Ask your representatives to make skateboarding legal
The first thing I did after reading about AB515 was to send over a letter of support for the bill to my representatives, the sponsors of the bill and the Assembly leadership. To find out who your local represntatives are, visit the state's "Who Is My Legislator Page?" I encourage you to either write your own letter or use my letter as a template and send it off to your representatives. I'll include contact information in a future post.
The text of my letter was as follows:
As one of your constituents, I urge you to support Assembly Bill 515. Passage of AB515 will allow skateboarders to enjoy the same rights that many other outdoor enthusiasts in Wisconsin already enjoy.
Skateboards are not “play vehicles” as defined by current Wisconsin law. Skateboards are a legitimate mode of transportation used for sport and daily transit by tens of millions of people of all ages across the world. Skateboarders should be afforded the same recognition under the law as in-line skaters. Every municipality and community in Wisconsin should have the right to decide where and when these vehicles should be used.
As a skateboarder, parent and professional, I expect our elected officials to promote physically and intellectually stimulating activities like skateboarding as a means of community development. Despite a growing acceptance in mainstream culture, unreasonable limitations continue to make legal participation in skateboarding nearly impossible for the majority of the state’s population. The current law limits skateboarding participation in a way that would never be considered acceptable for participants in bicycling, football, soccer or virtually any other sport. With obesity levels skyrocketing, how can we expect Wisconsin’s youth to become more active when state officials make it difficult to participate in a physically demanding activity like skateboarding?
Skateboarding has a rich history of innovation and cultural significance in the United States. It is a truly American invention that promotes both self-reliance and collaboration; both independence and community. It is a sport that has produced some of this country’s brightest visionaries, entrepreneurs and artists.
While I think that it would be in our best interest to promote this activity on a grand scale, at the moment I am asking only that you give a local municipality the autonomy to decide where skateboarding is appropriate within its borders.
