To my apparent acquaintances,*1

I am not like any of you. I am not rich, I care about my work, and I try my hardest not to be judgemental.*2 While I know you all view public school as some sort of awful place where education and freedom die, I hope you all realize that when you get to college with all the money your parents have, you all know nothing.*3

You all have known each other for years. This was my first year at this homeschool co op because this was the first year my family could afford to send me. For people who all profess themselves as being “accepting weirdos” it's amazing to me how little you wanted someone different from yourselves present. For people who have realized the importance of social justice through the wonders of social media, it’s interesting to look around the room and be the only one who isn’t rich or white. I don’t think that you were racist, or necessarily even classist, you just didn’t want someone there who wasn’t exactly like the rest of you. My sin was my lack of a smartphone, my dislike of consumerism and my disdain for social media. For daring to cause any kind of debate or actual learning in a room filled with one dimensional conversations, if any at all.*4

I am sitting across a table from Ned’s Mom.*5 The previous week the group had been talking about government, and Ned had been talking about how his favorite government was “Anarchy government”. Given that anarchy's definition is “absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual” I had asked Ned if he knew what anarchy was, before explaining this. Ned’s Mom is explaining to me how my actions had “hurt” Ned and the “community” by so rudely correcting what he had been saying. I am timid and she is an authority figure, so I back down and apologize. This is all happening a week after I made the comment, because I can only afford to go to the homeschool co-op once a week, not the other days available. Obviously in the intervening time they met about the horrible thing I had said, and this “radical unschooling” parent had decided to cover up her son’s lack of knowledge by having a stern talking to with someone ¼ her age over a comment made and already forgotten.*6

The co op, while also being a social area where teenagers could sit in rooms together and use their phones, is also meant to serve as a learning space. They would teach “classes”, one per semester. One of the classes was a “film class” We all would sit in a room, watch a movie, and then talk about it, any of you remember that thrilling class? The film class had a horribly random feel, no distinct curriculum or direction, and a complete lack of focus.*7 The discussion after the movies would often come down to heaping praise upon the parts everybody had liked or finding ways that movies from 50 years ago were sexist or awful. Now if I ever tried to say something negative about a well liked movie, or defend a movie that was being hated on, the entire group would turn on me in an instant. Not in a scholarly fashion, but in one where I was the clear enemy and where voices would be raised. This would often culminate in even the present adults, meant to stimulate insightful debate would attack a 14 year old for disliking a movie.*8 This would go so far as to accuse me of potentially being sexist for disliking a rom-com that had a strong female lead.

You all didn’t like me. That much was obvious, but I didn’t want it to be. There was about a dozen of you. About a dozen people who lived in houses nearly double the size of mine, were only children, and had pools in their backyard. My parents didn’t have the time to come to the co-op to hang out with the kids and make sure they didn’t do anything too crazy, like ever get off their phones. That was because my Dad had to work almost everyday to pay the bills, and my Mom had to actually teach my brothers. Meaning the other parents didn’t exactly love mine, and I could feel the animosity when they came up. When I came in every morning, nobody would really say hello, and none of you seemed to particularly want to talk with me. My family couldn’t afford to get me a smartphone, and when you all found out, you laughed. Most mornings I would spend simply sitting in the middle of an overheated room, waiting for the class to start, in which case you all would be forced to interact with me.

There were board games in the room and nearly every morning I would try to get you all to play them with me. The parents there supervising were meant to make sure it was a stimulating environment and that the kids did something like play, so in the first few weeks you all let the games be played. Issues quickly began to arise, immediately strategy games began to quickly die off as often the same person would win them. That person incidentally being me. After a few weeks though, nearly all game playing was stopped and the time spent in the trailer simply degenerated into nothing until a “class” was taught. Why was this allowed to degenerate so? Because these parents meant to foster a learning environment couldn’t handle seeing their kids lose a board game, nor could the kids handle losing. They would pout or refuse to play at the age of 14 their parents would choose to cancel all game playing at all. Just as they would shut out anything that disagreed with them or the kids there, even if that something was another kid. A kid whose only crimes were that he couldn’t afford to be there until now and was different. I am glad I didn’t change for all of you though. For now, I have left and I can see that any change to be like you would simply have been a change for the worse.*9

From,

That Weird Kid

Footnotes:

1. Oh god, what a cringy way to start.

2. I say this. Then I directly go on to be horribly judgemental and hypocritical. Ah, sweet irony.

3. Oh. I am oozing with an non judgemental tone here. Literally right after I made my brilliant point about me being ever so fair.

4. To elaborate on this point, the average hangout in this group was disgustingly boring. The room would be filled with numerous bodies so unmoving one might think they were recently dead, with their glazed eyes, slouched countenances, and still twitching thumbs.  They were not cadavers though, but living breathing children draining the life out of their bodies and directly into their iphones. For a child who didn’t even like texting, these were some of the most boring times in my life.

5. Ned was another kid who went to the co-op. He was a massive nerd and never bothered with schoolwork as far as I could tell. Although there I go being judgemental again!

6. Ugh. Even now I can’t believe this adult’s immaturity, at least I can excuse mine to age! Given that she was, by my estimates, in her late 40’s to mid 50’s she hardly has such an excuse.

7. Looking back on it now, this curriculum was not so “random” as I thought. But simply a collection of our “teacher’s” favorite movies. Ah, what a learning experience.

8. Well I guess in retrospect since it was one of her favorite movies though, it makes sense she would so vehemently defend them huh? To the point of saying that I obviously just didn’t have any idea what makes movies good, and probably just saw trashy cheap movies before then. (This in response to me saying I thought the movies musical portions were a bit forced and I didn’t think the boyfriend in the movie was “dreamy”)

9. So yeah, it was a cheesy and pretentious little ending for a letter with the same qualities. With the added bonus of being horribly judgemental to top it all off. Still there in a message in all this that’s good, albeit cliche. I was an outsider, and instead of changing who I was or just shutting up I stood up for myself (even though I didn’t stick to my guns with the whole “Ned’s Mom Situation). I had to realize what was and wasn’t important to me, and since this time I have found what is important to me in things like books and film, in pursuing knowledge. They made me realize that fitting in does not necessarily mean one is happy, and that I could be far happier by just doing what I wanted to do. Which is even cheesier than anything I wrote in the letter, so sue me.

As I sit on the pews, waiting for my cue, I shake my foot anxiously. I know that I am completely prepared and I am perfectly capable of performing, but I still don’t want to. I don’t know why I agreed to this. As they announce our names, my mother and I approach the stage. I pick up my guitar, adjust my skirt, and put on my capo. My mother counts us off and I begin to strum chords I know all too well to a song I barely know. The tension in my shoulders refuses to ease as the song comes to a close and the audience stares. They clapped, I cringed. I make every attempt to  avoid eye contact. The next song flies by in a heartbeat and I still can’t shake this uneasy feeling. The pit in my stomach is bouncing on a trampoline with every beat. Finally, it’s over. The crowd gave an acceptable amount of applause. I put the guitar down, stood up, adjusted my skirt, and returned to my seat in the pews.

This was the first time I had performed since my grandfather, Clarence Matthews, passed away in January of 2015. Not that I was big on performing before that anyway, but it felt different. He is the main reason that I play the instruments that I do. Way back in the 50’s, my grandfather was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army in Harlem, NY. He began going to the church services to listen to the band and he fell in love with the music. There, he met my grandmother and they had my mother and four other kids. They all took up an instrument or two. My mother learned to play the piano, the trumpet, and the E♭Alto horn.

I was born in the Bronx, NY but then my family relocated to Philadelphia, PA in 2005. At my church, I learned to play the trumpet, the guitar, and the piano. At my school, Shawmont Elementary, I was taught to play the violin and the cello. I was also involved in the school musicals. My last year there, we did Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and I played Charlie’s mother, Mrs. Bucket.  

Recounting the night we got the news my grandfather passed, my sister and I had just come back from our friend David’s house. It was movie night and we watched the Green Hornet. We took our jackets off. As I set up Netflix on the Wii, my sister went and told my mom we were home. We sat on the couch to watch tv, just the two of us, while my mom was in the back watching a movie. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was my Aunt Valerie. We payed it no mind and continued watching the show but what came next was completely unexpected. My mother screamed, “What? What do you mean?” My sister and I ran to her room. My mother was in tears. She hung up the phone. She could barely get the words out. “Your grandfather is dead,” she stuttered. She told me to call my father and tell him to come home. The three of us went out to the living room, sat on the couch, and cried together. My father came in from the garage and sat with my mother. Later that week, we found out more information about what had happened. They said he died in his sleep, peacefully and that’s all we could have hoped for him.

After that, I sort of stopped playing the guitar. It wasn’t intentional, I’d just lost interest. I readjusted my priorities. School and friends and family trumped my music, then more than ever. It was my first year of high school and I decided that it was no longer going to be a part of my identity. I wasn’t interested in going into the music industry even in the slightest. It was hard even though I didn’t notice a change.

During that summer, the church where I currently attend Youth Group went on a Mission Trip to Vermont. One of the nights there, we had a bonfire at a farm that was the worksite I was stationed at earlier in the week. There, we had somewhat of a confessional time. I was there with some of my closest friends and I had developed a fairly strong bond with the other teens I had met there so I decided I was comfortable sharing about myself. We got to open up about our struggles in life and prayed for each other. It was there that I remember for the first time realizing I shut myself off to my music after my grandfather passed away. As soon as I returned home, I got into playing again.

Later on that summer, my dad, who is a college professor, arranged a meeting with one of his co-workers, Ms. Jackson, and I. He said he wanted us to talk about my options for college and my plans for after. We ended up talking about scholarships and schools that I could apply for regarding my musical abilities. I told her that I didn’t want to pursue a career in music however, she said that I shouldn’t completely rule that out. If it’s something I’m good at then I should go for it. We talked about how I could expand my audience and she suggested I start a YouTube channel and post videos of myself singing. The next day, I began filming a video of myself singing Lost Boy by Ruth B. A little while after posting three videos, I began to think this wasn’t for me. The I decided to post recordings of myself on SoundCloud. To date, I have 5 tracks posted and I intend on making more.

How has the Corvette changed overtime?

The Corvette has evolved over time because...

The corvette was first introduced in 1953. The first model was made from 1953 to 1962. It was the start of the C series cars. They were almost discontinued because GM expected way more people to buy the car, but that fell short drastically. but GM stuck it out and kept making models in the future.

In 1927, GM hired Harley Earl to be the new designer. 14 years later in his work career, Harley saw that another company called Nash-Healey was making an expensive two seater car. He convinced GM that they needed to make a more affordable two seater sports car. They started the project and named it “Project Opel” in late 1951. The way they made it inexpensive is they used parts you could find in local car part stores. they would used the used the chassis from former model chevrolet cars. So they didnt have to make whole new frame design.

In the next model, the C2 which came out in 1963, they Changed the design a little bit. They made the headlights rise up out the body, they split the rear window, and they came in solid hard tops. The head lights wouldn’t be an in-body design again until 2005.The outcome for these corvettes were a lot better than the original versions. The engine of course also got bigger and better like with most new car model.  

The C4 model which came out in 1983, became America's most desireable car. It was produced for 13 years. In 1986 the convertible became the Indianapolis 500 pace car. The C4 became known for its more sleek design than other cars and previous model corvettes. It was aso the first corvette with a uniframe. A uniframe is when the floor pan, windshield, halo, and perimeter frame are all welded together. In 1986 GM partnered with lotus for a new engine design to replace the stock L98 V8 engine. Lotus helped make the corvette’s ZR1 engine. The original engine made 245 horsepower at its max but lotus’s ZR1 engine made 375 hp.

The most recent Corvette, the C7, in my opinion is the best looking corvette ever made. This car has been in the makings since 2007. Which is only 2 years after they released the C6. The C7 is the first corvette to have a back-up camera and a magnetic ride suspension system. It also has an upgraded engine but it’s not an engine partnered made by lotus. This engine makes a minimum 455 horsepower and a maximum of 650 horsepower.

The corvette has drastically changed since the first model in 1953. The structural integrity of each model got stronger and stronger. Each improvement made the car lighter, stronger, and safer. While some will say as the years progressed the build quality got cheaper (using more plastic) but it was all for weight reduction purposes.

Works cited

Mueller, Mike (2012). The Complete Book of Corvette: Every Model Since 1953. St. Paul, Minn.: Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760341407. Retrieved 14 October 2016.

"Prototype Corvette ZR-1 Leads Day One Barrett-Jackson Bidding". Automotive.speedtv.com. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 14 October 2016.

Walking down the street, or even in school, people are wearing the nicest shoe. Shoes that won’t sit on shelves in stores because they are sold out instantly. The thing people may not understand is that those people may be “sneakerheads” which are people that goes after the shoes that are more hype out in the community. However, they are thrown off by the fact that Companies of shoes hype it up in the media as the fans follows onto that.

Public obsession with the latest trends means that The shoes themselves have changed drastically. Nowadays, it is about the materials that are being used in the sneaker as well as the looks. Materials like high quality leather, good stitching, as well as good cushioning would bump up the price of the shoe. For an example, the Jordan 11 Concords. As it started off as a basketball sneaker, the shoe began to make its pricy statement with the materials like patent leather, leather, mesh, and a tint of carbon fiber. The shoe is seventy five percent leather which makes the retail price two hundred and twenty. Quality would make shoes way more high in demand which is why people are trying to get their hands on them. It is put onto social media for people to see and follow.

From Konbini which is a sneaker website, In 2015, The NPD Group calculated an 8% year-over-year growth for the largely millennial-driven sneaker market, to $17.2 billion in total annual sales. When celebrities wear them before official release, the hype gets up there from social media which would bump the hype of the shoe. People like Drake and Kanye have collaborations with brands that would make the shoe hyped up. Kanye went a step further and started his shoe line with Adidas. His shoes, Yeezy, cost around two hundred and twenty dollars. It is very limited wear people start to camp out for the sneakers for hours. It is hyped up where people would spend extra hundreds of dollars to buy it off someone. Social Media is a place where people get their information on a shoe release which attracts people onto the shoe.

Brands like to created exclusivity shoes that gets people hopping onto the hype train. When a brand like Adidas creates a shoe that is only five hundred pairs made, it would make people go crazy. People will see it all over the media. Minds will be focused on getting that pair because of how limited they are. Shoes that are limited are more rarer in the sneaker community which would make people go crazy for them. The more limited they are, the higher it is for those shoes to be worth. An example would be the Jordan 4 x Undefeated. It is a collaboration with the apparel line Undefeated. This particular shoe has less than 80 pairs made. As it is known for being a Jordan shoe and being limited to less than 80 pairs, the cost for these shoes are above ten thousand dollars.

Although the sneaker culture only involves people who are into sneakers, it should concern everyone who wears a pair. Shoe brands will soon jump onto the hype and create better quality shoe, which will make prices rise for the average consumer as well. In the sneaker game, there will always be a buyer and a reseller. It is what keeps the cycle going in the sneaker community. And although many people may or may not support the sneaker culture, the prices of what they need will be influenced whether they like it or not.

Works CIted

Glazman, Evan. "More than Shoes: The Rise of Sneakerhead Culture." Konbini United States. Evan Glazman, 2016. Web. 14 Oct. 2016. <http://www.konbini.com/us/lifestyle/rise-of-sneakerhead-culture/ >

Taylor, Otis R., Jr. "Sneaker Culture Maintains Foothold in Battle for Acceptance." San Francisco Chronicle. N.p., 166 Sept. 2016. Web. 14 Oct. 2016. <http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Sneaker-culture-maintains-foothold-in-battle-for-9226097.php >

Fellingham, Christine. "From the Streets to the Runway, We Love Sneakers." The Courier-Journal. Christine Fellingham, 30 Sept. 2016. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/shopping/fellingham/2016/09/30/streets-runway-we-love-sneakers/90415456/ >

Pearson, Daniel. "Why Big Sneaker Brands Want Resellers Making Money They’ll Never See." Highsnobeity. Daniel Pearson, 1 June 2016. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/06/01/secondary-sneaker-market-rare-resellers/ >

Thesis: The reason why women are objectified by the media is because they are seen as property.

Women represent many things like sex, beauty and vengeance, but they are represented by men as if they cannot represent themselves. They are objectified. They are objectified because they are seen as property. There are examples in the media, on television, and in people’s everyday life. Women are seen as just pretty faces to look at.

This all started in the Stone Age. While the men went out and hunted, the women stayed at home with the children because that’s all they’re good for; to look pretty and make kids. Women weren’t good at it is because they aren’t given a chance to be good at it. Society was split into the hunters and the gatherers and women were always the gatherers because hunting is too dangerous and Despite that, they are good at raising children and caring for them. Over the years, women have always been the dedicated to caring for children and especially in the more recent years, women get paid to do so.

But are they really paying for the service, or are they paying for the woman. Anyone can say that they will care for your child, but a select few can do it properly.

Advertisements are the main culprits when it comes to degrading women. All around the world there are ads for perfume and clothing and whatnot. A lot of them seem to feature a woman being degraded or just used for her body. Specifically, there’s an advertisement for Blush lingerie that features a woman with her face cropped out in purple lingerie and the caption is, “Make him your toy.” This is as if to say that the tables need to be turned from the woman being the toy to the man being the toy. Of course the woman is seen as the toy initially, though. Women are toys, and toys are property. Violet Rose said, “It is illegal for women to go topless in most cities, yet you can buy a magazine of a woman without her top on at any 7-11 store. So, you can sell breasts, but you cannot wear breasts, in America.” The fact that women can show breasts but not have them is ridiculous.

When there are the pictures of women on the covers of magazines, they all look the same. But in all honesty, one could wonder, what should a woman look like. There is no one answer. All women are beautiful no matter what.

Going back to the stone age, women have been dedicated. Of course it can’t be stopped over night. If everyone could see that women are just as important as men and have just as much to offer as men do, it not more, the world would be one step closer to peace.  Men think they can control women or that women will obey me automatically but that’s not how it works at all.

Works Cited:

Source #1 Link:

"Works." Coloribus.com. Blush, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

https://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/blush-make-him-your-toy-10756405/

Source #2 Link:

Tag, By. "Quotes About Objectification Of Women (13 Quotes)." Quotes About Objectification Of Women (13 Quotes). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/objectification-of-women

Source #3 Link:

Pinsky, Paulina. "Don't Blame Girls for Their Own Sexualization." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 June 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paulina-pinsky-/dont-blame-girls-for-thei_b_5435604.html

Source #4 Link:

Ma, Julie. "25 Famous Women on Body Image." NY Mag. NY Mag, 1 Sept. 2016. Web. 14 Oct. 2016.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/09/25-famous-women-on-body-image.html

David Williams

English 3

10/18/16

Pahomov

Skateparks for Cities

For many years, skateboarding, scooting and BMX have been popular worldwide. However, skateparks have not always been around for all that glory. So, naturally, riders made the world their skatepark. As adventurous as that may sound to some, this wreaks havoc on city structures and concerns civilians. Somehow there's just something about a kid on a skateboard or a scooter that terrifies people and makes them want to call the police. It is clear that kids riding on city structures is not good for the city or the general public, but how can skateparks affect the city health and the reputation of skating? Maybe if kids have a designated place to skate, it will keep them out of other areas.

Every city needs a skatepark so riders have a place to enjoy themselves. However, many people associate skateparks with drugs and trouble. This may be true sometimes, but for the most part, this is not the case. Skateparks help riders form strong community and have a place to socialize with each other. It's  place where riders. can express themselves. They can forget about their problems and just ride. For example, the recently opened Paines skate park in Philadelphia… The paines park fund website even says that their goal is to make a skatepark available within a 10 minute walk of every skater. Their site shows how the parks can form strong communities and keep kids out of trouble and just what a positive influence it can have on everyone.

In Philadelphia, skaters loved Love park. It is considered by many individuals, “The skatepark of Philadelphia.” It hosted the 2001 and 2002 X-Games. Riders loved it so much that documentaries were made about Love park made by skaters and just people alike. To many skaters, these things became their culture but unfortunately for everyone, skating still remained a nightmare for the city. People started complaining about the drug use and destruction of property. This led to the banning of skateboards in Love Park. Police were  assigned to maintain the grounds clear at all times of the day. This hurt the city as a whole because the riders spread out and rode in even more places and some even retaliated against the police.

Obviously, riders found loopholes in this and somehow still proceeded to skate at Love Park. This also gave them motive to find more places in the city to ride at. However, something had to change, so the city began construction on Paine’s park. This was possibly Philly’s biggest breakthrough. When paine's first opened, there was a huge ceremony that just about every skater in the city attended. There were speeches about why philly really needed a skatepark in the center city area. They explained how Love Park was becoming unuseable by the public because of skaters and how paines was really needed. They even cut a golden ribbon, which showed how proud they were to have built paines park.

After paine's opened, skating at love Park began to die down. The park was so packed that skaters had to form lines to ride the park. It was a miracle for the city, because people could enjoy love park again and skaters had their place of recreation. This alone proves that something as simple as a skatepark can do so much for a city. Skaters are actually coming from other areas to ride at paines, so it has a ripple affect to areas near philadelphia. The number of skaters at love park and in similar areas had greatly decreased and paines has become a magnet for community. would see a beautiful community where almost everyone gets along and enjoys their time there. So what does a skatepark do for a city, it creates a city wide equilibrium, keeps the general public happy and keeps skaters out of trouble.

Works Cited

"About." Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://franklinspaine.com/about>.

"History of Skating in LOVE Park." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://www.ushistory.org/lovepark/history2.htm>.

"How Much Do Skateparks Cost?" Public Skatepark Development Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://publicskateparkguide.org/fundraising/how-much-do-skateparks-cost/>.

"The Top 6 Benefits of Public Skateparks." Skatepark Designers & Builders – Spohn Ranch. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <https://www.spohnranch.com/the-top-6-benefits-of-public-skateparks-2014-03-02/>.

David Williams

English 3

10/18/16

Pahomov

Skateparks for Cities

For many years, skateboarding, scooting and BMX have been popular worldwide. However, skateparks have not always been around for all that glory. So, naturally, riders made the world their skatepark. As adventurous as that may sound to some, this wreaks havoc on city structures and concerns civilians. Somehow there's just something about a kid on a skateboard or a scooter that terrifies people and makes them want to call the police. It is clear that kids riding on city structures is not good for the city or the general public, but how can skateparks affect the city health and the reputation of skating? Maybe if kids have a designated place to skate, it will keep them out of other areas.

Every city needs a skatepark so riders have a place to enjoy themselves. However, many people associate skateparks with drugs and trouble. This may be true sometimes, but for the most part, this is not the case. Skateparks help riders form strong community and have a place to socialize with each other. It's  place where riders. can express themselves. They can forget about their problems and just ride. For example, the recently opened Paines skate park in Philadelphia… The paines park fund website even says that their goal is to make a skatepark available within a 10 minute walk of every skater. Their site shows how the parks can form strong communities and keep kids out of trouble and just what a positive influence it can have on everyone.

In Philadelphia, skaters loved Love park. It is considered by many individuals, “The skatepark of Philadelphia.” It hosted the 2001 and 2002 X-Games. Riders loved it so much that documentaries were made about Love park made by skaters and just people alike. To many skaters, these things became their culture but unfortunately for everyone, skating still remained a nightmare for the city. People started complaining about the drug use and destruction of property. This led to the banning of skateboards in Love Park. Police were  assigned to maintain the grounds clear at all times of the day. This hurt the city as a whole because the riders spread out and rode in even more places and some even retaliated against the police.

Obviously, riders found loopholes in this and somehow still proceeded to skate at Love Park. This also gave them motive to find more places in the city to ride at. However, something had to change, so the city began construction on Paine’s park. This was possibly Philly’s biggest breakthrough. When paine's first opened, there was a huge ceremony that just about every skater in the city attended. There were speeches about why philly really needed a skatepark in the center city area. They explained how Love Park was becoming unuseable by the public because of skaters and how paines was really needed. They even cut a golden ribbon, which showed how proud they were to have built paines park.

After paine's opened, skating at love Park began to die down. The park was so packed that skaters had to form lines to ride the park. It was a miracle for the city, because people could enjoy love park again and skaters had their place of recreation. This alone proves that something as simple as a skatepark can do so much for a city. Skaters are actually coming from other areas to ride at paines, so it has a ripple affect to areas near philadelphia. The number of skaters at love park and in similar areas had greatly decreased and paines has become a magnet for community. would see a beautiful community where almost everyone gets along and enjoys their time there. So what does a skatepark do for a city, it creates a city wide equilibrium, keeps the general public happy and keeps skaters out of trouble.

Works Cited

"About." Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://franklinspaine.com/about>.

"History of Skating in LOVE Park." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://www.ushistory.org/lovepark/history2.htm>.

"How Much Do Skateparks Cost?" Public Skatepark Development Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://publicskateparkguide.org/fundraising/how-much-do-skateparks-cost/>.

David Williams

English 3

10/18/16

Pahomov

Skateparks for Cities

For many years, skateboarding, scooting and BMX have been popular worldwide. However, skateparks have not always been around for all that glory. So, naturally, riders made the world their skatepark. As adventurous as that may sound to some, this wreaks havoc on city structures and concerns civilians. Somehow there's just something about a kid on a skateboard or a scooter that terrifies people and makes them want to call the police. It is clear that kids riding on city structures is not good for the city or the general public, but how can skateparks affect the city health and the reputation of skating? Maybe if kids have a designated place to skate, it will keep them out of other areas.

Every city needs a skatepark so riders have a place to enjoy themselves. However, many people associate skateparks with drugs and trouble. This may be true sometimes, but for the most part, this is not the case. Skateparks help riders form strong community and have a place to socialize with each other. It's  place where riders. can express themselves. They can forget about their problems and just ride. For example, the recently opened Paines skate park in Philadelphia… The paines park fund website even says that their goal is to make a skatepark available within a 10 minute walk of every skater. Their site shows how the parks can form strong communities and keep kids out of trouble and just what a positive influence it can have on everyone.

In Philadelphia, skaters loved Love park. It is considered by many individuals, “The skatepark of Philadelphia.” It hosted the 2001 and 2002 X-Games. Riders loved it so much that documentaries were made about Love park made by skaters and just people alike. To many skaters, these things became their culture but unfortunately for everyone, skating still remained a nightmare for the city. People started complaining about the drug use and destruction of property. This led to the banning of skateboards in Love Park. Police were  assigned to maintain the grounds clear at all times of the day. This hurt the city as a whole because the riders spread out and rode in even more places and some even retaliated against the police.

Obviously, riders found loopholes in this and somehow still proceeded to skate at Love Park. This also gave them motive to find more places in the city to ride at. However, something had to change, so the city began construction on Paine’s park. This was possibly Philly’s biggest breakthrough. When paine's first opened, there was a huge ceremony that just about every skater in the city attended. There were speeches about why philly really needed a skatepark in the center city area. They explained how Love Park was becoming unuseable by the public because of skaters and how paines was really needed. They even cut a golden ribbon, which showed how proud they were to have built paines park.

After paine's opened, skating at love Park began to die down. The park was so packed that skaters had to form lines to ride the park. It was a miracle for the city, because people could enjoy love park again and skaters had their place of recreation. This alone proves that something as simple as a skatepark can do so much for a city. Skaters are actually coming from other areas to ride at paines, so it has a ripple affect to areas near philadelphia. The number of skaters at love park and in similar areas had greatly decreased and paines has become a magnet for community. would see a beautiful community where almost everyone gets along and enjoys their time there. So what does a skatepark do for a city, it creates a city wide equilibrium, keeps the general public happy and keeps skaters out of trouble.

Works Cited

"About." Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://franklinspaine.com/about>.

"History of Skating in LOVE Park." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://www.ushistory.org/lovepark/history2.htm>.

"How Much Do Skateparks Cost?" Public Skatepark Development Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2016. <http://publicskateparkguide.org/fundraising/how-much-do-skateparks-cost/>.