We've all seen it chronicled in our favorite magazines from time to time; or for those old enough to remember, they witnessed something they love disappear almost overnight.

It was the end of the first skatepark boom.

The bust was here and everyone was scrambling to come to terms with the loss of their new found homes; the familiar place where they built skill and memories and lasting friendships.

The place where they all pushed the progression level and made the new vertical era of skateboarding a very real thing was crippled.

Not by anything self-inflicted however; it was the very force that controls most of our lives as adults, the thing we cannot go without for fear of being reprimanded harshly.

Insurance.

The rates went up, and the individuals and cities that had to pay them were finally at an impasse; pay up and incur heavy losses for an already slow to grow industry, or close up all together.

They mostly chose the latter.

Many of the freedoms in parks we enjoy today are also at risk. A seasoned veteran has died due to injuries recieved at a skatepark, and national attention is now being given to the issue of safety equipment at public skateparks.

Most private skateparks who even think of getting liability insurance are already paying through the nose and making it mandatory to wear FULL pads, not just a helmet.

How will the West Coast parks fare, and what will be the fallout from a mandatory helmet rule?

The kids don't like being told what to do, and we all know this from experience.The basis of the industry is these little folks and regardless of entitlement, they still lap up the product like crazy and continue this period of unprecedented growth.

But they won't wear a helmet.

And in this particular political climate, anything is fair game, particularly in the hands of Republicans.

Just think. The way these clowns think is to give businesses what they want, for example, insurance companies are big businesses and can benefit from a hike in rates which would go directly to their pockets. The only thing stopping them right now is a short memory.

But will guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger let them forget? You can bet your ass they will not.

Regardless of the growth of our industry the established industries will always take precedent over it with politicians, and that should be our main fear here.

With the paranoia level the way it is right now;
Democrat-controlled legislature or not,California is going to have a tough time in the next year avoiding a bust in the skatepark industry because of an issue that always crosses the lines of partisan politics: good old fashioned public safety.

If the dominos start falling on the West Coast folks, we know they'll tumble right across the country and we'll all be back in our yards before we even know it.

It's going to be a strange time for a while kids, take it easy.