FROM THE EDITOR

At the playground, I've noticed that there are two sets of parents: the helicopters and the hanger backs.

The helicopters hover over their young child's every move. Moms spot their sons on the monkey bars, so the kid is never more than an arm's length away. A dad accompanies his daughter to the top of the ropes, while a bewildered four-year-old is forced to wait behind the six-foot something man.

I try mightily to be the other sort. We hanger backs stand at the boundaries of the playground. We like to think we're better than helicopters. But we're every bit (maybe more) conflicted than they. See, we hanger backs are ready to storm in stealthily when our child hits a danger zone that we can't define but certainly can recognize.

The other day I talked with another hanger back dad. (Talked to him - didn't look at him - because I couldn't take my eyes off my son that long.) We lamented how we've all become so darn safety conscious, how we just can't seem to allow our children to relax and find the adventure play we used to have.

That's why I took some comfort and joy at two news reports that crossed my desk recently. The articles pointed out that recreation professionals are themselves negotiating the murky territory between the thrilling aspects of play and our necessity for safety.

This February, the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District ruled that on its fields no ball player under the age of 13 may use a metal bat with a barrel larger than 2 1/4 inches. Balls fly off the new fangled fat bats at speeds that can endanger fielders, park officials believe.

I hate to see an agency diminish the joy of hitting for any ball player. But, at the risk of sounding like an old codger, wood was good enough for us. And, back in the 70s, I never saw a liner rifle off a ten-year-old's bat fast enough to concuss a third baseman.

But if the bats at our park districts aren't as fat as they could be, I trust that park and recreation professionals are well trained, educated and innovative enough to ramp up the thrill level in a safe way.

Case in point: Freeport Park District's Read Park will soon be the home of Little Cubs Field, built to the exact scale of Wrigley Field, but smaller - 100 feet down the foul lines and 112 feet to the center field fence. The wiffleball and peewee league-sized field will have ivy-covered brick outfield walls (made from actual Wrigley Field ivy cuttings); a hand-operated centerfield Scoreboard with flags, pennants, and the clock on the top; and a basket over the outfield walls. There will even be Sheffield and Waveland Avenue street signs outside.

The idea is fun. It's surprising. It's safe. All the things helicopters and hanger backs hope for. But that isn't unexpected. When our public park and recreation agencies hire professionally trained people who know how to listen to a community and meet its demands, we invite cool things to happen.

RODD WHELPLEY

Editor

www.ILparks.org May/June 2006 4