December 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 58

in

communities often serve as second families for kids. Many kids are transformed by
the process of working to build a skatepark in their community, becoming impassioned advocates and engaged members
of the community. He challenged communities to pay attention and support and
understand these kids. With more kids
skating than playing Little League, " it's not
a subculture anymore, " he said.
The new skatepark at the Historic
Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta was the foun-

funding, and the launch of the PRORAGIS
benchmarking database system. She described new opportunities for professionalism, such as the NRPA Connect online
networking system, the Certified Parks
Past President
Dianne Hoover
at Opening
General
Session

Keynote Address: Not a
Subculture Anymore

and Recreation Executive level certification, and reaching the milestone of 100
accredited parks and recreation agencies.
With Hoover serving as the last professional member president of NRPA, the
Board of Directors voted to bestow the
president's title on CEO Barbara Tulipane.
Tulipane urged parks and recreation agencies to get ahead of the curve in these tough
economic times by embracing a conservation message. Research performed for the
America's Backyard initiative has revealed
that the protection of open space and natural resources especially resonates with the
public. The NRPA Conservation Task Force
released its new report on best practices in
conservation in Atlanta (see the November
2001 issue of Parks & Recreation), and Tulipane noted that parks must be a player in
solving environmental challenges.

" Hi, my name is Tony Hawk.
I'm 43 years old and I'm a
professional skateboarder, " laughed Hawk, whose
low-key and self-deprecating speaking style soon won
over the thousands in the audience. Hawk
briefly described his childhood and how
skating improved his self-confidence, despite a lack of public skating facilities.
After surviving the tough period when
skating became " uncool, " Hawk's career
turned around with the extreme sports
movement and he found that he now had
a voice people would listen to.

President/
CEO Barbara
Tulipane at
Opening
General
Session

So he founded the Tony Hawk
Foundation, which has funded
$3.9 million in skatepark construction in low-income areas in
49 states. Saying that the foundation is the most rewarding work
he does, Hawk noted skatepark

52	 Parks & Recreation   D E C E M B E R

2 0 1 1    w w w . N R P A . O R G

Skateboard
legend
Tony Hawk
keynote
address

dation's 400th skatepark, and Hawk said it
serves as an example of the empowerment
he would like to see in every community.
The foundation offers a resource guide to
give the steps to involve kids in the process
and communicate the value of skateparks
to community leaders. Skating is growing
globally, Hawk said, so more skateparks are
needed to broaden the fan base.
" Kids are very appreciative and thankful for a world-class skatepark, " he said.
" Look beyond the hair and tattoos-these
are valuable members of the community. "

An Aquatic Playground
After the Opening General Session, the
doors opened to the trade show, featuring more than 400 exhibitors. A multitude
of huge, colorful playgrounds rose from
the trade show floor, while a steady flow
of foot traffic helped exhibitors catch the
meeting's upbeat vibe. Some of the more
eye-catching exhibits included, appropriately enough, a skateboard ramp (with frequent live demonstrations) and 3-D ride
simulator.



December 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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December 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 1
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