This is unreal. Honestly, this is f**ked up. It blows my mind that any adult, much less a father, would think that pushing their child down a halfpipe roughly ten times taller than them, was a good idea. The media gives skateboarders a bad enough image with articles about skateboard related crimes, but robbing the corner store and fleeing on a skateboard isn’t even close to as bad as child abuse.
The story is that the father got impatient with his son because he was taking a long time to drop into a MASSIVE halfpipe. OF COURSE HE WAS. I’ve been skating for years and I wouldn’t even look at a halfpipe that big! The kid was probably incredibly scared, and instead of encouraging or teaching him, the dad just shoves him off the coping.
If you see anything like this happen at a skate park, report it. Let someone of authority know what happened so people like this can be reprimanded. And if it happens in Utah, let US know! All of us at the shop frequent most of the local skate parks, and we’d be happy to keep an eye out for and report any shady people.
Skateboarding is a ridiculously fun yet terrifying thing do. If a parent is willing to skate with their child but not help, teach, or encourage them in a positive way, it seems to me that they don’t deserve to be a parent, or to skateboard for that matter. But that’s enough of my ranting. I’ll leave you with the news report from FCN in Jacksonville, Florida, but just remember to do your part in making sure this never happens again. Cheers.
