Glendale opened their X-Court on a sunny Saturday in early October of 2007.  Of course a bunch of people rushed in and started riding and skating right away.  I wasn’t riding because I wanted to do a really good job of documenting this particular grand opening.  It didn’t take long, however, before a guy behind me started bitching about the bike riders.  He was the parent of a little skater, and he said very loudly to his child, “We aren’t staying here long, you’re going to get run over.”  Being ever the documentarian, I turned my camera his way and asked if he cared to expound on his theory.  He declined.  I told the guy, “I’m making a documentary about bikes in skateparks and I’d like to get everybody’s opinion.”  He asked me how I felt about the subject.  I told him, “It doesn’t really matter how I feel, I’m trying to put together a fair piece that examines all sides, so if you feel bikes don’t belong in this park, lets get your opinions on tape.”  The guy denied to speak on camera, so I told him, “I guess you don’t feel that strongly about what you just told your kid, because you can’t even discuss it in an open forum.”  He just grunted. 
 

"I don't believe enough in what I just told my kid to say it again on camera"      

Unfortunately for fairness in media, this guy was the only person I heard all day that had an issue with bikes in the X-Court.  It’s just as well, though.  I still haven’t met a skater or parent in Arizona that was willing to talk on camera about how horrible bikes are in skateparks.  Hell, I talked to a newspaper reporter that interviewed skaters about the bikes in skateparks issue, and the skaters would only tell him they didn’t want bikes in “their” skateparks off the record.  At the end of the grand opening day, I was convinced I would have to look further than the X-Court if I wanted to get opposing opinions on tape for my documentary, because everyone was getting along too well at that place. 

During the last X-Court Advisory Committee meeting before the park opened, Paul Bernardo, Recreation Coordinator for Glendale Parks and Rec Special Events and Special Use Facilities, gave instructions to the volunteers who would be in the X-Court helping to keep order during the course of opening day.  He said they would all be given whistles, and proceeded to give instruction for their use.  A short blast on the whistle was to be given for little things, like if a kid got out of hand with the old cusswords and such, and a long, extended blast was to be given if someone was seriously hurt, or a fight broke out.  You know what?  I didn’t hear one volunteer’s whistle blow all day, and that’s not because I had headphones on.  I was listening to the pickup of a very good shotgun microphone through them headphones.   

This California kid won the ledge/rail skate contest with his double kickflip down the stair set, his tre-flip down the same, and his soupbowl haircut.

But I didn’t just get great audio, I got great video as well.  I borrowed a jib from a friend and I was able to get some incredible shots starting from the base of the fence, going up and over the fence to reveal bike riders and skaters sharing the park.  What’s up, production value!  I got the speeches from the dignitaries and the ribbon cutting, and I snagged good footage of the skate and bike rail/ledge contests, and the bike jump box comp to boot. 

One thing I didn’t really get on tape was the bands.  The first one was pretty good, even though they did a lot of covers.  They did their covers justice, so I quickly forgave them.  The second band was……….welllllll…...  Let me just say that when they announced their last song, cheers went up from all over the park.  Cheers for the first time since the band went on.