Big Kids

Words and video by Michael Breitmaier

While getting kicked out of spots, skaters hear all sorts of things, but the classic “You can’t play here!” always stands out as especially ridiculous.

However, there could be some, albeit small, wisdom to that sentiment. There exists a certain type of playground that looks amazing to skate (you know the type), but sadly, many of these feature ground made of a soft foam material that’s not conducive to skating.

As you can see in the video above, we didn’t let that stop us.

After some experimentation, my friends and I figured out that going fast and powering through the seemingly too-soft-to-skate surface sometimes yielded results. For the most unskateable of these locations, we went during the winter, after the cold had a chance to harden the foam so our wheels didn’t sink in as much. Plus, nobody is around on a 30-degree day. 

Sure, skating these playgrounds takes a lot of energy. Energy that would usually be better applied to toward street skating. However, if you’re over being talked down to by security guards or just want a day off from acting like an adult, then you might have some luck checking out a playground. 

Additional filming: Daniel Frank & Taryn Ward

Featuring: Michael Faller, Michael Breitmaier, Daniel Frank, Ben Snawder, Andrew Bawhintimer, Japhey Dow, Dane Varalli, and Anthony Ferrari

Photo By Kyle Hofsass