free

Dawn 'til Dusk (sunset)

Waiver-

Helmet-

Pads-

None

Recommended, not required

Recommended, not required

Located next to Sams Club In Evanston, Il:

Location Details to come...

Here's an interesting take on trail planning: have a blacktop jogging and bike trail but throw little skateable areas in along the way. That seems to be the idea with these "pods" in Evanston Illinois.

It reminds me of the Fitness course that were popular in the mid eighty's. They were either along a pathway of some sort or in a park and had stations for sit-up's, chin-up's, balance beams, etc. Now they've swapped log beams and parallel bars for ramps and flat rails.

I find it exciting to see communities incorporating skating into their recreational plans in any way, but it's even more so that they're thinking outside of the "Skate Park Box". The idea that skating is a free flowing activity and incorporate much more than just the static back-and -forth movement found in most skate park setups. Sometimes the flow is more important than the obstacle.

This is also a step forward for the acceptance of skateboards as transportational devices as well as acceptance that it's something that can't be pinned down to only one location. For many non-skaters, it's hard to shake the notion that one skate facility is not enough to satisfy all the requirements of the activity. They're used to more traditional "organized" sports in which the playing area being regulated is one of the keys to the sport. For example: soccer, tennis, basketball, football , baseball, etc. For many people, having determined boundaries is of comfort and is the basis for most of society.

Skating however, is the exact opposite. It's about adaptation and pushing the limits. The reason why skating has gained the strength and popularity it has is due to it's very nature of adaptability. From staircases and urban landscapes to concrete and wooden ramps all the way down to sidewalks and driveways, skating can be practiced and enjoyed anywhere. It is this same nature, however, that makes it such a difficult thing to provide for.

This brings me to a quibble I have with the design of these pods as well as a lot of skate facilities in general. The execution of many places intended for skating fall short of the expectations of it's users. Ramps, rails and obstacles are often designed without input from people actively involved with the sport. From ramps whose transitions are off or coping sticks out too far, to rails or other obstacles placed with no room to push up to them or ride away, the ways in which to mangle a skate spot are nearly limitless.

Often times the designs for a park are based off the obstacles seen by the designer at existing parks, but without personal knowledge of the physics involved it's easy to build an unenjoyable facsimile. The best recommendation I would give to any park district, City, other group or individual planning on investing money, time, and land for skating would be to consult the people involved with skating. Talk to others who've undergone the design and building process and find what end results and feedback they've received. Talk to the skaters that will be using the facility and get their input. Very importantly though, get the input of someone who's been involved in skating for long enough to understand the finer points of it all and can help to avoid some of the pit falls and trends that plague a bad park.

These pods, while well intentioned, make major design and space errors.

The ramps on either end of the first pod have no coping and rounded tops making them useless for lip-tricks. The width of their span is really too small to make up for it and enjoy them as say , a ditch or street bank . The flat bar in this first pod is also highly limited by it's location near one of the quarter/walls. With the pods' tiny size though, there really wasn't much else they could do with it.

The second pod contains only a flat bar, with no ramps. The bar is about 6 inches off the ground and located in a square pad with approx.. 15 feet clearance on all sides. Besides the extreme lack of height for the rail, the biggest problem with this pod is the approach to the rail. The actual path to the rail is curved and narrow, broadening only around the rail itself and then narrowing back down again. It makes for difficult repeat uses as it seems to want to spit you right back on to the walking path after a trick. It also seems highly unlikely that multiple people could session here at the same time.

Interesting idea, let's hope it's a sign of better things to come.