Replying to Help Finding Athletes to Shoot

So basically lately, I've been in need of some subjects/ athletes to shoot and I'm just wondering how you guys make connections to go out and shoot photos of different guys? The town I live in now doesn't have a skatepark, but a couple towns over does and I've gone over there and taken some photos of guys a few times before. All the guys there love the pictures, but it's always the same few guys skating there, so word never gets out that I'm looking for different people to take photos of. Should I just drive a half an hour to the next closest skatepark and introduce myself and ask if anyone wants some photos?
Sometime I would also like to go shoot some guys hitting street stuff, but when I asked thes local kids if they ever hit any street stuff they said no and that they never plan on skating any street either, which is pretty lame.

I know this is probably a problem with a lot of different parks and skaters out there, but everytime I go to this local skatepark, the cops always show up and are yelling at one kid or another, or are searching some kid for doing something. It's just dumb, and the kids are disrespectful and just jerks to any authority type figure.
I mean, obviously skating street is illegal too, but I would at least like to know that I'm with someone who knows when to call it quits and leave, where the local kids seem like they would just try and get into an argument or something.

I'm not just looking for skateboarders either, but I would like to shoot dirtbikers or rollerbladers or bikers, or just any action sports athletes. So basically what should I do to meet some different people? Just go and see what happens?
Thanks for any input guys.