Skate park project should get go-ahead

There's been an effort to build a skate park for McCook since at least 2005, and that effort will take a little while longer, thanks to a 4-1 school board vote Monday night against leasing school property to the city for that purpose.

Unconfirmed reports are that the City of McCook has an alternative site in mind for the skate park.

We hope the new site will be easily accessible by skateboarders.

If it's too far off the beaten path, skateboarders won't use it, and if the park goes unused, detractors will be able to say "I told you so!"

They think they have a point, and they may. We've many examples where enthusiasm for teen centers, for example, dies out as soon as the instigators graduate from high school and move on with their adult lives.

But we don't think this applies to a skate park.

Once a facility is built, it will be available to all without ongoing salary or volunteer requirements, or even much in the way of maintenance.

We suspect the opposition stems from the stereotype of kids -- usually rebel, free-spirit-types -- who enjoy the sport of skateboarding.

It didn't take a decade, for example, to build extra tennis courts or new soccer or baseball practice fields.

The stereotypical skateboard rider has spiked hair, piercings and tattoos, and likes his music loud and annoying.

And skateboarding is dangerous, especially if it's pursued on public streets instead of a dedicated skatepark.

Skateboarding, like most sports, has an element of danger, and it's just that trait that makes them attactive for young males, and more than a few females.

And skateboarding is also difficult to learn, witness riders practicing a single trick time after time after time.

That determination will serve them well in life, as will getting in the habit of enjoying physical activity outdoors instead of "vegging" out in front of a video game.

Providing a place for young people, including skaters, to participate in their favorite sport should not take a decade and countless trips to meetings of public boards.

While they voted down the proposal, McCook school board members praised the youth for advocating for the project and getting involved in their community.

That's true, but it's time to reward that effort by allowing a skate park to be built, and as soon as possible.