Q1 I2 Benchmark

For this year's I2 project I am choosing to "make" something. Although I will have to learn a few new "skills" along the way, the guiding project type is a physical creation. I live on a quiet street in suburban Petaluma. Both of the neighboring houses have young kids who are constantly skateboarding in our street. Petaluma does have a skateboard park, but given the age of the kids, and a myriad of other activities (alcohol, drugs, etc.) that occur at the local skatepark, the parents do not want their children going to the skate park.

It is clear to me that these kids LOVE skateboarding! And although they are all under 10 years old, they seem to be really getting good. From the moment I pull my car into the street each evening, I can hear the familiar sound of their boards smacking against the ground as they try over and over to master a certain trick, or land a particular jump. Watching these kids is truly a nostalgic experience for me. I was once one of those kids, and skateboarding was a huge part of my physical, emotion and artistic maturation.

In conversation with the parents of these kids a few weeks ago, it became clear to me that they could use a more consistent and safe place to practice their skills. Currently they creating make-shift ramps that they build and break down each day, moving them to and from the street each evening. Keeping this in mind, I have decided to lead a project to build a mini (3 ft) half-pipe in an open space between my house and the neighbor to the left of our house.

This will provide a contained space for the kids to practice that is not in the street, and an easy for parents to monitor as they skate. More importantly, the ramp offers a medium that will allow similar skill development to the skate park in Petaluma, without requiring the young skaters to visit the park themselves for the reasons stated above. I have a few models in mind, and have consulted a few videos on line to get started.

Although a foot higher than the ramp I plan on building, the below video is an example of similar project:

Another example  of a similar ramp construction can be seen below:

Although the above video only demonstrates the construction of a "quarter pipe" it provides nice information as one potential idea is to build two quarter pipes and unite them. I plan on consulting the above two, along with many other online resources that I will share in subsequent benchmark blog posts as the process continues. 

In conversation with their neighboring parents, below is a timeline we have agreed to follow: 

1. October: Design and print a 3D model of the ramp. 
2. November: Scale 3D model to size, and purchase/store necessary material. 
3. December: Cut material to size and shape ramp transitions. 
4. January: Build skeleton structure to ramp and purchase/secure weather covering tarp for ramp. 
5. February: Apply surface to ramp and test.
6. March: Re-evaluate and re-build portions if necessary. 
7. April: Skate ramp and develop safety and supervision contract and system with local parent.s 
8. May: Host informal skate competition at ramp with local kids.