Awkward Situations at the Skatepark

[skatingisntspecialstupid]

Another mom story here. Was at the park on a weekday morning, the place was empty. A woman in her 40s/50s pulled up with a grom and a typical Tillys looking guy, early 20s I thought. I assumed they were a little family because it’s a very suburban soccer mom park. So the kid is really friendly, asking questions and being annoying. The mom tells me my skating looks really nice and I felt warm and gooey inside because I’m a whore like that. The older dude more or less ignores me, which is normal. Then the kid asked my age. I told him I was 29. He said oh, you’re the same age as my moms boyfriend. And I realized this bleach blonde, very Texas looking woman had at some point picked up this Zumiez guy and held onto him. She seemed really happy watching him try to brush up on 5050s and manuals. It was fucking awesome and only awkward for me.

[DirtyBurger]

This was probably close to 10 years ago, but I was living in AZ and Chandler skatepark put a tarp awning over the place, but it only covered the single flatbar they had, which was about bench height. Needless to say everyone left their bags and phones there while they were skating. I lived across the street and pretty much went there every day and saw so many randoms get mad at kids leaving their shit on the rail. If you've been there the rail is tall, awkward, and kind of meant to be a bench. This is the only image I could find online and I know you can kind of see there are benches outside with a covering, but they didn't have that at the time.



I've also hugged way more people at a skatepark than I have at every family gathering I've been to. Shalomies.

[The real veganshawn]

When the weather is nice the local park will have every kind of wheeled contraption and kids of all ages, I've seen a pack of dirty ass kids that looked like someone out of Mad Max walk and proceed to get in everyone's way, couple with diapers that looked hours old...

[sus]

was playing a game of skate with a buddy at my local and slipped out on a full cab flip and shot my board out. That board ended up flying off of a 5 stair straight into the back of a little kid skating at the bottom trying to learn how to ride around. I felt pretty terrible about that one

[Prison Wallet]

The skatepark in Tucson is in one of the public parks in town most severely affected by homeless. Yesterday I roll up and a guy and gal were smoking what I assume was crack by the skatepark gate and gal then comes into the park and paces for about an hour in a high traffic spot. Poor thing was prob in her 20s and had blue lips and teeth like she was huffing. Made it hard to skate but also weighed heavy on my heart.

[DirtyBurger]

The skatepark in Tucson is in one of the public parks in town most severely affected by homeless. Yesterday I roll up and a guy and gal were smoking what I assume was crack by the skatepark gate and gal then comes into the park and paces for about an hour in a high traffic spot. Poor thing was prob in her 20s and had blue lips and teeth like she was huffing. Made it hard to skate but also weighed heavy on my heart.

Dude thats a bad thought. I just watched a mini documentary on how the pandemic has affected homeless people and people suffering from addiction abuse, and it was not a good feeling. I'm only posting this because the best thing you can do in a situation like that is to try and befriend them. I mean I've done it before, where we knew who was sleeping close to the park, or who basically just lived there. We'd all keep an eye on their stuff while they were out, and they'd keep an eye out for people stealing things while we were at the park. Until all this clears up, a bottle of water goes a long way for someone who needs it.

[Fooj]

Happened today, me and some other locals i don't know, were skating the main quarterpipe at the park. We're lined up across the park from each other since I'm hitting it backside, they're going frontside. I didn't realize i was the spiritual 1st in line, so when one of their buddies cut in line and our flow got mixed up, i waited for the guy that goes before me to go, the guy that goes after me was waiting for me, and the guy that was after him was waiting for him, and so on.

No one wanted that bad karma for changing the order so we all just stared at each other for 10 seconds.

[DarthDingusMaximus]

When I'm trying to introduce myself and make a friend and he just pulls an earpod from under his beanie and says 'huh?'

I avoid these people at all costs, if you are that dimwitted to have those things in your ears with a dangerous piece of wood you are subject to a board to the ankle or shins, I know I'm too old to be friends with these kids/20 somethings that I don't mind coming off as an asshole. Believe me I want to belong but everything inside of me says to call bullshit for what it is.

  I mean half the time I see young adults at parks are either bitching about the crowd, the spot, their kit, just never satisfied oh that spots a bust I don't want to go there..... etc so forth.

[cky enthusiast]

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When I'm trying to introduce myself and make a friend and he just pulls an earpod from under his beanie and says 'huh?'

[close]

I avoid these people at all costs, if you are that dimwitted to have those things in your ears with a dangerous piece of wood you are subject to a board to the ankle or shins, I know I'm too old to be friends with these kids/20 somethings that I don't mind coming off as an asshole. Believe me I want to belong but everything inside of me says to call bullshit for what it is.

  I mean half the time I see young adults at parks are either bitching about the crowd, the spot, their kit, just never satisfied oh that spots a bust I don't want to go there..... etc so forth.

breh lay off me i’m high as a georgia pine trying to listen to barrington levy and feel thee vibe

[Welpok]

im 100% the "yeooowwwW" yelling guy to just about anything. to me, it may be a subconscious way to make things NOT awkward. id rather acknowledge people over ignoring them and skate like theyre not there. plus im always stoked. i love skateboarding what can i say

Yo honestly this made me smile. Stoked on people like you bro!

[DanCorteseFromMTVSports]

Showed up early one Saturday AM. Only people in the park was me, two dads, and their 13yo boys who looked like they were first timers. Kids were kitted with most safety equipment I have ever seen. One of the dads was real alpha/drives a dodge stratus and was instructing the kids (even though he had no idea what he was talking about). Five minutes later, his kid (again, nearly bubble wrapped out) takes a hipper on a roll in and starts wailing like a siren. All I see is a blur of alpha dad running toward his kid and, I will never forget this for the rest of my life, he cries out "GORDON MY ANGEL!!!!" Dude proceeds to scoop his lanky kid up like a newborn and carries him out of the park like he is evacuating someone who was shot in war. Other dad and child run behind offering emotional support. Then nothing but quiet. I sat there for a few minutes, mouth agape, wondering what the fuck just happened.

[DarthDingusMaximus]

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.

I have a spot near a craigslist/tinder hookup spot a decent ledge and a 4 stair, countless times used condoms are dumped in the area ( glad I never slam there).

  Its so weird people choose the most unconventional spots and downright in the open to get down!! Ok I've gotten down with a gal in a carpet dumpster. Look like I get it if it's tucked back or out of sight but seriously a busy parking lot of all places?!

So did you not have a chance to apologize or explain to mum like hey this guy was being a creep etc? I saw red and Im sorry for yelling?

[sus]

Showed up early one Saturday AM. Only people in the park was me, two dads, and their 13yo boys who looked like they were first timers. Kids were kitted with most safety equipment I have ever seen. One of the dads was real alpha/drives a dodge stratus and was instructing the kids (even though he had no idea what he was talking about). Five minutes later, his kid (again, nearly bubble wrapped out) takes a hipper on a roll in and starts wailing like a siren. All I see is a blur of alpha dad running toward his kid and, I will never forget this for the rest of my life, he cries out "GORDON MY ANGEL!!!!" Dude proceeds to scoop his lanky kid up like a newborn and carries him out of the park like he is evacuating someone who was shot in war. Other dad and child run behind offering emotional support. Then nothing but quiet. I sat there for a few minutes, mouth agape, wondering what the fuck just happened.

i thoroughly enjoyed reading this and picturing what this would be like

[Peepeeboy69]

Ariel Perl introduced himself to me while i was lost in thought

this was also post corona so my social skills had atrophied greatly

instead of saying anything back i just stared at him and thought how a man could be named ariel instead of saying whats up

After like a second of me staring like a dumbass he just said "ok nice to meet u" and skated away

i still feel bad

[UselessAsshole]

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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 .

We were just the only other people at the park. Only words we said to the kid the whole time were, "Are you good?" after we saw it happen. He said nothing and scooted away in tears. Was kind of floored by the whole thing because the kid probably wasn't that much younger than us.

[codymacfan]

Mom took me to SkateLab when I was way too young but way too stoked on Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Got into the big room and stood around like a doofus in front of this wall quarter pipe. Soon enough, guy comes barreling towards me and knocks me good. He was nice and asked if I was ok and I shook it off, but I immediately left the park and said I never wanted to go back. Cried like a bitch.

Now I’m sad I never got to go back and actually skate it.  :'(

[georgethecat]

Ariel Perl introduced himself to me while i was lost in thought

this was also post corona so my social skills had atrophied greatly

instead of saying anything back i just stared at him and thought how a man could be named ariel instead of saying whats up

After like a second of me staring like a dumbass he just said "ok nice to meet u" and skated away

i still feel bad

Ariel was a male name for centuries before Disney got involved.

[j....soy.....]

It's rained a bunch here lately and there isn't too many places to skate one of which is a certain parking garage which a couple years back I told everyone about.

So for a coulple weeks it becomes skate party central and I start losing my mind, namely because everyone pulls out a curb but never puts it back.

One sat morning I pull up and instantly see security doing his rounds....for no good reason I decide to drive off....in the course of this I smash into the said curb.  I'm Asian....so this is embarrassing.....but I drove all the way there, and so I decide to park the car and do what I intended, move the curb back...

So I'm dragging the thing over and who walks over....security....of course I'm a skater and it's a pandemic so get the fuck away from me.....

But all he sees is a middle aged man who just smashed his Corolla into a curb those pesky skaters pulled out....and so together.....we pushed it back...

[Hmmmm Nice Bike]

I would go to parks pretty early last year to avoid people, one morning mid-summer around 7:30-ish some lady decides to just dump off her kid with me at the park. He must have been about 6 and just kept following me around on his scooter as I skated chatting about typical kid stuff non-stop. The mother didn't even bother giving him a mask as well.

I don't wanna make the subject racial, but as an older late 20's skater and minority I kinda had this sudden anxiety that if I had left the park but the kid went missing shortly afterwards perhaps the mom would say I was the last person seen with him despite her leaving him there. I stayed long enough for her to come back and take him but it was a real bummer because shortly after that the park immediately became crowded, so I just went back home.

Maybe it sounds a bit ridiculous.

[slutbang666]

I was at the park one day sitting on the bench and this dude started talking to us about music and cars. The dude was probably 50 years old, but nice nonetheless. So the dude is talking about watching zz top jam in their garage when he was a kid. Halg way through the story I see a kid skating the mini very poorly with a fucking acoustic guitar in his hand. So I bailed out on the story and skated over to the kid and said get the fuck off the ramp with the guitar. I think I said no one cares if you play guitar we all do. Well the kid was bummed and the dude telling us the ZZ Top story was his dad. I felt bad but the kid is kind of tool anyway. They took off and I still see the kid at the park with rails on His oversized quasi rig. O well

[Mbrimson88]

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Showed up early one Saturday AM. Only people in the park was me, two dads, and their 13yo boys who looked like they were first timers. Kids were kitted with most safety equipment I have ever seen. One of the dads was real alpha/drives a dodge stratus and was instructing the kids (even though he had no idea what he was talking about). Five minutes later, his kid (again, nearly bubble wrapped out) takes a hipper on a roll in and starts wailing like a siren. All I see is a blur of alpha dad running toward his kid and, I will never forget this for the rest of my life, he cries out "GORDON MY ANGEL!!!!" Dude proceeds to scoop his lanky kid up like a newborn and carries him out of the park like he is evacuating someone who was shot in war. Other dad and child run behind offering emotional support. Then nothing but quiet. I sat there for a few minutes, mouth agape, wondering what the fuck just happened.

[close]

i thoroughly enjoyed reading this and picturing what this would be like

Yes, amazing!!!!!

Laughing for five minutes after reading this and had to come back and comment.

[Lahlah]

One time my brother and I were about 14/15 and getting off the train to go to a skatepark to meet a friend. As we jumped off the train my brother kobe'd a fast food drink into the bin just missing it. My brother goes to pick it up and out of nowhere this guy gets out of the car and starts abusing us both. Saying shit like "HOW DARE YOU PIECES OF SHIT" "YOU DISRESPECTING LITTLE FUCKS" "PICK THAT SHIT UP RIGHT NOW OR I"LL MAKE YOU EAT IT" making a huge scene about it. So I stopped my brother and said you don't need to listen to that shit, you were on your way to pick it, fuck him if he wants it in the bin so much he can pick it up himself. So we flipped him off yelled a bunch and told him to suck it and skated to the skate park.

We got to the skate park and told our friend about the gnarly dude we just ran into had a bit of a laugh and started warming up. Next I hear my friend yell "OH SHIT!". My brother and I turn around and it's the dude holding the cup and he's about 50 years old running full steam over the park looking like a balding heat seeking missile. My brother was closer and the dude managed to grab a hold of his shirt and started yelling and shaking him violently. By the time I get other there he's cocking his arm ready to throw a swing and that's when we hit him. And we hit him good. All i remember was both my friend and I swinging out skateboards as hard as we could in his general area. I think one of us got him in the head and put him down. He just dropped and was sitting on his ass in the park still cursing and swearing at us saying he was calling the cops. He got up and was bleeding and pulled out his phone and we bounced.

Sadly I still don't think the cup ever got put in the bin.

[matty_c]

There was a guy at paddo a few months ago and he was a bit of a dill for sure but meant well, I mean he didn’t seem like a bad person or anything...
Anyway he got in a few people’s way but fuck it’s not the end of the world. Anyway I didn’t land something properly and stepped of, my board started to shoot away from me but I was onto it and on my feet so I sorta nudged the board from the back to change it’s direction cause it was about to be in someone’s way

I shoot it straight into old mate’s way - I hadn’t seen him and he doesn’t slam but he’s gotta jump off real quick and I tell him sorry I didn’t realise he was there but I could tell everyone there including him thought I was getting him back or whatever

Definitely wasn’t the case, I felt like a bit of a dickhead

[Sedition]

This thread delivers.

[Bumpovertrash]

I say whats up to everybody at the park even if its a weirdo I dont want to end up in In a conversation with. I used to think I was socially awkward till I realized how many people I have said whats up to and they flat out ignore you or dont know how to talk.

[bob george]

some great stories in here...I've seen a few "Gordon my angel!" moments.

i've definitely been the guy asking "was that switch?" more than a few times. i guess it's maybe safer to not ask, i've definitely made a few people feel weird about that...

accidentally fucking someone else's skateboard up is a really shitty feeling. when i was maybe 10, i was skating by myself at the park and these two older guys rock up, i'm assuming early/mid 20s. they were rippers and this was quite exciting for me when random older dudes would visit our holiday town and skate. so i was stoked to be skating with them and very happy to be watching them. at some point i was standing at the opposite side of the park and one of them slipped out and his board was shooting highspeed towards me/a wall, so i stopped it obviously - but i stopped it like, with the sole of my shoe directly on the tip of the tail/nose, rather than on top of the grip. i don't know what the fuck was up with his shit but my foot somehow chipped his whole nose/tail, like pushed it all vertical - from recollection, i really don't think it was chipped before at all, and his reaction was like, thankful as he running over to grab it and was happy i'd stopped it, but then yeah, i picked it up and handed it back to him and when he saw it he was super angry and snatched it out of my hand and swore quite a lot and quite loudly {not at me} but it was still very intimidating, and then they just left.

i've stopped boards like that before and after and it's never happened again. maybe i tensed my leg real good and it was like it hit a super brick wall...should've just let it hit the regular brick wall...

[Jimmy The Saint]

I'm regular foot and came down a pyramid going one direction while another guy, also regular foot, came down a quarterpipe going the other direction.  We quickly realized we were on course collision and leaned heel side simultaneously.  We didn't have enough time though and went dick to dick as we turned.  I forget what we said as it happened, but yeah.  Surprised we didn't start a fire from the heat coming off that crotch rub.  We both leaned so far that only our crotches rubbed nothing else. 

Wonder how that dude's doing nowadays. 

[Billy Bitchcakes]

Oh man I've got a few coming back to me

I was at the park with 3 or 4 friends and there was absolutely noone else there except some tiny kid riding round on his bike with his dad watching. We were bored so started playing throw and catch with a wheel that had fallen off my friend's board or something. We were launching it across the park one end to the other, when I accidentally let go of it way too late throwing it from the top of the bank, and it shot off to the side of me and flew straight towards the kid's head, going straight over the top of him by just a couple of inches. I immediately locked eyes with the dad and we both just froze in place for a couple of seconds before he came charging over to me going absolutely fucking mental. I tried to calm him down and explain it was an accident but he was really up for giving me a battering. Eventually he stopped and went back over the other side of the park, until 5 minutes later when I accidentally caught his eye again. I could see the vision of his kid getting domed by a Bones STF re-enter his brain and he just fired up again out of nowhere and stormed over to basically just repeat everything he'd already said. The five of us kind of surrounded him and he thought a beatdown was coming but he was all for it. Eventually we managed to calm him down and he left. Funny part was the kid was facing away from me when it happened so he didn't even notice. I don't think he was sure why his dad was threatening to beat up five skaters all of a sudden. I still have flashbacks of hitting the kid though, it would've been tragic.


Another one was at the same park but this time it was rammed with kids flying in all directions. This little girl on a toy bike cut across the bottom of the quarter as I was about to hit it and I nearly collided with her. Her dad saw this and came and stopped me on top of the driveway. He started shouting at me about watching out for kids blah blah and was giving me loads of terrible dad threats, pointing at the nearby lake and asking me if I wanted to "go for a swim". I was trying to get a word in to explain how it might actually be the girl who should be watching out but he was just shouting over me. Then all of a sudden his tone completely changed, I asked if I could explain again and he just said "no, no you can't" really abruptly, scurried off, picked up his kid and left immediately. I thought it was a bit weird but shrugged it off and skated away up the flatbank. When I turned around again and faced the driveway I realised that just about the entire park had gathered behind me, like 25 skaters right behind my back watching this altercation. He must've realised he was in over his head and got out of there


Was at another local that had a big scooter problem, I was getting cut off left and right all day. One time I was heading down a bank this kid smashed into me and I took myself out real bad trying to avoid him and really hurt my already injured knee. I fucking lost it, not at the kid but just got super angry, let out a roar and slammed my board on the floor. A few minutes later I saw the kid's mum looking for me and was ready for a verbal ass-whooping. I went over ready for an argument but surprisingly she said "my son told me he crashed into you and you looked hurt and angry, I wanted to see what happened to make sure you're ok and that he's not doing anything dangerous." The kid thought I was a dragon or something and was cowering a few feet away thinking I was going to eat him. I felt like an absolute cock so went and kneeled down to him and introduced myself, explained why I got mad and that it wasn't at him, and gave him and his mother a few tips about park safety. I try and remember that more positive interaction every time I see a parent letting their kid get themselves killed in a park but it mostly doesn't go like that unfortunately.


Got a few more but I'll type them out later

[cucktard]

I was skating Whistler Park one day, and my was just keeping to myself.

Afterwards my friend says ‘Dude, Tony Alva was trying to talk to you and you just rolled right by him!’

I was like WTF, but then I remembered that yeah, there was an Alva boardbag there, and it was as the premier for the Dogtown documentary at that time.

Seriously have no recollection of Tony tho.

[cky enthusiast]

I was skating Whistler Park one day, and my was just keeping to myself.

Afterwards my friend says ‘Dude, Tony Alva was trying to talk to you and you just rolled right by him!’

I was like WTF, but then I remembered that yeah, there was an Alva boardbag there, and it was as the premier for the Dogtown documentary at that time.

Seriously have no recollection of Tony tho.

aw man you could have listened to tony alva talk about himself in real life.. legendary