upbeat skateboarding video by Scott Frosch that put a smile on my face. "I feel like Jonah in the belly of the whale..." or whatever the song in the video said. The video was filmed at our very own Stamford skatepark, and it shows off just how spectacular that big bowl is. Scott's a pro, so this a good quality video, not a crappy youtube one! Go all the way to the end of Scott's video to see some wipeouts.

Scalzi is smack in the middle of Stamford, right near the Bed Bath Beyond shopping complex on Summer, so swing by one evening while the weather's still warm and check out the skating. Read all about local skateboarding under the Skateboarding tab. You won't regret it.

In the photo above (taken by Scott, or was it PDA?), you see of my favorite skaters to watch at Scalzi. I like watching other people things do I'm too scared/lazy/apathetic/rickety to do. Click here to read more.

Stamford Skatepark: Organized and Online

Forget the cherry trees. So far, the skatepark is one of the most interesting subjects I’ve found in Stamford. It has an active online community and a nice website. There are great pics and gossip on the chatboard. And, they have t-shirts, but keep your hands off, because I am trying to score one of the last few smalls left.

The chatboard is good reading. Some threads offer insight into Stamford politics, like this one about the budget surplus, or another that wonders why the Advocate didn’t mention the park on opening day.

There’s a thread about whether or not the new skatepark manager will enforce the helmet rule, and another one in which the manager herself posts and starts a discussion about helmets and park access. I like to show off Stamford, so I liked the thread about why Stamford rejected hosting a national skateboarding event.

The skateboard site is one of the few true community sites I’ve found. It’s a place where people discuss interesting things on a regular basis and make things happen, whether it’s a skateboarding expo or a BBQ (last Sunday). I think we are building some community here with Stamford Talk and the other kickass blogs in my blogroll, so let’s keep this shit up. Maybe we can be as intense as the skaters or even join forces. (More later on why the Advocate’s new comments system fails miserably in any attempt to build community, but here’s my rough draft about it.)

One other fabulous thing about the Skatepark is that a couple of the guys are photogs/videographers. Bill Helene is regional director of Skaters for Public Skateparks (see their cool site) and has hundreds of pictures of the skatepark at photobucket. Just click on the album titles to the left to see recent ones from Stamford. The pic at the top of the post is from Bill's April 6 album. He has tons more artful pics, but I liked this one because you see Stamford in the background and get a sense of the size of the park.

Scott Frosch, a video producer from Norwalk, has pictures at his blog Frosch-Frog (dude, are you French?) and in one post mentioned doing a documentary on the skatepark, which I think is a superb idea. He also has a hilarious spoof video on American Idol/horror movies called "Sparks" up at vimeo. It's much higher quality than youtube, and made me laugh out loud. "No, I'm not crying. I've just got something in my eye."

If you haven’t done so yet, go take a look at the park. There are benches inside the fence you can sit on. You can drive your car up, park easily, watch for a few minutes, and hit the road. It’s not an involved procedure. I'm lucky because I am a woman and we don't look as pedophile-y as a single man sitting on a bench. One of the many good things about being a woman! We can get away with so much more. Click here to read more.

Scalzi: Skateboarding and Pistol-Whipping :(

My reaction to the Advocate article about 2 men getting robbed and pistol-whipped in Scalzi Park at 9pm on Wednesday: What the EFF, Stamford!

Mental note: do not go to Scalzi Park at night! Is it really deserted there or something?

I feel very safe at Cove Island Beach Park because it's very busy. Reminder to self: go to 888 Wash with $20 to get my beach sticker. You used to be able to get it at the ice rink at Cove, but now you can't. Go to the Government Center.

Ugh. Whatever, Stamford, whatever. You disappoint me sometimes. Freakin' pistol-whipped on a Wednesday night? F that.

Here's maybe a terrible thought that I'm going to share, because I'm honest. I thought, "This better be another case of young people-on-young-people crime, like the mall, or I am freakin' scared." Maybe that's bad to say, but I'm just trying to tell myself that would never happen to me. I'm not young.

Sk8ers, help me out! What is going on at Scalzi?
Are there lights at night?

What the heck? Another post with the label "Crime?"
I need to stop reading the newspapers. Click here to read more.

Do You Know the Adult Male Sk8boarder?

Specifically, the one who brazenly swerved into our lane on Bedford St. tonight? I know he's not the same adult male sk8boarder who I accidentally featured on the blog in August. This man had reddish hair and was wearing no helmet. He was skateboarding head on into speeding traffic, so I assume I'm not the only one who has ever noticed this man. Maybe I'll run into him at the Stamford Skate Park.

As the weather is getting nice, you must head down to the Stamford Skate Park at Scalzi Park. It's on Bridge Street, just across from the Ridgeway shopping center, aka, parking lot hell. Buy your Party City/Stop and Shop/Old Navy, then go watch the sk8ers do their fancy leaps and spins. There are lots of teenage boys, but a few adult skaters and many younger skaters who either watch or try their own little moves. I loved it when there was a 7-year-old waiting beside the big boys for his turn on the little bowl. The Stamford Skate Park has a nice website with videos and pics. There are also awesome photos of the park being built. My favorites are of guys (not teenage boys) skating on the unfinished bowls in the midst of construction. The city has diagrams like the one above.

I am proud to be in a city that spends cash on something very cool, and something that young men can do that does not involve alcohol or spending money or video games. I know that makes taxpayers mad, but people have to have fun in life. If you spend a few extra bucks for some kids to have wholesome fun, well, it pays off when they aren't all up in your beeswax at the mall.

--You can read my personal narrative about visiting the Skate Park in Sept in "Sk8 Park Report."
--You can check out actual Youtube footage of the Skate Park in an Aug 31 post, "Stamford Skate Park Looks Cool." That's where you can meet another adult male skateboarder who I think is probably a more responsible skater than the redhead.

Back to the red-headed adult sk8boarder: we also saw him an hour earlier on the way to dinner. That was on Summer St., and we were going slowly, and that's when I was close enough to see his reddish-brown hair. This man wants to be seen. Nothing wrong with that, but like, stay out of my lane when I'm driving straight at you at 50 mph. Click here to read more.

Sk8 Park Report

SCOOP: Scalzi Park has tennis courts, a baseball diamond and a skate park, which makes for good people watching.
MY TAKE: We checked out the skate park on Saturday. It was busy. There's a big bowl for advanced skaters (the video in my earlier sk8 park entry), a small bowl to practice in, and an area with a railing, steps, and raised surfaces where skaters perfect the threatening moves they do in front of public buildings. That's why the skate park is good: they can practice freely, and we're not mowed down. The kids were polite and cooperative, with minimal cursing. There was only one girl, and only one skater looked over 21. Observers sat on benches. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. I myself couldn't relax, because not all kids wear helmets. They skate along the edge of the big bowl to get to the other side of the park, and that big bowl is steep. I might not go back.
On the way out, I noticed a tiny kid standing with the big boys on the edge of the small bowl. He looked, max, 7 years old. I worried a heavier kid might smush him, but he stood confidently and watchfully beside boys twice his size, waiting his turn. What an eager little face. As we drove out of the park, I saw a bunch of 8 year olds running suicides. I think it was a football team. I liked that the team was a mix of black and white kids, and that one coach was white and one was black. I don't see many racially diverse groups in Stamford. If you do, tell me.
VERDICT: Get lunch and eat it outdoors at Scalzi. It's on Bridge street, near the Ridgeway Shopping Center. Click here to read more.

Stamford Skate Park Looks Cool

SCOOP: There's a skate park that opened this summer in Scalzi Park. The park opens at 8 every day and closes at sunset. A Scalzi Park employee monitors it after 4 pm.
MY TAKE: This video is short, but it shows how when there are many skaters, they wait patiently and take turns. The guy in the video is average. If you want to see a kid who is REALLY good, go to this link on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Ymne648-U
It's called "stamford skatepark" by skate 1423 if you have trouble finding it. The dog in the video cracks me up.
VERDICT: The park is on Bridge St. , and it looks like it would be fun to watch the skaters on the weekend or after work.

Click here to read more.