So, you took your son and daughter to theX Games last year and they got one look at Kerry Getz * and Tony Hawk * flying through the air and they decided right then and there they wanted to be a skateboarder.

Along with the rest of the passing interests, the guitar that sits unplayed, the soccer cleats in the garage and the ice skating lessons that went nowhere, this must be the next phase, right?

Maybe not.

"It's a lifestyle," said Steve Bradley, a skater and employee at Board Stiff in Media. "Everybody I know that skates, it's not all they think about, but it's always in their mind. The way they dress is from a skateboarding background. The way they act is from a skateboarding background. It's the basis of someone's lifestyle."

Bradley should know. The 22-year-old has been skating most of his life. Like the rest of the knowledgeable staff at the Media shop, he knows every nook and cranny of Delaware * County, skateboard-style.

For around $130, a new skater can get set up with a board, trucks * and wheels *. Then it's all up to them.

Bradley expects there will be another new generation of skateboarders after this summer. He has seen a sharp increase in sales since the X Games came through Philadelphia * last year and he is expecting the same sort of reaction again.

It's not just kids, Bradley said. The twenty- and thirtysomethings who stopped skating years before have been bitten by the bug again.

The X Games kick off in earnest this weekend with events at the First Union Center and around Philadelphia. For those who want a taste of X-treme action, the X Games features an Interactive Village, a complex where fans can try activities, meet athletes and score some free giveaways.

Like most longtime skaters, Bradley is skeptical of the X Games and the influence ESPN * has over his beloved sport.

"As far as the X Games go, it's good for business," Bradley said. "It's good to get the kids out to see the pros. It helped make skateboarding huge. But personally, I won't go down to see it."

Bradley, like most skaters, is a street skater, a discipline that requires skaters to be creative when turning tricks. There are no set-up ramps, no half-pipes for street skaters.

All you have are your board, yourself and whatever your environment provides, be it railings or benches or curbs.

"The best place to learn is skating with your friends in a cul-de-sac or in your neighborhood," Bradley said. "I don't recommend skate parks to kids who are just beginning because they are going to run into people who know what they're doing and they could get hurt."

There are no skate parks in Delaware County. The closest are in Avondale, Chester County, Willow Grove and in Ocean City, Md.

The most well-known natural skate park was in Philadelphia's FDR Plaza, better known as LOVE Park *. Skaters from all over the world came to Philadelphia to test their skills at the park, and its popularity spread through video games and word of mouth.

That is, skaters used to come to LOVE Park. That was before the city renovated the park and made it inhospitable to skaters who are now not welcome.

Plans for a sanctioned skate park in Philadelphia near the Art Museum have been put on hold as city council members fight over the logistics.

With no skate parks, and with Philadelphia out of the equation, kids in Delco do their riding in the street -- if they can find a street where skateboarding is allowed.

In Springfield, skateboarding is a crime in all public places. Media restricts skating in the downtown area.

Bradley said the crackdowns have the opposite effect on young skaters.

"When skateboarding is banned, it's going to make kids want to do it more," Bradley said.

According to Bradley, the best places to skate are big open parking lots, especially at high schools. The best, Bradley said, was Strath Haven, but the school has since been placed off limits by police.

With a sigh, Bradley repeats the often-heard lament of most skaters. "Skateboarding," he said, "gets a bad rap."

It may look a little unorthodox. Its participants may not be cut from the "Leave it to Beaver" mold and the sport may scare a certain generation.

But if you give it a try, it may lead to a whole new outlook on life. And that new skateboard could get considerably more use than that out-of-tune guitar.

This article originally found at http://www.delcotimes.com/ site/news.cfm?newsid=5069345&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18171 &rfi=8

Search this site for more about Parents Grapple With Skateboard Phenomenon *