In the Madison-Huntsville area, we may have just entered a renaissance of teenage social activities; however, in light of recent events we may be about to go to back into the stone ages.

Insanity Skate Complex recently opened its new addition of a skating rink. Over the summer it became a popular location to let loose and have some fun for many teenagers all over Madison. On Friday and Saturday nights Insanity became THE place to be. In fact it may have become too popular.  When you have that many unsupervised teens in one location, there is bound to be conflict. Insanity’s ascension was sudden and intense like an explosion.

Thanks to the incidents that occurred at Insanity over the summer, changes have been implemented in order to prevent anything else from taking place. Prior to the conflict Insanity opened its doors to the public for free. While you couldn’t participate in all of the activities that they have to offer, you could still enter for free. Now you must pay a fee for entry, which will give you access to one service while you are there. The entry fee also goes up in price the later it gets, so it may be in your best interest to go early rather than later. In addition to that they also have increased security and re-entry requires additional payment. BJHS Student and employee of Insanity Kouji Miyamoto said that he has noticed slower business on Friday Nights. This could be due to the incidents and the policy change, football season beginning, or more likely, a combination of the two.

Another popular destination for the Youth in the Area is Bridgestreet Town Center.  Recently, Bridgestreet has been the location of some teenage disputes. Bridgestreet already had a curfew system in place where minors weren’t allowed to wander around after a certain hour. They also had security guards in place to enforce its rules and regulations. Bridgestreet has yet to announce any major changes to its policies, but it is certainly a possibility that they may become less lenient toward teens.

The bottom line is that we (teens) are already limited when it comes to places to go socially. The few places that we do have may be taken away from us due to the actions of a small group of people.

From this point forward, we must hold each other accountable. Much of the conflict was unnecessary and could have easily been prevented. How can we complain about being treated like children or about having nothing to do if we conduct ourselves that way?

While I do realize the majority of teens haven’t added fuel to this fire, we are all still at risk of being burned. It’s much easier not play with matches than to extinguish a flame.