Freestyle * bike riding is not a crime. Neither is roller hockey. But neither has a place in Santa Cruz for those who enjoy them.

That may change, though, as park planners are considering adding a BMX course and roller-hockey rink at Derby Park * behind Natural Bridges Elementary School.

Derby, built in 1979, is home to what parks officials say is the nation’s oldest skateboard park, a long concrete bowl called "The Snake."

The 3.5-acre park also has a playground, tennis courts, sand volleyball court and plenty of grassy open space.

"It’s always been a question, whether we should re-do Derby," said city park planner John Akeman. "We can’t alter hallowed ground, but we’ll enhance and preserve it."

This summer, the Parks and Recreation Commission approved $150,000 in grant money to explore adding a BMX bike course and roller hockey rink at Derby.

The process is just beginning, Akeman said, and after Jan. 1 staff members will begin polling the community to see what it wants there.

Local skateboarders worked for years to get places of their own, and now have the Fun Spot near the wharf and a few other county skate parks, but BMXers are prohibited from using those ramps.

"Can you imagine telling BMXers no after skaters got a place?" Akeman said. "And there are (in-line skaters) all over the place. We had two dozen kids in skates at the Park and Recreation Commission meeting in June."

Roller hockey is thriving at the Santa Cruz Roller Palladium and at a Scotts Valley rink, Akeman said, adding the department will be sensitive to what Derby neighbors want, too.

"We see what the neighbors see (during early-morning park clean-ups)," he said. "We want to be very respectful to them. We simply have an opportunity to do something here."

Dianna Anderson lives in a home that backs up to Derby Park and has three grown kids who played there, but balked at the idea of more facilities.

"There needs to be something for teens and pre-teens, but that is crossing the line," she said. "This is a residential neighborhood. I can’t imagine it becoming more of a zoo."

Other neighbors worried about parking, while some liked the current quiet but said they would support bike and roller hockey facilities.

"It’s not exactly what I’d like, but I’d support it," said Michele Hooks, who lives in the neighborhood and often brings 3-year-old Cooper there.

"Teens need a good outlet for physical things they enjoy," she said.

The Spokesman bicycle shop in downtown Santa Cruz has a petition in the store urging local government leaders to make a place for BMXers, or freestyle bike riders, to roll and fly through their tricks.

There are none in the county, Spokesman manager Jason Carr said.

The bicyclists make do where they can, on informal dirt jumps at DeLaveaga Park or at facilities over the hill.

A course at Derby would thrive, said Carr, a BMX rider himself.

"Some kids really want to ride but give it up because they have nowhere to do it," he said.

Chris Wright runs a skateboard and BMX course for the San Lorenzo Valley Youth First Teen Center at Felton Bible Church.

Bicyclists come from as far as San Francisco * and Salinas, but the course is open just four afternoons weekly, he said.

"There’s definitely a need," Wright said. "There are more skateboarders on a national level, but locally there is a strong skate and bike community.

"They’re filling stadiums for people to come see this stuff now. It’s on the rise. They’ve got new heroes."

Skateboarder Josh Peterson, 27, of Santa Cruz, was cruising peacefully through The Snake one afternoon last week. He said Derby is mellower than the Fun Spot.

He paused, skateboard in hand, as he considered sharing the park with BMXers.

"Well, they probably do deserve it," he said. "Anything that supports unorganized sports, I’m for. They don’t get as much attention."

Carr, of The Spokesman, said there is some conflict between skaters and BMXers at the rookie level, but that the bike and skateboarders sometimes collectively frown upon in-line skaters.

"That’s where the prejudice is," he said.

Akeman, the park planner, knows it won’t be an easy ride.

"It will get a lot of attention," he predicted.

This article was originally entitled "Plan would add BMX course, roller hockey to Derby Park skateboard track" and was found at http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ archive/2002/November/04/local/ stories/03local.htm

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