CONSTRUCTION OF 10,000 SQ. FT. SKATEPARK COULD BEGIN IN SPRING
First-generation skateboard rider Tony Hawk once said that “skateboarding is an art form, a lifestyle, and a sport.”
Most skaters today agree that skateboarding is more than riding rails and flipping boards, it’s an exhilarating action that spills into various aspects of the active participant’s life. Skaters have developed their own argot and dress code. The culture of skateboarding is heavily influenced by famous skaters; their values, style, and experiences are reflected in the lifestyle and social hierarchies that exist in the skateboard community.
It’s estimated that there are 8.8 million active participants above the age of six. In addition to the growth in the popularity of professional skateboarders, much of the surge in the popularity of skating can be attributed to the creation and enhancement of skateparks. There are skateparks and makeshift sites popping up in communities all over the map.
In Riverside, the 5,382-square-foot Renner Brenner Skatepark has influenced the quality of life for countless active participants. Constructed in June of 2006, the designated space has provided young people with the opportunity to hone their skating skills and practice tricks.
While the existing skatepark features a concrete slab with prefabricated ramps, it lacks mainstream features like a flow bowl and many of the ramps need to be replaced.
City officials recently entered an agreement with Evergreen Skateparks to design a new 10,775-square-foot skatepark at Renner Brenner Park, just off NW Gateway Avenue at 2901 NW Vivion Road.
The design for the new skatepark encourages multiple styles of skateboarding, including transition and street-style skateboarding, said Noel Bennion, capital project and parks manager for the City of Riverside. Input from local participants has helped design a more dynamic park.
“When we proposed concepts at the skatepark onsite meeting, we heard that people would like a balance of different types of skating,” said Bennion.
To a great extent, the skatepark will allow participants to skate in a freeform state, in which skaters are able to carry out street-style skateboarding in a designated space. It also serves as a hub for meaningful social interaction, where participants can meet new skaters and practice their skills.
Part of the goal of this new park in Riverside is to provide an inclusive hub for recreational skateboarding.
“The current skatepark is used every day that weather allows. We received very valuable input from the survey, focus group, and community planning meeting that has been incorporated into the plan. Throughout the input process, it’s been fun to hear stories from skaters who have grown up learning how to skate at Renner Brenner Park. The skating community has emphasized that they want this to be an inclusive place for people of all ages and skate levels to learn and skate together,” said Bennion.
In the existing skatepark on Saturday morning, Oct. 7, Anthony Ferraro, a blind skateboarder with an inspiring story to share, spoke with parents and children about the impact skateboarding has had on his life. Ferraro grew up skating with his brother and later started skating with other blind skateboarders who taught him how to skate with his cane.
“My buddy, Dan Mancina, taught me how to grind a ledge, and after that, I just fell in love with it and have kept skating ever since,” said Ferraro.
Ferraro immensely enjoys the satisfaction he feels when he lands a new trick. His unwavering determination has allowed him to descend stairs and skateboard mini ramps, and for that, he expresses his gratitude.
“Every day I am grateful that I can get on a board,” said Ferraro.
Ferraro is constantly gliding up half-pipes and dropping down vertical declines while focusing on the connection his feet have with the board. When he centers his mind on attempting a trick other distractions and concerns float away.
The most important thing to know about skateboarding is that it is challenging and, early on, falling is par for the course, said Ferraro.
“Just know you’re gonna fall, but it’s important to get back up and try again. Just like in life, there are times when you’re gonna fail, but if you keep moving forward you will progress,” said Ferraro.
Ferraro’s advice for aspiring skaters is to “just get out there and do it. The only way to get good at something or know if you like something is to try it. No matter your situation there are always ways to adapt to it and figure it out.”
On the sidelines, spectators noticed Ferraro’s movement was intentional and his intense focus could settle his equilibrium.
Grind for the Blind
Ferraro teamed up with Wildflower Wellness to host the first annual “Grind for the Blind” to raise funds to provide a tactile map of the future skatepark to aid skaters with visual impairment.
Grind for the Blind is a three-hour skateboarding event for families of children with visual impairment or blindness. During the event, Ferraro worked one-on-one with families and children demonstrating how accessible skateboarding can be.
Wildflower Wellness founder Blair Messina planned every detail for the event and hopes to raise sufficient funds to create a more adaptive skatepark. Attendees working with skate coaches were taught the basics of foot placement and were fitted with pads and helmets. They learn skateboard terms and body awareness, which is essential for beginners.
When the new skatepark is constructed, skateboarders of all ages and skate levels will be able to attempt a variety of new tricks. The conceptual design for the new skatepark will allow skaters to traverse two large flow bowls with a deep belly. The existing concrete skate pad will be preserved, but more features will be added, including street skate elements, quarterpipe, mini-ramp, and lighting.
A covered spectator area will be positioned between the two main features.
Construction of the proposed design concept is estimated to run about $500,000. The project has been on the city’s five-year capital improvement plan for a couple of years, but the planning process was officially set into motion last March when city officials selected the consultant for the project.
If all goes as planned, construction for this project is set to begin next spring, bringing an inclusive place for people of all ages and skate levels to learn and skate together, said Bennion.