I'm getting tired of all the miserable people in this city, who think all 12-year-old kids with skateboards are criminals. You should think back a few years, when you had kids.

There is nothing more annoying than the bounce, bounce, bounce of a basketball. You never thought when they played basketball in the driveway, that your kids were bothering anyone.

Well, they bothered me; but I didn't call the police on your kids. I was able to understand it was only a kid playing the latest sport.

It's pretty disgraceful that our city and its council would rather promote the most violent sport in the world by putting in two hockey arenas.

I have never seen skateboard kids hitting each other over the head with their boards. For that matter, I have never seen them fighting.

Hockey used to be a game of skill, now it's only for the big and burly.

Skateboarding is open to any kid, no matter what their build or size. The kids on skateboards are physically fit, and maybe that's why the miserable people think they don't belong here and don't deserve a skate park. After all, this city is full of overweight people.

I suppose they would be happier if the kids were all addicted to video games and doughnuts. People need to catch up, there's a new sport in town.

Ruth Green

Maple * Street

St. Catharines

This article was originally entitled "Leave Skateboard Kids Alone" and was found at http://www.canada.com/stcatharines/story.asp? id=%7B4C2240DF-6F2D-416D-9C91-710E714509BD%7D

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