Stirling's . . .Favorite Kelowna DJ Spot gets plowed.

A short letter in relation to the bulldozing of our local spot:

City staff came in one day last week and bull-dozed Stirling’s Jumps. Thousands of hours of work obliterated because they were bike jumps. The probable theory that was a drinking and drug spot, garbage spread all around, evening parties, a definite deterrent for homeowners building or maintaining their homes on Dilworth Mountain. If “they’re making bike jumps, they're probably of a bad ilk“. “Don’t want those kids hanging around our neighborhood, they’re up to no good.”

I understand municipal laws, however it does not apply in this instance. These young men chose an area in the forest where no home could be built. They were not encroaching on any lots nearby. They were in the forest.These are the gentlemen whom we should admire, these teenagers who’ve snowboarded 50+ times this year at Big White, maintained part time jobs and have grades parents would be proud of. It is these same children who’ve been in my home, are respectful, polite, helpful, willing and self motivated to get up every Saturday and Sunday and build jumps.

These kids aren’t into crack or crystal meth, their high comes from a job done well, the satisfaction of “hitting the jumps.” Isn’t that what we want as community members of the future? The drive to succeed, to achieve, be self motivated, face our fears and not rely on the computer games, wallowing in obesity in front of a screen.


There is no alcohol involved during their weekend work-outs, there’s no loud music, I’m hoping there’s no profanity echoing but I don’t believe there is. The boys pack a lunch and take water and head to the foothills to have a day of fun. They come back home at dusk tired, dirty and satisfied. All garbage has been returned with them or disposed of using on site trash bags. I’ve witnessed this. They're not interested in finding a dealer to get them a fix, or scam someone into buying a bottle of liquor for them. They're not stealing from their families to get a high. They’re tired and want to discuss the day’s jumping events. And shower, eat, relax and sleep. Start all over again tomorrow. We are lucky to have these youth in our lives.


I’m proud of the many, many people out walking with or without dogs that stopped to watch the events and compliment the boys on performance and remark on how wonderful the building site was. It must of made the boys feel good about themselves to hear these adult’s compliments. I say hurray to Stirling’s Jumps. I admire these young men. I’m proud to know them…to live a true sense of life and see life is what you make it, not how you ingest it.


I’m disappointed in the way they were treated. Was it not possible to post a sign asking them to contact a city employee to discuss a resident’s concern? It only took one person’s phone call to destroy hundreds of hours of labor. Fear of teenagers is the underlying problem, fear that precipitated a phone call. It takes a lot of guts to talk to these fearful young men, it’s easier to undermine their efforts behind their backs than talk to them directly. Can you imagine arriving Saturday morning, ready for a day of fun and finding your project has been devastated, eradicated, gone forever. Hours and hours and hours of time…gone! What a sad day for these boys! The whole mess could have been resolved through communication, instead of taking the gutless way out and bulldozing the site bare.

Maybe now the teens can go buy a bottle or drugs; Then we can sit around the kitchen table talking about the degradation of youth instead of celebrating the pure clean fun they HAD at Stirling’s Jumps.