Learning When They Least Expect It
/I’ve never been on a skateboard or a scooter, and I never want to try. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love skateboarding and all the other amazing activities that sizzle in a skate bowl. I’ve spent probably 15 hours over the past few summers, my little Yorkie (bored silly) at my feet, mesmerized by the activity in Green Bay’s Joannes Park skate bowl. I’ve watched my youngest grandson ride some special kind of bike up and down the curved walls, and I’ve held my breath as my 48-year-old son has sailed down those slopes in homage to a lifetime of skateboarding thrills. But 99% of the time I’m watching kids and young adults I’ve never met doing what they love – and I love to watch them do it.
Some days I find only a few youngsters, quietly practicing their skills, over and over, determination on their sober faces. On other days I find the skate bowl popping like an air popper, heads shooting up over various walls, bikes and scooters tearing down one slope and up another, scooters and skateboards sliding along a metal rail or twisting in the air, only to reconnect with the skater’s feet (or not) a second later.
A long-time teacher, I watched the activity in the skate bowl for many hours before I was struck by its real value. From the start I was impressed by what I was NOT witnessing. In all those hours as a spectator, I’ve never seen:
An injury
Blood
A collision or even a near miss
A scooter, skateboard or bike hurled in anger
A helmet, pad, vehicle or bit of litter dropped and left in the bowl
A cigarette
Tears
And I’ve never heard:
A scream
A nasty or inappropriate word
Derision, criticism or threats
Racial slurs
A parental remonstrance or warning
On the rare occasion that someone takes a fall, the calls of “Are you okay?” come from every angle. When a wheelchair entered the bowl the other day, piloted by a skinny young girl with her leg in an immobilizing boot, skaters didn’t even pause to wonder. After all, it’s a wheeled vehicle, right? Bikes and scooters and skateboards (and wheelchairs, apparently) share the same space, without noticeable concern. And never an angry word, a sneer at a struggling beginner, or even a gasp of wonder at the heroic performance of a skater par excellence. Everybody is focused on practicing, learning and improving – and having fun.
It was only after about 15 hours of observation that I suddenly realized I was visiting a learning lab – possibly the most effective learning lab I’d ever seen. The teacher in me was awakened. Exactly what were these young people up to? What were the signs of effective learning I was witnessing in the breathtaking crisscross of vehicles and beautiful mix of ages, races, genders, garb and style?
Focus
Nobody on the move in the skate bowl is looking at a phone! And they’re not looking at each other (except occasionally between runs) or at the nearby basketball court or other activities in the park. Each head that pops up from the curved wall turns right around and seems to quickly calculate the next move. Nobody gets distracted while making a run at the challenging structure in the middle or attempting to launch the board up on the rail. Every single individual in the bowl is completely focused on the skill of skating in one way or another.
Self-discipline
Over and over and over again they complete their runs, sometimes flying majestically over the lip of the bowl (scaring me to death), sometimes just managing to get the front wheel(s) over, and occasionally pushing the bike or hauling the scooter the last few paces. And then they turn around and do it all over again! Over and over, they take a breath, make a decision, and launch another try at excellence.
Skill building
Repeated attempts to conquer the slope, mount the rail, swivel the board a full 360 for a perfect re-connection with the sneakers. Again and again, going a little farther, rising a little higher, maintaining balance a little longer, flying a bit faster… and the looks on their faces as they recognize their own incremental success! Some of them are definitely over 21 – they’ve been doing this for a while, and they’re working on some pretty sophisticated moves. And others are barely five years old, making their first foray into the bowl on the gentlest slope, Dad waiting and encouraging at the bottom.
Analysis
How do you suppose twenty young people on wheeled vehicles simultaneously achieve their individual aims, scooting past each other, sharing very limited space while in motion, and never colliding? Each one stops, instantly assesses the situation, gets the lay of the land, and makes some quick calculations before launch. I’ve never seen a single skater or biker just fly down into the bowl without pausing to look and aim and think.
Socialization
Skate bowl activity is not about conquering the opponent, grabbing something from someone else, or holding another’s body back. It’s about sharing – complex sharing of limited space at dangerous rates of speed. It requires respect, acknowledgement, give and take, acceptance of others… and the result, from what I can see, is genuine kindness and appreciation for the skills and commitment of others.
Physical Fitness
These kids are in motion, breathing fresh air, soaking up the sun, pushing their bodies to higher and higher levels of performance. They improve balance, build muscle mass, command their feet and legs to follow their brains. They burn calories and, while they’re sliding down and popping up over and over, they’re NOT eating junk food.
I can’t think of a single good reason why a child should not learn to skate in a skate park and have the opportunity to practice that skillset over and over. It costs them nothing! These aren’t rich kids in fancy outfits with expensive equipment. They’re just the kids from East Green Bay (mostly, although I’ve met kids there from all over Brown County), showing up for fun in a special park feature that seems inherently supportive of learning. And while they’re engaged in that learning, not one of them is looking at a screen, smoking a cigarette or gulping down gummy bears.
I’ve always been proud of Green Bay’s amazing park system, including 67 parks, a vast wildlife sanctuary and a city-owned amusement park rated among the top ten in the nation (and a ticket still at 25 cents). And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Joannes Park since I discovered it a few years ago. But now I have a whole new respect for the world-class skate bowl in that park, and I’ve got a lot of respect for the youngsters who practice their skills and socialization and push themselves a little farther every day.
