I'm So Blue (as in COLD...not sad!)

If you've been paying attention, you may have noticed that it's been several months, one hurricane, and one freak October snowstorm since I last posted on this blog.

There are several reasons for my absence.

First, the Streetleague Skateboarding competition was AWESOME!  So awesome, in fact, that I had tons I wanted to say about it and a gazillion photos to post.  But Hurricane Irene arrived and our power went out (along with most of the Northeast), and by the time our power was restored, I couldn't recreate the post I had been planning.  Then, after an unexpected one week delay, school began, and suddenly I was too busy (and too tired) to write.  And one thing led to another, and I fell out of the habit, and suddenly this blog was in serious need of updating...

And then Sk8terdude took a tumble on the last run of a beautiful blue sky morning at Jennings Beach and suddenly we were out of skating for a few weeks while he nursed a broken thumb...and before he could fully recover from the thumb, he fell going UP the stairs at our house...and broke a toe...and he broke it in such a way that he couldn't put weight on it, which meant yet another cast, and crutches, and by the time we were done (last week), he had been out of skating for three entire months.

So I haven't had much to say...until today.

It's holiday time and school is out of session and I promised Sk8terdude he could get back into the parks with some serious board time.  But with Vertigo and Haven both out of business, Connecticut in the cold weather is not exactly a skater's paradise.  So Sk8terdad took him over to 2nd Nature the other day for a few hours and then I packed up and made the trip to New Jersey for two days of indoor skating.  (Why New Jersey?  Free lodging courtesy of Sk8tergrandma!)

Yesterday I spent 3 1/2 hours at Shields Skatepark in Flemington, New Jersey.  With approximately 18,000 square feet of space, the park was a great place for an extended session - for Sk8terdude.  For me, not so much.

The "parent lounge" (and I use the term VERY loosely) consisted of a few tables and some metal folding chairs just outside the fence that keeps the skaters separated from the skateshop, hallway, bathrooms, etc.  Since the space isn't separated, it's maintained at the same temperature as the rest of the park which, yesterday, was just barely above 50 degrees fahrenheit.

If you've never spent a few hours sitting on a cold metal chair in that temperature, without a coat, hat, or gloves, well, I don't recommend you try it.  Even the mom who DID have a hat and gloves left to drive over to Wal-Mart (conveniently around the corner) so she could buy warmer socks.  For the first time in my life, I truly understood the phrase "catch a chill."

It took HOURS for me to thaw.  Seriously.  And that was after riding in a car for 45 minutes with the heat cranked all the way up to 75 and the heat seater on high and several more hours in the house with the heat at a normal temperature and at least an hour in bed under two blankets and a comforter.

And just when I thought I had finally defrosted, we arrived - today - at our second destination:  GardenSk8.

This is our second trip to GardenSk8, but our first since they expanded, adding a second section which Sk8terdude assures me is "sick!"  Last time we were here it was during a horrible ice storm, but we took refuge up the road, visiting Sk8tercousins who live nearby.  Today I thought I would just unpack the laptop, settle into the sofa, and get some work done.

Yeah, right.

Because once again I am freezing my you-know-what off...

My nose is running, I can no longer feel my toes (and I am wearing a thick pair of socks), and in between sentences I have to put on a pair of gloves and wait until my fingers are warm enough to keep typing.

I asked the guy (owner? manager?? dude hanging out in the office???) - only sort of joking - if they didn't have a space heater or something they could rent out to the frozen parents suffering on the sofas.  And he seriously thought I was out of my mind.

Okay, I understand that they can't afford to heat the entire warehouse to a comfortable temperature for sitting around and, even if they could, it would be too warm for the sweaty skaters.

But here's what I don't understand.  In order to survive, all skateparks have to hope that new generations of kids learn to skate.  And until those kids are old enough to drive, the skateparks have to depend on parents willing to drive them.  And for those of us who need to wait while our kids are skating (either because we live too far away or because our kids are too young to be dropped off and left on their own), we would appreciate just a little consideration!

I'd be much more likely to stay longer, visit more often, and spend more money at a park that at least pretended to care about my comfort.  A simple space heater would do the trick (and at this rate I might invest in my own and bring it with me in the future)...even a blanket would be nice....

Is it too much to ask?

1st Visit to 2nd Nature on the 4th of July (wish I could think of a 3rd)

Happy Independence Day!

Question:  What parent wouldn't want to spend this national holiday driving an hour to an industrial park in Peekskill, New York so his/her child could try out a new indoor skatepark?

Answer:  Apparently a lot of them....since there is almost no one here.

This morning we picked up one of Sk8terdude's friends and headed west to Peekskill for our first visit to the new 2nd Nature Skatepark.  This new facility opened about three weeks ago, and the two boys were given a coupon for a free session when they competed in Ridgefield last month.  So we figured a free indoor skate session (read:  air conditioning for the parents) didn't sound like a bad deal on a hot and humid summer day.

We arrived to find the infamous Burton at the front desk.  You all remember Burton, right?  He's the dude who failed to show for our friend's son's birthday party at the beginning of June (when he had been hired to run the party and give lessons) and then showed up late to the competition last month at S.P.I.R.I.T.

He's actually a pretty nice guy...but with the new park still partly under construction (well, not the skating part, just the shop and "lounge" is still a work in progress), he's got his hands full.  It took us almost forty minutes and three phone calls to the parent shop in Mamaroneck before I was up and running on the internet (hey, parents, free wi-fi but you have to guess how to get online, lol) and now Burton is in the back, unpacking boxes and occasionally interrupting our peace and quiet with the sounds of drilling, hammering, and general construction.

I'll give them a break on the "parent lounge" - such as it is - with the hope that the next time I return it will actually be a lounge.  Today it's a folding table, two folding chairs, and a "couch" which previously did business as the back seat of someone's van, complete with seatbelts, in case you've had too much gatorade and need to be held down so you don't slide onto the floor.

But even the shop isn't fully functional.  Sk8terdude needs yet another pair of skate shoes - the most recent pair is now sporting matching holes on the bottom of each heel - but they don't stock anything here below size 6.5, and Sk8terdude is a 5.5 at best.

Of course the important question, for the boys, is whether or not the park was worth the trip.

It's smaller than I thought it would be - about 5000 square feet - and with the bay door open to the outside, it's quite toasty in there (not that the kids seem to mind).  Upstairs is a mini-ramp room.  Eventually they plan to finish a party room with a park lookout, add a cafe, and more.  But for now it's still a bare bones operation.  A little bigger than Eastern Pulse but not as big as Greenside or Haven, it will keep them busy today for sure and will be worth a return trip, but I can't imagine we would make the trip here regularly enough to warrant a season pass.

Sk8terdude just popped his head out for a sip of water and, as he raced back inside, called out over his shoulder, "This is so fun!"  So there you have it - the official reviews are in

Eastern Pulse, Milford, CT

Many thanks to the skater's grandmother we met in Rhode Island yesterday, who told us about Eastern Pulse, an indoor skatepark in Milford, Connecticut.  Sk8terdad took Sk8terdude there this afternoon, since I was skateparked out and busy with OlderBrother, who needed to finish collecting data for his (required) school science fair project.

And many thanks also to Sk8terdad, who dutifully took photos and reported back with details.

The park is about 6500 square feet, smaller than some, but a fun skate (reports Sk8terdude).  According to their website, the park "features 5' kidney shaped pool, mini ramp, rails, wallrides, rollers, hips, boxes, and pyramids."  Not bad for a Sunday afternoon.

The "parent lounge," on the other hand, leaves a little something to be desired...

Less of a lounge and more of a loft above the skatepark, the word on the street (or, in this case, the text message from Sk8terdad's iPhone) was that the lounge was cold and a little lacking in some standard amenities.  Neither of the two televisions were working although Sk8terdad was able to access the internet through the park's wifi.  And there's only one bathroom for everyone at the park, which Sk8terdad reports was really dirty, which might explain why there were no moms in sight.

Of course, if you're a teenager, you might find that the lounge is exactly what you're looking for, as it did boast an air hockey table, a foosball table, and a great view of the giant skull painted on the far wall.

Sk8terdude put in about two hours at Eastern Pulse, which may be our go-to place for the remainder of the winter, with Haven reporting on Facebook that they may be closed until the end of April.  Although Eastern Pulse is smaller than Drop In, it's considerably closer to home.

Meanwhile, the weather report is for warmer temperatures over the next ten days.  Maybe the snow will melt and the outdoor parks will be able to open before March ends...

Missing warm weather...

Here's an old photo of Sk8terdude - in warmer weather!  I remember the day this photo was taken was particularly hot and humid...right now that doesn't seem so bad (although I promise to complain about the heat this summer).  When I drove OlderBrother to the bus this morning, the thermometer in the car was registering a cool 3 degrees Fahrenheit.  Brrr!

The continued deep freeze makes it hard for us to believe that outdoor skateboarding could be only a month away.  After all, our driveway still has snowbanks that resemble icebergs both in terms of size and texture, so I can't imagine the skatepark looks any better.  (I guess I could drive past and see...)  And local indoor skateboarding also eludes us.  The latest entry on the Haven website says that they will be closed through the end of February for roof repairs - and possibly longer.  So for us that means either another long trip to Drop In or an even longer drive to Garden Skate in New Jersey (which only makes sense if you know that I have friends and family nearby).

This post would be longer if my fingers weren't frozen.  Have you seen the price of heating oil?  (That's a whole 'nother subject...)