Published: July 19, 2008 05:01 pm         

Skateboarders hone skills at local park

Safety rails, curbs, access ramps and picnic benches: all practical, common objects in the urban scenery. But to skateboarders, there is a temptation to turn those objects into a makeshift park.

And that often happened, to the dismay of law enforcement officers and many parents and business owners.

But no longer are skateboarders left to break rules, laws (and possibly their bones) to get their thrills and sharpen their competitive edge.

The Forsythe Transportation Skate Park, dedicated July 8 at the corner of Schopmeyer and Truelove streets in Heritage Park South, is a place where those of all ages who are into skateboarding can practice their skills to their heart’s content.

Toby Schofield, 19, is one of those thankful for a place to skateboard free of disapproving glares from certain peers and concerns for his safety from the non-skateboarding crowd.

“At school I had a lot of problems with the football players because I guess we were ‘punks’ to them and any one driving by and saw us on the sidewalk would yell rude things,” Schofield said. “I feel that some cops see us and also think ‘punks.’ We’re really not out there to break things like they believe. We’re just trying to have fun! I’ve had some very nice cops nicely tell me to please leave and that they use to skate so they understand, but I’ve also had some cops that had an attitude with us before they even stopped.”

Skateboarding struggles

Schofield said there is a lot of work that goes into perfecting skateboarding tricks and maneuvers. It’s a legitimate sport, he added, and one with plenty of voluntary sportsmanship.

“If people could just see us at a skate park, you usually see a lot of respect, people take turns on the ramps, we give props to those who landed a trick that they’ve never landed before, and we have a lot of fun,” he said.

Schofield, a Gainesville native, has been skating for about five years, but has owned a skateboard for longer because of his friends. Schofield wanted instead to ride BMX bikes, and pursued that hobby — until his bike was stolen.

He and his friends took to abandoned buildings and homemade ramps to hone their skills, he said.

“My favorite professional skater’s name is Rodney Mullen. I’ve seen several biography videos about his life, all he had was a little piece of cement in his garage, and he became pro,” Schofield said.

Briefly, there was an indoor skate park: Boardwalk at the Gainesville Factory Shops, which closed in less than a year.

“I loved it, I just think it had bad location,” Schofield said. “The skatepark we have now is almost the same set up. Boardwalk was better because Charles and his family were amazing and liked to support us. Plus me and several of my friends helped Charles and his family build that skatepark the summer before it opened, so it way more fun to skate in a place we had built with our own hands.”

In an interview last week, Charles Huddleston, the former owner of Boardwalk, which also sold teen and young adult clothing in a suite next door, said transportation was a problem for many of the skateboarders.

“Now we have a trolley,” he said, with a laugh. “... Many of the skateboarders were younger and did not drive, or they couldn’t afford to drive out every day. The outlet mall is a little far for them.”

Lisa Wolfe, a proponent of the skate park and the parent of a skateboarder, agreed the location was a problem.

“The kids had to rely on their parents to get them out there and the fact that some folks may not have had the financial means to pay the fees and rent the safety equipment too,” she said. “The Huddlestons were fabulous folks that really cared about the kids in the community. They were so there for the boarders with kind words and encouragement and their son, Dallas (Huddleston), was a terrific role model. I really hated to see the business fold.”

Schofield said some of the ramps from Boardwalk were taken to the former Gainesville Memorial Hospital building on O’Neal Street, where then-co-owner Paul Sidener allowed them to set up a mini-park.

“We had them on the helicopter pad, it was maybe half the size of the new skate park, and there was probably just as many kids everyday on it as you would find any day at the new park,” Schofield said.

Sherman, Denison, Denton and Ardmore, Okla., were the nearest parks to Gainesville at the time.

“Of course there are many in the (Dallas/Fort Worth) Metroplex area but most are private and need notarized releases from parents for under aged kids and charge hefty entrance fees,” Wolfe said. “Then there are the high-priced beverages and food available. A lot of boarders just don't have the resources to access these private parks or they may not have the ride to get to the public ones that are a minimum of 30-40 miles away.”

How it came together

Schofield was behind a prior effort to get an outdoor skate park built in Gainesville, along with his friend, Luke Lanham.

“He was more focused on because his mother was a huge help, but we were the ones who started it up first,” Schofield said. “We even had set up a booth at Depot Days one year with ramps and a ticket drawing for things that local business had donated.”

The boys raised funds at the Depot Day event through drawings and a donation jar, though the funds went to a community parks account and was not earmarked for the skatepark.

The movement planted a seed for the city’s interest in building a skate park.

A meeting was held at the Gainesville Civic Center in January, though it was learned that the city Parks and Recreation Department had no money for the park, which would cost in the neighborhood of $50,000.

That is, until a private donor stepped up.

Bill Forsythe, owner of Forsythe Transportation Inc., impressed by the persistence of Michael Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick, with some friends, waited outside Forsythe’s Main Street business office in the early evening and asked him “What time do you close?” hoping to use the business’ handicap access ramp for a skateboarding obstacle.

“I thought that was very sophisticated for someone his age,” Forsythe said, at the grand opening of the skate park.

Forsythe agreed to pay $9,300 upon completion of the park before Aug. 1, with a bonus for every day ahead of schedule it was finished.

Growing interest

Schofield said he is satisfied the park as it stands now, but some shade would help.

“Its right in the middle of the sun. I hope to see it expanded pretty soon too,” he said. “The park looks like its only built for about 10-15 kids at a time, and I’ve seen well over 20 kids there on good days.”

Wolfe said size is the key to keep the park going strong.

“There are so many kids wanting to use is that it can be quite a snarl at times. They need more room to move and maybe some tables and seating to the sidelines for observers,” Wolfe said.

Though the skateboarding community have regulated their own affairs so far, there are some issues to be ironed out, Wolfe said.

“Onlookers are wanting to use the grinding picnic table equipment as seating and it is causing issues with the skaters. Also we need a way to enforce the rules of conduct and foster more parental involvement,” she said. “We need to get the parents over and observe their children and provide guidance to the younger children. It makes the kids so proud when their parents take an interest in their sport, skateboarders are no different.”

Wolfe said the hobby boosts self-esteem, keeps skateboarders fit and brings parents and skateboarding children closer together.

She said skateboarders coming to the park also have easy access to downtown Gainesville’s amenities.

“One of the wonderful advantages about skating in Gainesville in my opinion is that fact that the whole community is accessible. What I mean is that when a country/outlying area kid comes to town to skate he/she is not only familiar with our city to begin with but it’s small enough that they can ride their board to get something to drink or eat easily,” Wolfe said. “The kids can get from one end of town to the other on their boards in no time flat.

Wolfe said skateboarding is gaining acceptance as a legitimate sport, and Gainesville is keeping up with progress in the sports world by building a park.

“I have learned that skateboarding is being seriously considered for the summer Olympics in the very near future. It did not make it this year, but most likely in 2012 in London,” she said. “Hey, snowboarding made it to the winter Olympics, we watched last time and it was so exciting and fun to see our free spirited young people standing on the podium and getting their medals and representing everything that's good about our country; and BMX made it to Beijing this year, I believe.

“This sport is going to be the wave of the future as it encompasses kids of all walks of life, not just the privileged,” she continued. “Maybe we can get some of the older kids/young adults to conduct some workshops for the youngsters.”

Reporter Andy Hogue grew up on a gravel road and never learned to skateboard, but might give it a go soon if anyone is offering to give him a quick lesson. He may be reached at andyhoguegdr@ntin.net