Awkward Situations at the Skatepark

[Happy, sorry]

Slap is looking more and more like a lost connections page every day

[Genericwhitemale]

a guy who bullied me in high school was at the park. Can't say everything but involved making fun of his weight, calling his scooter sons  "f-----s", and one of us flipping open a butterfly knife.

[lampshade]

WHen kids you don't know are constantly asking you to buy them beer and cigs.  There is a 7-11 across the street from the park.  I never do.

[fredgallSOTY]

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ive crashed into the same scooter kid on accident at least 12 times

[close]

I've had some of the most awkward collisions with scooter kids and little kids on bikes I'm always so embarrassed. It always seems to be me who does it.

That said, i don't get mad or laugh it off i always try and make contact with the parent and apologize to both them and the kid regardless of fault.

same here im moreso just bummed that it keeps happening lol. always awkward and weird. it would be easier if i was a dick

[Sedition]

You know when you joke around with guys at the park about how old you are, then you realize they think you're 15 years younger than you actually are?

This is real.

[trash]

a guy who bullied me in high school was at the park. Can't say everything but involved making fun of his weight, calling his scooter sons  "f-----s", and one of us flipping open a butterfly knife.

No wonder you got bullied. Surprised someone in your crew didn't pull out their nunchucks

[Cranberry Relish]

I collided with a kid at the park and put my hands out brace myself for impact and my hand went right into his crotch and smashed his balls.  He went down crying and I felt bad and just left after trying to apologize.

[TheFandangler]

I'm usually pretty methodical about my warm-up. If I'm skating the ledge I will usually go through all my basics in some kind of an order, and I usually have to get them all before I can move into other tricks I am not as comfortable with.

So with that in mind, it's always awkward when I get to the park and someone is working really hard on one of my warm-up tricks. Definitely don't want to show anybody up, but it kind of sucks when you just want to get that trick and move on. I usually just tell myself that nobody owns fs 5-0s and it's too basic of a trick to get butthurt over someone doing it before you. But I usually wait until that person has landed it or stopped trying anyway.

[Silky Johnson]

I like the compliments, it's either "oh this? this is nothing to me" or just being grateful for landing something difficult and someone giving you props for it. Although I usually just say thanks and keep quiet for the rest of the time, no need to brag about how good you're feeling at the moment.

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I slipped out and broke a roller blader's flood light he had directly in front of a ledge I always skate. I told him "yeah, someone over waxed the ledge" knowing him and his crew go around and cake everything with paraffin before their sessions. I skated away awkwardly

[close]

any time those dudes show up they overwax everything and then proceed to slam so hard they look like charlie brown getting hit by the baseball in peanuts

i don’t think these concepts are unrelated

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Reminded me of this story.

so good 

[Genericwhitemale]

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a guy who bullied me in high school was at the park. Can't say everything but involved making fun of his weight, calling his scooter sons  "f-----s", and one of us flipping open a butterfly knife.

[close]

No wonder you got bullied. Surprised someone in your crew didn't pull our their nunchucks

Didn't say I flipped it open, i said one of us. i did feel bad about saying shit to his kids tho. Tables had to turn eventually right?

[Gary Bucket]

Most awkward thing that’s ever happened to me at a park has been seeing the same crew, becoming friendly with them, learning their names and building a rapport of mutual respect. Getting snaked, kids going crazy with the wax, seeing hijinx has seemed “normal”

[Gene_Harrogate]

I try to get to the park as early as possible before it starts filling up.  I got there one morning and before I even stepped foot on my board for the first time, some guy pulls in and walks up to me carrying this great big cruiser board.  He introduces himself with this huge grin on his face and tells me he built this board and wanted to know if I'd test it out and critique it for him.  This was before shaped boards were popular again and I was skating like a 7.75 at the time, this thing was easily 10" and had a big dragon graphic on it and looked like it had never been skated before.  I remember not wanting to, but not wanting to be a dick I agreed and did a quick run through the park. I brought it back to him and he asked me what I thought about it and I was just like "uh yeah it feels pretty good" a couple more basic questions and he just says "Okay, thanks!" Picked up the board and walked back to his car and drove off, never setting foot on it himself.  The whole interaction lasted between 5 and 10 minutes.  To top it all off, once he was gone I hopped on my board and started the same line I did on his and slipped out and busted my hip so bad I had to leave.

[Lorem_Ipsum]

I collided with a kid at the park and put my hands out brace myself for impact and my hand went right into his crotch and smashed his balls.  He went down crying and I felt bad and just left after trying to apologize.

This one is winning so far for me. Sorry about your hand

[Fooj]

I'm too stupid to remember the order in which people are skating the box, so I'm always in those situations where I have to point to someone to signal them to go before me. Usually ends in a stand off where we exchange points from opposite sides of the park 2 or 3 times. Then sometimes they're too nice and insist that I go, but Im out of shape and out of breath so I have to signal AGAIN that its their turn.

this hits home haha i hate this situation but it happens to me all the time

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Hmm probably the two large breasted and bra-less 15 year old girls that I see whenever I skate Grant Park on the weekends.

[Eric Dolphy]

This family had brought their kids to the skatepark instead of the playground 30metres away, three girls running around playing tag, and a boy on a mountain bike. So this kid, about 13yo but bigger than me, is coming down a bank on the bike, sees his sister and changes direction without looking where he's going, and completely takes me out. Haematoma on my hip, fingers bent back from his handle bars, permanent scar on my forearm. I get up and I'm checking he's ok, and his parents run over and start yelling at him, apologising to me and I'm like no, it's not his fault, it's your fault for bringing kids to a skate park to play tag on a mountain bike. They ignored everything i say, just kept blaming the boy and dragging him away.
I saw him about an hour later and asked if he was ok, he couldn't even look at me. I felt terrible, I'm pretty sure they beat his ass

[Silky Johnson]

Hmm probably the two large breasted and bra-less 15 year old girls that I see whenever I skate Grant Park on the weekends.

[DCLOVE]

A scooter kid hurt himself and left the park crying. A few minutes later, his dad comes up to yell at my friend and I for not watching him. We were 14 or 15 year old kids at the time and didn’t know the kid. We responded with shit like, “he’s your kid, why aren’t you watching him?” and if he wants a babysitter he should pay us. Dude left after yelling some more and threatened to call the cops. Cops never came...

This kinda shit kills me as an adult cause I wanna help when kids get fucked up but parents are insane now and any small interaction with a child could lead to untoward accusations So I’ll just watch kids bleed out as I awkwardly skirt by then to get to the ledge .

[Mcidraque]

Has to be some good opinions on here.

For me, I cant get over feeling awkward when I land something at the park and strangers are giving props.  I immediately subconsciously go into "took long enough" mode or act tired then get a drink of water.  One time I pointed at the guy banging his board on the ground, felt like a douche bag after.

Obviously skating with buddies is different but I skate solo a lot these days so I run into this issue sometimes on the occasions when i actually land something.  Plus I judge people when they get over-hyped over landing their own trick, unless they really had to battle for it i guess.

"was that switch" "no"

def happened to me before. oh boy i hate parks

[fredgallSOTY]

Hmm probably the two large breasted and bra-less 15 year old girls that I see whenever I skate Grant Park on the weekends.

oh nah nah nah

[ok boomer]

All of this is reminding me why I don't go to skate parks, so #bless

[mj23]

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A scooter kid hurt himself and left the park crying. A few minutes later, his dad comes up to yell at my friend and I for not watching him. We were 14 or 15 year old kids at the time and didn’t know the kid. We responded with shit like, “he’s your kid, why aren’t you watching him?” and if he wants a babysitter he should pay us. Dude left after yelling some more and threatened to call the cops. Cops never came...

[close]

This kinda shit kills me as an adult cause I wanna help when kids get fucked up but parents are insane now and any small interaction with a child could lead to untoward accusations So I’ll just watch kids bleed out as I awkwardly skirt by then to get to the ledge .

Ha, same. The other day I saw some kid just completely eating shit repeatedly trying to learn bs boardslides, and I so badly wanted to help him somehow, but I figured better to just keep to myself.

My own awkward story: Recently I was skating alone when a homeless-looking kid on a bike asked if he could borrow my phone to listen to music while he smoked weed. I lied and said i didn’t have one. What kind of fucking mark would say yes? Feel bad for the kid who obviously has a rough life, but come on.

[Mr. Stinky]

You know when you joke around with guys at the park about how old you are, then you realize they think you're 15 years younger than you actually are?

This is often me, and it is incredibly humiliating. Also, I fear praise substantially more than slamming, and the more vocal the praise the more I wish I had knocked myself unconscious instead of making the trick.  Working very hard on being gracious, but yeah, those are the main reasons why I try to get in and out of the park before most other skaters have had their morning whatever.  On the rare occasions when I go in the afternoon, I almost always leave feeling worse than when I got there for any number of absurd reasons.   

[Crailslideyoface]

Anytime the local SoundCloud kids are sitting at the end of the flatbar. Can’t you smoke that blunt at home alone like the rest of us?

[ok boomer]

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A scooter kid hurt himself and left the park crying. A few minutes later, his dad comes up to yell at my friend and I for not watching him. We were 14 or 15 year old kids at the time and didn’t know the kid. We responded with shit like, “he’s your kid, why aren’t you watching him?” and if he wants a babysitter he should pay us. Dude left after yelling some more and threatened to call the cops. Cops never came...

[close]

This kinda shit kills me as an adult cause I wanna help when kids get fucked up but parents are insane now and any small interaction with a child could lead to untoward accusations So I’ll just watch kids bleed out as I awkwardly skirt by then to get to the ledge .

[close]

Ha, same. The other day I saw some kid just completely eating shit repeatedly trying to learn bs boardslides, and I so badly wanted to help him somehow, but I figured better to just keep to myself.

My own awkward story: Recently I was skating alone when a homeless-looking kid on a bike asked if he could borrow my phone to listen to music while he smoked weed. I lied and said i didn’t have one. What kind of fucking mark would say yes? Feel bad for the kid who obviously has a rough life, but come on.

a mark ass buster

[sus]

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One time i saw a remote control car and my kneejerk reaction was to say get that shit outta here before I realized it was a local who definitely knew park etiquette. It was only out for a second and he wasn't even getting in anyone's way. The guy was definitely a bit of an asshole but looking back i should have just held my tongue.

[close]

there is some asshole that comes to my park with a remote control car and launches it off of everything at top speed while people are skating.  i've thought about telling him something and decided against it.  he looks kind of nuts/tweakerish, is pretty big, and is a neighborhood local (there are a lot of murders in the area, and even a couple in the park).  He seems to think he's keeping out of the way, but im just waiting to be skating along minding my own business when i get smacked in the face by a flying car.

you could always "try to ollie over it" and land directly on it

[ok boomer]

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One time i saw a remote control car and my kneejerk reaction was to say get that shit outta here before I realized it was a local who definitely knew park etiquette. It was only out for a second and he wasn't even getting in anyone's way. The guy was definitely a bit of an asshole but looking back i should have just held my tongue.

[close]

there is some asshole that comes to my park with a remote control car and launches it off of everything at top speed while people are skating.  i've thought about telling him something and decided against it.  he looks kind of nuts/tweakerish, is pretty big, and is a neighborhood local (there are a lot of murders in the area, and even a couple in the park).  He seems to think he's keeping out of the way, but im just waiting to be skating along minding my own business when i get smacked in the face by a flying car.

[close]

you could always "try to ollie over it" and land directly on it

Walk away while doing one of these:

[Sedition]

When some awkward dad who does not skate, who is your age, shows-up with his young kid who is learning to skate, and the kid clearly thinks you are way cooler than his dad.

[NORTHBYMIDWEST]

WHen kids you don't know are constantly asking you to buy them beer and cigs.  There is a 7-11 across the street from the park.  I never do.

THIS hahaha One time I had a little kid that I let ride my board ask me if I would be down to date his mom, that was pretty fucking awkward.

[GumOnMyGrip]

The parking lot next to the skate park used to be a cruising area for same sex hookups. This drew a lot of meth heads looking for quick$$. I was there one morning skating, just me and two smaller kids with their mom, saw this tweaker exposing himself in his car while watching the kids skate. The mom had her back to the parking lot and had no idea. So I yell get the fuck outta here and she thought I was yelling at the kids.
Dude moved his car about 10 spots over and starts jerking off. I jumped the fence and started running at the car yelling “come here mf” the whole time. Guy had his window rolled down and starts screaming “ I don’t trust you”.   Seriously, like I’m his buddy or something. I had a bottle of Yerba Mate ( that good Guyaki stuff) and just fastballed it at his windshield. Glass everywhere, windshield cracked, dude is peeling out, the mom is loading the kids into their car in a panic and I’m yelling like a madman chasing him around the parking lot.
The mom never knew. And I didn’t get my Yerba that day. I just left because I figured she was going to call the cops on me.