On the final Friday of 2005, a rare break in the clouds drew a small crowd of skateboarders to the newly opened Ballard Commons Park, where the concrete in the new skate bowl was almost dry. Squeegees and towels quickly removed the remaining moisture, and the skating began, again.

Selected curves and contours in the new bowl have been replicated directly from the old one, and veterans will be immediately familiar with the shallow end of this swimming pool built for skateboarding. Beginners should slide down into the bottom of the bowl and learn to pump their way up the transitions before they drop in from the edge. The new Ballard Bowl is a great place to learn the fundamentals of vertical skateboarding, and a great place to watch experienced rippers push the limits of their skills too. Please note that helmets and pads will make any learning safer and less painful in this world-class concrete sports facility, and that most injuries occur during the first month of learning to ride a skateboard.

For those familiar with the nuances of the old bowl, the hip between the deep and shallow ends has been reversed, so all you goofy footers out there can now hit it backside, if you know what we mean. But while some of the best tricks from its 2500 square foot predecessor can still be readily applied to the new Ballard Bowl's glass-smooth concrete and slippery Penrose coping, this version has a 4000 square foot footprint, and offers many, many new challenges so gnarly you'll just have to skate them to believe them.

But the real, lasting differences between the old and new Ballard Bowls have very little to do with skateboarding, which was enjoyed by over 10 million Americans in 2004, a rate that has remained relatively stable since 1987, when participation data first became available. Since 1973, when the urethane wheel was first produced, and the late 1950's, when the first kid nailed metal roller skate wheels to a 2x4, skateboarding itself has ridden a series of revolutionary waves that have pushed it further and further into our cultural and physical landscape.

Perhaps the most significant difference is the lack of a fence. In this fully integrated public space, skateboarders are no longer separated from spectators. This allows the skate bowl to play the same role as ice skating rinks and carousels, which have figured prominently in our parks for decades. The bowl brings people, both participants and spectators, to the park. Having people in the park makes the park safe and that feeling of safety allows more people to enjoy it.

When parks can be designed like this one to create spaces for all ages to participate in physical recreation, gather with friends, or just relax, we begin to offer a healthy mix of options.

As a network of skate parks in Seattle is planned and implemented, even more of these options will emerge. Though you're likely to see many adults skating at the Ballard Bowl, most skaters are kids and some start as young as 5 years old. The average skater is 14.

Site-specific skate parks and skate spots that respond to their locations and offer different terrain and character will make the network interesting and attractive to both skaters and spectators. Each community can develop a sense of pride about their unique facility as Ballard is already doing in The Commons.

Lower Woodland Skatepark, to be built this summer, will be a regional facility designed to help serve the needs of Northwest Seattle's skaters, and to relieve pressure on the already overcrowded Ballard Bowl. It will offer more diversified terrain with something for day one skaters, daily local skaters, and expert skaters. It will also offer a balance of transition skating terrain (curved surfaces like bowls, halfpipes, fullpipes, or cradles) and street skating terrain (angular surfaces like ledges, steps, rails or banks). River City Skatepark, a community-driven private facility that will be open and free to the public, is being planned in South Park. Marginal Way Skatepark, a sanctioned do-it-yourself project in SODO, is evolving along the historic lines of Burnside in Portland. The next regional skate park will be located in West Seattle and is currently under study. Planning and fundraising efforts for smaller skate spots in Roosevelt and Northeast Seattle are also underway.

These skateparks and others in Seattle's future will help provide relevant, alternative recreational opportunities for everyone.

We can't wait!

Scott Shinn and Kate Martin are co-founders of Parents for Skateparks