Unknown by many but a definite attraction for some, the Allen Skate Park is used by quite a few students who wish to practice their skateboard tricks.

“I [go to the skate park] every other day,” sophomore Mark Blevins said. “I’ve been skating for three years or so. It’s the real deal.”

The skate park has many cool features, and people use it for a variety of reasons.

“[The skate park] is the second biggest concrete park in the state so it’s pretty big, and there’s lots to do,” junior Sam Beaty said. “It’s more fun than anything to meet new people and make friends from all over. I’d say that’s even better than doing a trick. Because at the skate park I’ve got friends from all over the metroplex, and we still see each other all the time.”

However, having so many teengers in one place can lead to problems.

“[The kids at the skate park are mostly] teeangers, so we know they are going to act up,” youth program supervisor William Diaz said. “I mean, we do have cameras out there, so that helps kind of curb some of the inappropriate behavior as far as, you know, theft and stuff like that. They are teenagers, so they still are going to curse and do that kind of thing.”

There are steps taken to make sure the kids are safe and behaving.

“We go outside and do hourly counts, we’ll do attendance, and in addition to that we’ll check the park for vandalism or whatever,” Diaz said. “We’ll also kind of be available for any parents that are out there that may see anything going on as far as bad behavior or vandalism or anything like that.”

There are consequences if the kids act up.

“We just kind of address [the problems as they] come up, usually we give them a warning at first; if it’s something that continues then we’ll remove them from the park,” Diaz said. “We usually don’t ban them or anything for an extended period of time, but it’s usually just for the rest of the day, we just tell them they have to leave. But mostly we try to build positive relationships with them to where they are more likely to behave or stay in line.”

Though there are restrictions, the skate park is still a fun place for teenagers to hang out and do what they love.

“The feeling of flowing into the air with my skateboard is a thrilling moment of the day,” Blevins said.