The Freeride issue!

[manual63]

This is part of an Email I sent to stoneage. It brings up the freeride movement again.



Freeriding is a fast growing sport, I just got my first issue of Flow (a new freeride magazine) and this sport is on a big fast movement. Some of the stuff at wirth was very cool, the rock thing I showed and some plank arangements for riding. I know that as soon as MOCA gets this work going, one of the first things will be to tear down all the cool stuff because they are afraid of someone getting hurt. Many other states, Idaho has a free Freeride park, are accepting the freeride movement, but here in Minnesota, we tend to be 5 or so years behind.
BMX and Skateboarding are a perfect example of this. Skateparks are just now poping up all over, but other states, including Iowa and Wisconsin had skateparks long before they became accepted here in Minnesota. So we take to the streets and people complain about that. Heck, maybe we were supposed to just quit riding and hang out at the bars drinking and doing drugs!!!!

So, as you make plans for these trails, keep these things in mind. As a cool plank setup gets taken down, leaving many riders uniterested in the trail, think about where they might go. That's my only issue. I agree they need to be maintained, but maintained usually means take all the scary cool stuff out.....I don't like it when that happens.


I know this is a struggle that will go on for awhile. I am very familiar with it (BMX and Skateboarding). The IMBA is working on this struggle too. I just want us to all be in the know about it and keep pressing this issue. I know some people may not care about Freeriding, but it is a younger generation and if we want to have a place for our younger generation to ride we need to think about these things. Sports are going to the next level and Mountain Biking has definately done that the last few years. I just don't want Minnesota the be last on the list when it comes to a sports progress. I had a lot of fun riding the planks, jumps, and rock thing at wirth....knowing that they will probably soon be gone. Like I said, I like it when trails become maintained, but I don't like it that it means cool stuff must be removed because of danger. The threat is that if someone gets hurt, the trails will go away. Heck, people get killed in car accidents and they just quickly scape them off the road so people can drive on it again. In football, someone gets injured from a hard hit, then put on a streacher to get them off the field so the game can start again. But in Mountian Biking...someone tries a cool move on some log, falls and gets hurt and the log must go or the trails must be removed...............I just don't get it sometimes.

It seems things never change......and people never quite get it or it takes way too long before they do.

[cheese4brains]

The best way to affect change is to get involved directly in politics. You may be surprised how easy it is to get appointed to your local Park and Rec board. Starting a local "club" in your community would also get you exposure and access to the local Park & Rec staff. By doing so you'll find out what the limitations are (knowledge, legal, perception etc.) and you could work toward overcoming them.

Who/what is stoneage?

Good luck!

[fasterfoster]

I completely agree with Shad regarding how frustrating it is when things are taken down/changed/diluted in the name of safety. As a motorcyclist, this has been a problem for many years. Land access is restricted. Why? People are afraid of law suits.

Joe Schmoe, idiot dirt biker, goes onto someones land and hurts himself. Completely his fault, yet he sues the landowner. The previously cooperative landowner now forbids anyone from coming onto his land.:mad:

The difference with the football analolgy is that the football player doesn't sue the other player making the hit, since it's part of the game. (Having said that...watch that change soon!:))

[bradpartyka]

It all goes back to liability issues. When I was a teen I had a qtr pipe in my driveway that my friends and I built. We went off the side and landed on our faces numerous times. My Dad would just ask do you still have your teeth? Good, now try it again you almost did it. Now a days lawsuits would follow.

Heck, parks are even removing stairways because someone may trip.

They are all so concerned over safety. Too concerned. Safety is important, but there needs to be a balance. And to make that balance more favorable those that want it need to get involved.

[manual63]

Who/what is stoneage?

He is a MOCA member and sent me an Email with concerns about riding Wirths unapproved trails. I agree with what he said in the sense that the city put this as a test project for a year and we all have to walk on our tip toes to make sure they approve it for the following years to come. My issues are not with him, it's with how our society thinks, mainly city boards, that bothers me.

I would think we would learn from past experience, but everytime something new comes along, it's like starting at ground zero and working forward.....rather than look at what happened in similar situations and learn from it. Like I said before, BMX and Skateboarding has gone through all this and it took many years of crap to get to where we are today. Can't we just look at what those sports went through and just move right to the good stuff? Nope, that's not how our society is. If we don't make approved and maintained Freeride trails, Freeriders will just build rogue trails and do more damage. It's not like Freeriders are not gonna ride if there are no approved trails. So it is very important that freeriding and freeride trails get accepted so this does not happen. This is what needs to be stressed in these city board meetings.....not....oh....that's too dangerous....someone's gonna get hurt.