My name is Zachary Gordy and I have been skating for three years. One of my favorite places to skate is the Mercer Island Skate Park.

As of late, the Skate Park has become increasingly harder and harder to use because more and more parents bring their young children to use the facility along side of us. In essence, us skaters have absolutely no problem with younger kids using the park with us, as long as they respect the rules. But, whether parents do not know the rules or simply do not care, I am writing this letter to get the word out that bringing children to the park and leaving them unsupervised, or not regulating their behavior, is very dangerous and also ruins the time of all the older skaters using the park.

Recently, a new rule was added to the park that allowed for scooters to be used alongside skateboards and rollerblades. This rule was met with sadness by the skaters that use the park. But, not because of an inherent dislike of scooters, instead because of the demographic that uses them: young children. From my perception, young children either do not notice that other people are using the park, or do not care. I have seen countless injuries sustained by young children and older skateboarders alike as a result of a child’s oblivious nature.

I beg parents to treat bringing their kids to the park as a learning experience. There is an unwritten rule among skaters that everyone takes turns and waits for people to finish trying a trick before proceeding to the next person in line. Making your child abide by these rules is not only a great way to teach sharing but also would substantially reduce the risk of injury from collision. So, please, supervise your children and make sure they follow the rules so all may have a good time.

Finally, my biggest complaint is that children and parents alike use the skate park like a playground. This is very unsafe and also against the written rules of the park. There is a playground and a large grass field right next to the skate park in which to play. The skate park is not a place to play catch and it is certainly not a place to roll toy cars down the ramps.

In conclusion, bringing your children to the skate park and treating the experience as a way to learn to share and take turns not only will benefit your children in the future but also keeps them safe against unintentional injury. Just as there are rules to driving a car, there are rules to using the skate park. We do not want absent-minded drivers on the road just like we do not want absent-minded children making skating more hazardous than it already is. Please parents, do not take this letter as an insult, but take it as a lens to perceive the situation from our point of view. Thank you.

Zachary Gordy