After checking out some pictures of their park online, I grabbed my gear and rode my Coker over to Chelsea Piers… looking forward to trying some pretty radical rolling trials lines. I figured since they allowed BMX, they would most likely allow me to ride there, too (as has every other skatepark I’ve been to so far that allows BMX).
To my dismay, I was wrong. They shot me down flat, instantaneously… no explanation, no logic, nothing. I tried to explain to them that unicycling is a fast growing sport and that it could be a good revenue stream for them, but they didn’t want to hear it and could care less. I would say they even had kind of a smug, condescending type of attitude.
It’s rather unfortunate because the park is right nearby and looks pretty awesome. I really wanted to attempt a few of the smaller “over the spine” ramps and quarter pipes with ledges. Some of the spine ramps were much higher than ones I’ve seen before and although I wasn’t ready to attempt those just yet, I know they are doable by a skilled rider.
I’d love to see Rolling Trials develop to the point where riders were able to clean those lines (the high spine ramps) routinely. If the sport were to develop to that level (where several riders were cleaning those lines), I think we’d have a shot at getting some corporate sponsors to shell out the $1200/hour needed to rent out the park for a few hours for an awesome Rolling Trials competition. I guess that would be my only way of being able to ride in my hometown park!
Did you tell them you were riding a unicycle? or did they just see it and say you couldent?
You could make a wheel attachment to make it a bike, allowing you to get in, then take it off once inside:D
When I go to skate parks, I go in, set my uni off to the side then pay and go in. If you dont make your unicycle noticable theres a less chance of not being allowed in.
What did you say to try to convince them to let you in?
Do they let bikes there? Cuase by the looks of it, it doesnt look very bike oriented… and if that is the case than they for sure wont let you in, and if they do, email them your awesome MTB park video, then they just gots to let you in…
Andy, the person you spoke to. Were they management? I mean, were they the actual management, or just the person in charge at that moment? If that person does not make policy for the park, they are obligated to just maintain the safety level. Doing their job. The next thing to attempt would be to contact the actual management in charge, and see if they have any room for flex in their policy.
Rather than show them a video of you, much better would be a picture of little kids riding around in lots of safety gear. A video of you (or KH) would just scare them.
well that sucks. actually that makes me angry… real angry. go up the admisions and say that you could kick some BMX kids A$$ on ur uni. then say let me show u what i can do the just like go in and show off, and show up little BMX kids cause i dislike them.
I had initially gone straight to the entrance to the skatepark and the skatepark attendant pointed me to the office where I needed to buy a pass. At this point I’m sure I could have simply purchased a ticket (with my Coker waiting for me outside) and then proceeded to the skatepark to ride… at least for a little while till someone got wise to the fact that I wasn’t supposed to be there.
Instead, however, I opened my big, fat mouth and mentioned that I assumed it wouldn’t be a problem for me to be riding my unicycle, since they allow bikes. They immediately shot me down and seemed to be almost snickering at me. Though I probably could have gotten away with it for a little while if I had said nothing and kept the uni out of sight initially… I do believe they probably would have kicked me out rather quickly because one of the skatepark attendants was a real jerk and I’m sure he would have checked with his boss or something… plus I heard a bunch of kids saying: “Are they gonna let him ride in here with us?”… so I doubt it would have been to hush hush for very long.
It’s a pretty small park, but I really like the obstacles and the layout is pretty good. I would have had an amazing time there.
I tried to convince them by telling them that I have been allowed to ride at every skatepark I ever went to (and I rattled off a bunch… including the uptown park in NYC and X Games in Philly) that allowed bikes and that unicycling is experiencing a rapid growth phase and becoming very popular amongst kids and adults and that it could be a real good revenue stream for them. I also mentioned that there were over 200 unicyclists in the local (NY Unicycle) club alone. They didn’t care about anything I had to say… and basically just said “we don’t make the rules and our boss said no.” The boss was supposedly in the back room from where he could easily hear everything I was saying because the door was wide open and I heard the other desk guy talking to him, but he wouldn’t come out to speak to me.
Good idea battlescar… if I had the time, I probably would :D!
They do let bikes in, Chase… but not unicycles. They didn’t seem very receptive to seeing or hearing anything related to unicycling, unfortunately . I think the skatepark management may possibly be a concession or something, but I’m not sure. They definitely weren’t open-minded.
The person I spoke to was merely the guy who you buy your pass and tickets from at the desk… but his boss was supposedly a short distance away in the room directly behind the room with the desk attendant, and able to hear everything I said. The desk attendant went into the back room to specifically ask if I could ride my unicycle in the park and he was told that I couldn’t.
I asked them if I could ride there if I rented it out and they sent me to the “special events” management office. The special events management told me that I could ride there if I rented it out for $1200/hour, but regarding riding there during normal operating hours they deferred to the rules set by the guy in the office that I had already spoken to.
I don’t think I’ll make any further attempts at this point to ride there, but boy would I like to get a corporate sponsor to finance a Rolling Trials competition there once the number and level of competitors grows.
I bet it would really blow there minds to see unicyclists riding over 6-ft spine jumps on 36”-wheel unicycles at their park during a competition… I bet they haven’t even conceived of it being possible!
I am going to start organizing some more Rolling Trials competitions and try to generate some more interest in the sport. The next competition I’ll organize will be at a really cool skatepark that is real positive toward the sport.
If anyone wants to organize a Rolling Trials competition somewhere else (like in the South, Midwest, or West Coast… or in another country)… just let me know if I there is any way I can help. After several competitions perhaps we’ll have enough competitors to hold an event at Chelsea Piers… who knows maybe it would even be televised!
Yeah, it pisses me off too, DanDan, and part of me would love to follow your advice… but I think I’d just rather make them change there mind by blowing them away with an incredible sport that is fun to do and watch… that they had no idea even existed and were initially negative about because of their closed-mindedness.
The place does look incredible, Llaman… just gives me more motivation to grow the sport of Rolling Trials to the point of being able to attract corporate sponsors to pay the $1200/hour rental fee to hold a competition there.
Re: Re: No Uni’s Allowed @ Chelsea Piers Skatepark!
I don’t know what the Dutch saying means, but as the Americans say: “You friggin bastards!” I suppose the meaning of the Dutch saying is a bit different…
Re: Re: Re: No Uni’s Allowed @ Chelsea Piers Skatepark!
True that.
If the owner of a local burger joint allowed groups like soccer teams, baseball teams, chess clubs and unicycle clubs to meet at his establishment, he could still (for whatever physcho reason) refuse to let basketball teams meet there. It would last for a while.
Here in USA, there are 160,000 lawyers who will take your case and force the “friggin bastard” to allow you in. But life’s too short.
Sweet Revenge Method: I think the best revenge is to invite the local press to come watch you participate in this newest, coolest, oddest, cutting edge sport that’s rapidly growing in popularity… at one of your other, receptive skate parks (who will bask in the free advertising worth easily $10,000). Tell the reader how the owners of this skate park are cool and friendly and openminded. Personally, I would resist bringing any attention to the other guys. Their facility deserves NO publicity. But your friendly park gets a giant photo and story.
Sneaky Method: You could also show up with the press (real or friends faking it, cameras etc.) at “friggin bastard’s” place. When they refuse you, your “reporters” will makes some scribbles in their notepads, silently mouthing “f…r…i…g…g…i…n b…a…s…t…a…r…d…s” while jotting. Or they might just let you in.
(I won’t be specific, but I know a certain Mud-like person who was allowed inside the barricades to take pictures at a certain festival by convincing the security people that he/she was with a certain news service)
Thats why I like my hometown skatepark, its a christian skatepark, and they love it when I show up and ride, all hte people there are nice(cept a few punks), its not as awsome as the one u tried to go to but there is no admision. I wish i could ride that sate park, some awsomw lines.
On Wed, 4 May 2005 02:08:48 -0500, “HardcoreCokerRider” wrote:
>I suppose the meaning of the Dutch saying is a
>bit different…
It is. It literally means “alas peanut butter”. But the expression is
used to convey that it is too bad, but you just have to accept it
because there’s nothing much you can do about it.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
“When it comes to the family jewels, you won’t be having fun until they’re having fun. - Jake D”
Personally I think you went about getting in the park the wrong way. Its one thing to assume that you are allowed to ride there, its another thing to walk up to the front desk and start talking shit before they even see you ride. I know you probably didnt mean to do this, but look at it from their point of view. Some guy comes in not only is he 10 years + older than the average clientel and already labled as un hip, but then he goes on to tell them that they should allow him to ride a unicycle in their park because he has done it at other places. Hell I probably wouldnt let you in if I were at the gate.
Alternativly go in and just ride, really that is what it is about if they see you riding stuff not getting in the way and having fun, in all likelyhood they are not going to kick you out of the park. If they do it will probably be because of reasons outside of their control such as strict insurance policies. If you do get kicked out so what suck it up get your money back and just go to ‘one of the many other parks that let you ride.’
From the sounds of things you want to be accepted into skating and BMX culture but you do not want to be apart of that very same culture. Just because you are into rolling trials and skate parks make for good obsticles does not mean that the people working there and riding there are going to see it as exciting and oppertunistic as you. Unfortunatlly image sometimes is everything and in order to fit in you have to come off as a bit less threatening to the hegemonic ideals of the group that you are infeltrating. Or in other words dont be a square if you want to blend in and not get kicked out.
Your statements and take on the matter seem rather bizarre to me. First you say:
“Its one thing to assume that you are allowed to ride there, its another thing to walk up to the front desk and start talking shit before they even see you ride.”
Exactly how am I “talking shit?” Oh wait… I think you try to explain that after you proceed to explain how I’m immediately labeled as “un hip” because I’m “10 years + older than the average clientele.” Of course you would have no idea that there were guys skating there that looked a lot older than I do and that I routinely get mistaken for being substantially younger than I am (so based on looks alone, your point has no merit).
You’d also have no idea that the vast majority of skaters/BMXers I meet at skateparks think what I do is cool as hell and often come up to me to tell me how impressed they are and ask me lots of questions. But anyway… back to my “talking shit.” You seem to attribute my “talking shit” to my going on to “tell them that they should allow me to ride a unicycle in their park because I’ve done it at other places.” You conveniently forgot to include the rest (and more important part of my statement) that immediately followed what you quoted when I said that:
“unicycling is experiencing a rapid growth phase and becoming very popular amongst kids and adults and that it could be a real good revenue stream for them. I also mentioned that there were over 200 unicyclists in the local (NY Unicycle) club alone.”
Nice job of selective quoting to try and make your point :D.
In any case, I don’t see what’s wrong with telling them that all other parks that allow BMX have allowed me to ride there in any case… it could help them realize that they are behind the times and losing revenue to other parks.
I wouldn’t recommend your “working at the gate” at any skateparks … you’d probably piss off a lot of your fellow uni riders by turning them away.
As for the rest of your email, the logic is just as hard to understand:
“Alternativly go in and just ride, really that is what it is about if they see you riding stuff not getting in the way and having fun, in all likelyhood they are not going to kick you out of the park.”
So according to you, I should have had a blatant disregard for their rules and just hoped for the best… much like trying to cross the Atlantic in a dingy with oars against the wind! While your recommended approach may work at some parks, it would NEVER have worked at that park! The skatepark attendants were hard-asses and would have verified whether or not I was allowed to ride there before I could have made it up the first ramp and I would have been immediately kicked out… probably without a refund.
Your last paragraph may be the weirdest of all!
You state that I “want to be accepted into skating and BMX culture but you do not want to be apart of that very same culture.”
It seems pretty obvious what I am trying to do – further develop a form of uni riding and competition that utilizes the terrain originally developed for skateboarders… AND is currently used by BMXers and rollerbladers. I really don’t care too much about what the skaters/BMXers think about me (so long as it doesn’t interfere with my ability to ride there), though I have to admit that it is nice that they usually give me lots of respect and admiration.
It should be obvious that I don’t want to “be a part of that very same culture”… since I’m involved with unicycling… NOT BMX, skateboarding or blading… I just happen to LOVE riding the same type of terrain. Were the BMXers trying to be accepted into skateboarding culture when they first started riding at skateparks? Or did they just love the terrain??? I guess you would have had the same attitude about those guys back then as you do about what I’m doing now.
Regarding your statement:
“Just because you are into rolling trials and skate parks make for good obsticles does not mean that the people working there and riding there are going to see it as exciting and oppertunistic as you.”
In my experience, the vast majority of skatepark workers and riders have been EXTREMELY encouraging. One skatepark manager wants to feature my uni riding at his park on a TV monitor at the park that everyone can view when the park is open (alongside three other monitors featuring BMX, skateboarding, and blading).
You go on to say:
Unfortunatlly image sometimes is everything and in order to fit in you have to come off as a bit less threatening to the hegemonic ideals of the group that you are infeltrating. Or in other words dont be a square if you want to blend in and not get kicked out.
Unfortunately I don’t follow your logic on this one, either. I don’t know how I’m a square or what your suggesting. Perhaps your suggesting that I should wear baggy pants that hang off my hip to dress like a skateboarder… not happening! Or maybe I should try and disguise my unicycle as a skateboard…
Cheers,
Andrew
I expected this response from jagur, being that he is one of the few poor souls afflicted with AntiCokeritis :D!
Too dangerous… c’mon? If everyone felt like that extreme sports would prolly be jogging and croquet… and there certainly wouldn’t be any of that BMX stuff going on at SKATEPARKS!
. I think the skatepark management may possibly be a concession or something, but I’m not sure. They definitely weren’t open-minded.