Skateboarders skipped

The Chicago Park District has extensive plans for providingfacilities for in-line skaters, but it has yet to address the city'sbigger rolling disaster: skateboarders.

A number of suburbs have taken the "if you can't beat 'em, join'em" approach to skateboarders. Tired of dodging these agile youthsperforming stunts on the sidewalks, the suburbs have built sanctionedskateboarding parks. There, the skateboarders can feel free to showoff their acrobatic antics.

But there are no such plans in the works in Chicago. Instead,the Park District is putting its money and effort into providingfacilities for the burgeoning number of in-line skaters and demandfor in-line skating hockey arenas. No argument there. If a sport isgrowing in popularity, its enthusiasts ought to get someconsideration from the department charged with providing the citywith recreation.That same reasoning ought to apply to skateboarding. It, too,is a growing sport. There is hardly a plaza, park bench orpassageway downtown that has not been run over by skateboarders.Park District Supt. Forrest Claypool says he is concerned about thecity's liability if a skateboarder gets hurt at a city-sanctionedfacility. Well, what happens when someone wrenches a knee in acity-sponsored basketball tourney? Other communities have figuredout how to deal with the problem. Chicago can, too.