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1.
<br /> for us before we spend that kind of our rates are very high.But we think it's boarders,and I have 25 basketball teams."
<br /> money. Down the line, if everything worth it to get this off the ground" To ensure safety, Woodward has
<br /> goes well as far as usage and the ability Many skate facilities are not city owned skaters fill out a personal data sheet it_
<br /> to get insurance,we'll be looking at a and operated because of insurance and and sign a liabity waiver before allow- I
<br /> more permanent site." liability issues,but skateboarding,in-line ing them access to the Charlotte park,a
<br /> While insurance wasn't much of an skating and BMX biking are actually not policy Ploof also plans to adopt at
<br /> issue in Greer,which is a self-insured city, as dangerous as insurance companies Greer.If a skater is under 18,a parent r
<br /> the Sioux Falls recreation department has and the public perceive them. For also has to sign the waiver,and that sig I
<br /> to pay the insurance fees for its new park instance, according to the nature must be notarized. It
<br /> "We belong to a state liability pool,but NRPA,has a lower percentage of reported 'This facility is monitored every hour
<br /> this isn't covered by what the city puts injuries than other recreational activities, that it's open,"says Woodward,adding
<br /> into it.We had to buy additional insur- including soccer,baseball and basketball. that he hired a staff person specifically for 1
<br /> ance from the pool to cover this one activ- Says Woodward,I have more prob- that duty.'The skaters are also required at
<br /> ity,"says Friesen.Insurance companies lems'with people getting hurt playing bas- all times to wear a helmet and elbow and
<br /> don't care much for skateboards,and so ketball in my gym than I do with skate- knee guards.If they are an in-line skater, #
<br /> "The goal behind all 1 y
<br /> ��:;,' this is to allow kids
<br /> to demonstrate '
<br /> �_ their talents
<br /> without being '
<br /> I
<br /> hounded because
<br /> they don't have a
<br /> facility to do it in. "
<br /> they must wear wrist guards as well."
<br /> A problem with unstructured environ-
<br /> ments is the lack of adequate supervision
<br /> to make sure skaters wear protective
<br /> equipment and aren't skating beyond
<br /> their ability.One thing Ploof says Greer
<br /> will be able to offer because of its size is a
<br /> variety of courses and activities for begin-
<br /> .- - ner,intermediate,advanced and proles-
<br /> sional skaters.
<br /> ', "If they wear their pads and a helmet
<br /> fig, 4 :_ -i �8 and you put them in areas where theyy're
<br /> rfIn_visiblyinter locking° £- — comfortable with their expertise
<br /> Vii-° ,< . ,,, '•' F., _,- don't have a problem,"he says.'By build-
<br /> ' thletie;Flooring 4 r s.f ing a skate park,we're giving yoormg peo-
<br /> -2°4 a4 .- ^a'-''" ''f't."'",-v- `� .4'' pie a safe place to skate.We're taking
<br /> 'id-N-Lok c resistant=rubber tiles combine them off the streets,out of the pal king lots
<br /> :the attractiveness of.an all-tile-floor'with the.. , . and from downtown businesses."
<br /> ease and versatility of interlocking modules.No 4 i,- Although Greer does not yet have an
<br /> nterlocks are visible and AO adhesives are¢k `
<br /> needed 5 ; ordinance that prohibits skating on•
<br /> „¢. �Y ; r°"'a, nvrsibleInterlocks ''-t, public streets and sidewalks, most
<br /> -�Each long-weanng,9/16”thick.cut-resistanttile ke'fhd-N-Lokthe. �. cities do. Ploof hopes that once the
<br /> -y c ontains sixteen:5W'.x 5W,raised_,squares 'x; bbertloor ng:of skate is and
<br /> ' idden interlocks'below3he non-slip surface v hoice wherever eye`, p up running,such a law
<br /> nsure a smooth�uninterrupted�look'when .4�h-"' and surface; _ will be passed
<br /> easily assembled.r ' - N -� -3,„ " ' '=.- ro�1Onare needer "The goal behind all this is to allow
<br /> `' -- ; 3 `- kids to demonstrate their talents without
<br /> • 4td N-LokJS- nails.1e-uneven two " ` ---'4%-'-',e, being hounded because they don't have
<br /> uiface textures#orversable decorating 4 l „
<br /> ;•• ssibilitties 1dealJorivieightmnoms''�f'itness � - ,x a facility to do it in, says Greer's Smith
<br /> centers entrances and bbies. w , a_ '. �-" a All municipalities have the same
<br /> . b , ;: �. . problem,"says Ploof. "There are kids
<br /> ,' trim` > :"' T'v..1 a skating where the adults have told them
<br /> E ;PA N ... <t:' on Free 1-80o-431.3456 ` not to,yet they don't provide them with
<br /> {,, eraiorra►andln USA and Canada a place where they are allowed to skate.
<br /> ''11.4,* `.Fax 914-3735712.c.. I think our facility Is to be
<br /> ty going very
<br /> -t^.. �� .�irANDARO PRODUCTS DIVISION'� C812bg.._.,,��, $ �`
<br /> „ , e,r,.1 I,M""L2°-v 1 °Fax 811d Canada
<br /> good for opening some eyes to that."•
<br /> 4'-'.. �, ..zu'Nr1zser� �'e .. .sr h.. end Canada
<br /> CIRCLE 2S ON REPLY CARD
<br /> 30 ATHLETIC BUSINESS October 1997
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