Blanch skate park Saftey campaign

FiannaGym.com

Yo.

Okay so the pads situation in Millenium Park Blanchardstown/coolmine is nuts.

So you guys need to email the following people (on the advise of a bang on security guard there). gemma.carr@fingalcoco.ie, david.fennell@fingalcoco.ie
Gemma Carr's email just bounces back though.

This is what I said.
Hello,

My name is Pearse Stokes, I am an Anthropologist currently researching skate parks around Ireland. On Saturday I visited the Millennium Park, Blanchardstown. I also visited Bushy Park and Greystones (as I regularly do).

In any event, the security guard in Millennium Park, would not let anyone in unless they were wearing a full complement of pads (elbow and knee pads, wrist guards, helmet). As a result a park that cost (I understand €250,000??) was being used by just two children. Bushy Park and Greystones (both of which, in reality, enforce NO pads) were packed. Bushy is smaller than Millennium Park, but had between 30 and 37 users. Greystones (which always reports lower numbers) had between 20 and 22. I understand that these are both "in-situ" concrete parks, and therefore much more user friendly and attractive to skaters but at the same time Millennium Park, offers a variety that none of the other parks in Dublin do.

I am emailing you to say that I understand that you have insurance issues, I understand that you may be bound to enforce pads etc. I am just hoping that for the good of the population in Fingal (and across Dublin) you will loosen up your regulations (or at least the enforcement).

Many thanks for your time.


Pearse Stokes

shagman

Insurance has nothing to do with this really as all these parks are insured by the one company (Irish public bodies mutual) and they are if anything easing up on their restrictions as they are getting more experience of how skateparks work. This is all down to muppets in power figuring they know best , hence a modular park in the first place and now a modular park that requires you to wear riot gear.

FiannaGym.com

Your dead right Shagman, so did you email anyone?

Peace

FOGOFUNK

Yeah, the security gaurd gave me this number to ring aswell..

01-8731415

we need to get this sorted out quick.

T-Maxx

shagman wrote:

Insurance has nothing to do with this really as all these parks are insured by the one company (Irish public bodies mutual) and they are if anything easing up on their restrictions as they are getting more experience of how skateparks work. This is all down to muppets in power figuring they know best , hence a modular park in the first place and now a modular park that requires you to wear riot gear.

So, Mr Wise Guy, have you actually read the insurance policy and all the stipulations that go with it? No? Didn't think so...

FOGOFUNK

T-Maxx wrote:

So, Mr Wise Guy, have you actually read the insurance policy and all the stipulations that go with it? No? Didn't think so...

Your being the smartarse* now,all the other skateparks dont require this safety gear, but yet their all under the same company, explaiin that TK-Maxx!


(smartarse or troll?)

Hypnotoad

Why not just wear the safety gear?

T-Maxx

FOGOFUNK wrote:

Your being the smartarse* now,all the other skateparks dont require this safety gear, but yet their all under the same company, explaiin that TK-Maxx!


(smartarse or troll?)

The skate park in Millennium Park is the property of Fingal Co. Co. So is the one in Swords. How the other councils operate their's is entirely up to them. Due to the nature of these type of things, the insurance premiums are huge. As far as your statement above goes, you prolly think that the 19 year old chav with his pimped little banger should pay the same car insurance as the 40 year old business exec, just because they're both insured with the same company...? Get real.

Doing extreme sports without the necessary safety kit is just plain stupid. Everybody with more than 2 brain cells know that.

BTW, the name is T-Maxx.

wideangle

T-Maxx wrote:

Doing extreme sports without the necessary safety kit is just plain stupid. Everybody with more than 2 brain cells know that.

BTW, the name is T-Maxx.

Well said T- Maxx, you wear saftey gear to protect yourself..whats the big deal,just wear it and have fun safely.:cool:

FiannaGym.com

T-Maxx and wideangle.

Could you point me to the research or publications that show wearing a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards reduces medium to serious injuries?

Thanks a lot.

Peace

FOGOFUNK

T-Maxx wrote:

The skate park in Millennium Park is the property of Fingal Co. Co. So is the one in Swords. How the other councils operate their's is entirely up to them. Due to the nature of these type of things, the insurance premiums are huge. As far as your statement above goes, you prolly think that the 19 year old chav with his pimped little banger should pay the same car insurance as the 40 year old business exec, just because they're both insured with the same company...? Get real.

Doing extreme sports without the necessary safety kit is just plain stupid. Everybody with more than 2 brain cells know that.

BTW, the name is T-Maxx.

By your statement you make out that you think one 40 year old business exec. should have his hi powered beamer limited to 50k for "safety" but another 40 year old business exec. pay the same premium with no limiter.

You get real, skateparks around the country dont differ in danger to the users, but the ones in blanch and swords are forced to wear excessive safety gear.

Btw, TK Maxx was a pun, albeit a bad one.

Evolute

Ok guys whats with the slaggings the safety issue is what this topic is about not Weither someone is a 19 year old chav or a 40 year old business exec and the safety for the blanch park is far more then needed. My preference for safety gear is a helmet and kneepads because i have done serious damage to both parts but being made wear all the gear is a bit excessive considering that no one will use the park because of the restrictions.

PS: Before you say anything the safety gear is expensive if u actually want some decent gear and not some kiddies stuff from Smyths that will break with one bad fall.

fionn001

in a park like blanch that is street based mostle ledges and railes, neepads elbow pads are not necessary, we dont need them . most experience skaters / bmxers know how to fall and minimize injury. the only people ive seen badly injured in lucan skatepark have been 3 year old kids and scumbags who dont have their senses about them. Now if we were talking about greystones with a gigantic bowl with high transistions a helmet and maybe knee pads would be needed. So as for having two wits about them, the main injuries in skate parks would be broken wrists id say from experience in lucan, and wrist guards dont help. wearing a knee pad wont prevent you from breaking ur leg, a helmet is the only necessity but then again in a street based skatepark? wear pads at your own descrestion and enter a park at your own risk. you might aswell wrap urself in bubble wrap then put the pads on.

Nevyn

There is also the factor that hardboy scumbags won't have or won't wear safety gear and this way the skatepark is off limits to them as they rule themselves out of using it.

FiannaGym.com

Thaedydal,

What about me? I don't wear pads, am I a hardboy scum bag. In any event, no one here really cares about people who dont use the parks, so if they "rule themselves out of using it" who cares?

How come, none of the people who endorse safety gear have come back with any solid research supporting safety gear?

As far as I can tell, these posters are basing their opinion on whimsy rather than research, which, as if it weren’t crime enough, leads them to have negative opinions of people who choose not to wear safety gear, or at least, use those whimsical arguments to support their existing prejudices

I would be ashamed of myself.

Peace

pete4130

Without being drawn into any arguements I see the full pads kit as being excessive. In an ideal world it would work but in reality it's not that practical or workable. I do see the sense that helmets should be manditory and the encouragement of knee/elbow pads encouraged.

I presonally don't feel comfortable riding parks (wooden, steel or concrete) without a helmet. In the past on the odd time I have hit my head I can truthfully say that the helmet I was wearing did prevent serious injury. I also choose to wear shin/knee pads as I prefer this slight discomfort to the discomfort of pedals, pegs, handlebars and anything else smashing into my shins and knees.

FiannaGym.com

Hi Pete

Its good to hear that your opinion is based on expereince. Anyone else that supports pad wearing coming from expereince?

Anybody have any research concluding that pads help reduce injury?

Thanks in advance guys

Peace

jozi

Granted i don't get a chance to skate or ride much these days in the past i used to nearly always wear knee pads.

I find it really depends on what your at, if just skating coasting without the intention to do anything then pads are likely not that necessary. This is different when your out to learn new stuff, i always make sure i have knee pads then. The helmet was always for vert skating for me or half pipes larger than a 5ft mini. I always wear writs pads as well, not really possible on a bike, which have saved my wrist once im sure when i broke the plastic yokes in them.

In short i think a compulsory knee/elbow pads and helmet is over kill. Minimum should be a helmet (i think most people don't mind a helmet anyway) and highly recommended knee pads.

moonboy

the more ive been thinking about this the more i realise what a problem this is..
now ive been okay as i skate the parks after 8 when theyre closed, but come autumn we wont have the light. i really think that reducing the requirements to helmet only would be a much better idea. twice as much people would skate the park then. its pretty obvious that whoever put this strict rules in has no real knowledge of skatepark safety.

ill be sending an email later.

T-Maxx

FiannaGym.com wrote:

How come, none of the people who endorse safety gear have come back with any solid research supporting safety gear?

Since you're so opposed to safety gear - at least some parts of it - why don't you list some research proving the merits of not wearing it yourself?;)

bruki

Lads,
The coucillors in swords have made this new rule up that everybody has to wear a helmet and if you're younger than 18 you have to wear knee and elbow pads aswell.
What do you guys think about that?

And by the way, the councillors in swords start to back off a bit, they're hardly ever at the skatepark and they usually don't say anything when you don't wear pads/helmet

moonboy

is that official? and its not actually the councillors at the parks. its just fingal park employees..

thatd be great to be honest. i know its slightly unfair for younger kids but to be honest from my experience in swords, all of the experienced skaters are over 18 anyways. then the next down from that would be younger kids. about 14/15 who are learning.

FiannaGym.com

I'm not opposed to safety gear at all!!!!

I just want to see if people base their opinions on facts or on folly. If people feel that the ignorant "impressions" if enough to base legislation or by-laws on (which it seems, so far, people do).

If people were enforcing a "strictly no-pads" policy I would be asking to see the research informing that policy.


Peace

Pineapple stu

Its simple, if you dont want to wear the saftey gear then dont use the park. If someone who didnt wear them and they think they are the dogs doodoos had a bad fall ad had a serious injury then they will be the first to sue fingal c c for not inforcing kids to wear them in the first place.

jozi

cymro wrote:

Its simple, if you dont want to wear the saftey gear then dont use the park. If someone who didnt wear them and they think they are the dogs doodoos had a bad fall ad had a serious injury then they will be the first to sue fingal c c for not inforcing kids to wear them in the first place.

I think thats where the problem lies, you fall you sue.

No one is forcing anyone to skate a park, your there because you want to be. If you fall/injure yourself then in my opinion you have no one to blame but your self, it was your choice to try what ever made you fall. This is and will always be the way i think about it and i wish people would think allong the same lines. There will only be a decline in parks if people think this way.

Taking resposibilty for your own actions is just part of life.

Jozi

EDIT: As a side note, i do wear pads but not always - depends on the situation. And i've never once concidered sueing because i fell and injured my self

FiannaGym.com

Jozi and cymro, thanks for those insightful posts, based on good research and impartial opinion.

It's comical how the ignorant associate non-wearing of pads with people who think they are great.

Now, of course I wish I was a mindless automoton, just willing to do what ever people told me (wear pads or dont use the park). However, since not one person on this forum has issued the slightest hint at a piece of research suggesting that "safety gear" reduces injuries or has a positive effect on skaters, I feel that the policy makers, the ones making people wear pads, made their policy based on ignorance and folly. If you disagree, like I keep asking, can you offer some research on the subject? If not, why do you even feel the need to say anything?

So cymro, if you could (and I am currently researching this feild) could you post links to some research that shows (as you claimed)
- people who dont wear pads think they are better than they are (and therefore attempt tricks above their ability level) and therefore fall more often
-people who dont wear pads are more likely to sue.
Seriously if you have anything to back this up it would really help me!!! Thanks.

Jozi, is there something that might suggest skaters, particularly non-pad wearing skaters, are more likely to sue the state more than the general public, footballers, dog walkers, parents of children padded to the gills? Again, this would help my research a great deal.

THANKS

Peace

oneweb

You wanted a skate park, you fought hard for a skatepark, and you got a skate park. Now you complain that you don't want to be forced to wear safety gear in that skatepark. Do you have to pay to use the park? If not, then I really don't think it's fair of the non-pad-and-helmet-wearers to expect taxpayers (skaters and non-skaters alike) to foot an insurance bill for someone's preference of 'looking cool without pads'. How would you feel if some eejit had a stupid accident which resulted in the closure or removal of the skate park??

fionn001

you dont have to wear pads in blanch anymore, skateboarders dont sue people, idiots do

moonboy

yeah its the same in swords. you can skate helmet-less too if the warden isnt around. if he does come he just tells you nicely to leave. then he goes, then we come back..