The gathering storm: BMXers take Chaffey High out of commission.

CHAFFEY HIGH SCHOOL IN ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA used to serve not only as a prime location to film and train, but also to hang out and enjoy skating with your friends. Chaffey would appear to be every street skater's dream: it's a wide open school yard with different sized ledges, and many different obstacles. You never got kicked out--in fact it was legal to skate when it's "not a nuisance." Apparently, this terrain was not only prime for skateboarding, but bmx biking also. Biking was not exactly new at Chaffey; however, it became more popular, which led to more biking and more ruined ledges. Biking's impact on ledges is not the same as a skateboard's. Skateboards tend to round off the ledges, while bike pegs tend to rip off and shatter the square edge. The two different sports remained completely segregated at the school. There was a mutual understanding that bikers had their side and the skaters had theirs. After a while the damage of biking had begun to set in. The bikers were no longer satisfied with their si de. Just about every ledge in "biker-ville" had become so destroyed that no one could use them. As the bikers tried to expand their territory, the skaters defended their side. At first it was a calm explanation, "We don't want our side to end up like yours!" Then it escalated into violence. There were numerous physical fights, along with many threats. After one particular fight in which a biker was beaten up, the destruction started. At first a was only a few ledges that were hit. It was obvious that someone had struck the ledges with something. This did not deter the skaters. Finally, one individual decided to finish the job. Now every ledge is completely destroyed--huge three-to five-inch chunks were taken out. The sad part about the destruction of Chaffey is that it was not ruined by an authority, but rather a jealous individual. Nowadays you see spots that have been ruined because they are a bust or have been infiltrated by skatestoppers. It's such a shame that one person decided to ruin this utopian sc hool. Contrary to the perceptions of many, there aren't a lot of weekday spots in Southern California that are worry free. This is one spot crossed off the list. Chaffey, RIP.