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Medford opens off-street skate park photo by Bob Pennell By Joanna Collins With the opening of a new skate park in Bear Creek Park this afternoon, Medford kids will have a place where "rail slides," "grinds" and "kick flips" are allowed. But will it stop skateboarders and rollerbladers from taking advantage of popular spots like the Jackson County Justice Building, the YMCA and the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater? "Probably not" seems to be the general consensus of several kids who hang out at the justice building before and after school. Still, they�re excited about a new place to skate, and many plan to attend the opening this afternoon. It�s all a matter of "street," a flat style of skating utilizing rails, stairs and benches in public places, versus "vert," a style that is more common in skate parks with bowls. Mitchell Kezer, 14, says he thinks about half the kids will be regulars at the new park. Even though he started skateboarding only a few months ago, he already favors the kick flips, stairs and grinds that aren�t available in parks. Grinds are when a skater slides along ledges. "A lot of kids just like street," says Mitchell. "That�s always been the excuse that they�ve had, that there�s �no place for us to go,�" says Lt. Tim George of the Medford Police Department. "...They have a first-class facility now; there�s no reason for them to �grind,� as they say, on the front steps of the justice building." Try telling that to 14-year-old Chris Ashford, who�s racked up two of his three rollerblading tickets at the justice building. Why is he still there? The answer is simple, according to the kids. They say one of the best places to grind in all of Medford is a bench near the fountain. "It�s a really nice ledge," Chris says. Another reason for staying at the justice building, kids say, is that it�s closer to home and the school they attend. "It�s so close you can wake up and come here," says 13-year-old Brittney Dale. In Ashland, however, the recent addition of a skate park has had a positive outcome. "We did see a decline in skateboard violations when the park opened and it occurred almost immediately," says Capt. Lisa Brooks of the Ashland Police Department. Highlights of the new Medford park include a competition-size bowl up to 10 feet high. Then there�s the ominous 13-foot pillar in a second bowl, daring the more risky skaters to go up, straight up, to the top. Pete Young, project coordinator for the Medford Parks Department, says the curving cement, rails, landscaping and artwork make it something special. "It�s not just a skate park, it�s something really aesthetic,�� Young says. The park includes areas, complete with picnic tables, for kids to hang out and watch other skaters. This summer, landscaping will include lawns, shrubs and trees. With these additions, Young hopes kids will see it as more than a place to skate. "I think there will be a sense of ownership out of that,�� he says. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA