The idea for a dirt bike park has been brought forward before, and I'm certain there are plenty of cons and workarounds. The point is this: While skateboarding has certainly taken the long road toward its status as an acceptable pastime by our dominant culture — finally receiving state and city funding for the creation of that park in Hampden — dirt biking is a nonstarter. Teachers are routinely told to find the students' passions and outside interests and draw on them to engage students. We have detailed knowledge of this passion, and even a passing observer can see that an opportunity exists here — that it is, in many ways, a sport that engenders pride and even a fan base. And god knows we have the land: blocks and blocks of crumbling vacant row homes. And yet.