Skateboarders are a misunderstood group.

I was at a meeting last week, and the trail-paving proposal was brought up. When the suggestion was raised that skateboarders might use the trail, there was uproar and protest.

"They already have a nice skate park," said one person at the meeting. They were referencing the old arena site, where a fantastic cement pad was turned into a really great park for skateboarders, and one of the only places in the community not off limits to the four-wheeled boards and their riders.

It's not the first time I've heard the word "skateboarder" said with more disdain than a curse word.

When I grew up in Thornbury, I spent a lot of time at the skate park after it was built. I also spent time walking the street while the boys skateboarded along side. They would try some tricks in front of my Napier St. house. I was mostly on roller blades, though I did manage to master the Ollie, a staple skateboard stunt.

None of us were ever convicted of a crime. We didn't rob convenience stores, downtown shops or neighbours. We didn't steal garden gnomes or paint curses on the school walls. I didn't put off-colour bumper stickers on my walls and I didn't sell cigarettes to preschoolers.

In fact, several of us played instruments in a youth band at St. Paul's Presbyterian  Church, most of us rode skateboards to practice every week.

Skateboarding for me and my non-gang group of friends, was entertainment. We'd take our parents old video cameras to the skate park and try to reenact the Tony Hawk videos we watched. Every once in a while one of us would show up with a disposable camera and use all 24 exposures for one good shot of a kick flip and 22 blurry shots of wipe-outs and one shot of the guy with the new Chad Muska shoes.

Skateboarding was always a good way to exercise, and even an effective method of transportation. My brother used to deliver papers from his skateboard.

The sound of a skateboard scratching along some pavement, speeding up every time the boarder gave a push with their free foot, always meant that friends were on their way over.

Skateboarders aren't social deviants, rebels or criminals. Social deviants, rebels and criminals might be skateboarders, but they may also be mountain bikers, roller bladders, cross country skiers, joggers and even Prius owners.

If the trail is paved according to plan, I hope that skateboarders do use it, and I hope they aren't banned from yet another part of the community.