This is an interesting idea.
Last weekend, I went down to Burlington to take part in an open house for a skateboard school with Anthony. You see, hes a beginner in the “sk8ter” world and I thought it would be fun to go. When we got there, the place was full of kids doing their tricks under the watchful eyes of the schools trainers. While Anthony was ripping it up (is that really a term…I dont know. Im just a DAD whos trying to be hip and “kewl”) I had a chance to talk with the schools owner Jody Eagan (Skateboard and Inline Skate School) and I asked him if there was a chance he would expand to Milton.
He’s tried on a number of occasions, unsuccessfully, to get something done in Milton. There are a number of parents in Milton, who like myself, will be taking their kids to this school to help teach them the basics of skateboarding, and how to do it safely.
As many of the parents in town wonder…what WILL my kid do when he/she gets bigger. There seems to be very little for kids in their teens to do in this growing town. Some people have suggested bowling alley’s which are very expensive to start up and trends showing participation in the sport beginning to dwindle. What will our teenagers do? Hang out at the movie theatre? Thats good for maybe one day a week. What of the other 6?
This type of park is exactly what Milton needs to give kids a place to go, learn a sport like skateboarding and BMX’ing, and hang out with friends in a supervised environment.
Email miltonindoorpark@hotmail.com and show your support!
In today’s Champion there is an article about exactly this.
Support for indoor park hits promising heights
Steve LeBlanc, Canadian Champion Staff
December 11, 2009
It was an afternoon of chills and thrills.
The latter centred around a burgeoning bid to bring an indoor freestyle BMX/skateboard park to town, an idea that’s quickly gained plenty of excitement from local youth.
Amidst sub-zero temperatures, dozens of youngsters and teens took to the outdoor facility beside Memorial Arena Sunday as Kim Hadfield — who’s spearheading the private endeavour — publicly announced her plan.
The park may not be a full-fledged go just yet, but seems to be much more than just a mother’s pipe dream, based on the ground swell of support received since Hadfield’s Facebook page ‘Who wants an indoor skateboard/bmx facility in Milton, Ontario?’ went up a few short weeks ago.
“My three kids all ride and I was getting sick of taking them to C. J.’s (in Etobicoke),” explained the longtime Miltonian, who owns and operates the Brookville Equine Centre (horse farm). “They (kids) put the idea out there of getting an indoor park built in Milton, but to be honest I really had no idea what to expect when I first put it out there.”
Within a few days the Facebook page had been visited by roughly 150 BMX and skateboarding enthusiasts, while the number of area youths rallying around the proposal is now approaching 600.
“I’m super stoked on this idea. Yeah, I’m in for any kind of help needed for building or anything if it’s needed,” posted one supporter.
Said another, “That would be so sick if we could (get indoor park built in town).”
Even more encouraging is the fact that Hadfield already has some financial backing for her prospective park.
Among those that have made preliminary commitments to the project are Toronto-based Want Beverages, which pledges 15 cents of every dollar made to helping build and maintain these types of youth facilities.
The Hadfield-Want relationship was forged through fellow Miltonian Bryden Tait, who now works for the company after recently selling Main Street’s Gearhead.
“We’re all for this project,” stressed Tait, who brought an ample supply of Want drinks for riders and boarders Sunday. “There’s definitely a big need for this in Milton.”
Echoing those sentiments was Campbellville’s Paul Berger, a 27-year-old pro BMXer who’s agreed to help Hadfield design the park.
“There’s not many (parks) around and it’s something this town really needs,” said Berger, who along with fellow adult rider Kevin McLean will lend his expertise to the project.
Tentatively eyeing a warehouse facility along Lawson Road (near Wal-Mart) as a suitable location for the estimated 20,000-square-foot park, Hadfield has also gained some financial support from Focus Skateboards and FigJam Apparel Inc.
Her ultimate vision for the facility which she hopes to open sometime in 2010 — is for it to be a multi-purpose youth drop-in centre that would be partially funded by a nominal user fee for riders and boarders.
“Hopefully sponsorship will pay for most or all of the construction and then I’ll just have to worry about the overhead,” she said, adding, “Even when the weather’s nice there’s some parents who don’t want their kids coming here (outdoor facility) after the armed robbery we had here this past summer. We need somewhere that our children can go and be safe.”
“I’m really excited about this,” said Hadfield’s 14-year-old daughter, Brooke, the youngest of the family’s riders. “I’ve got a lot of friends who BMX and skateboard so we really need an indoor park here.”
Those wishing to support the project can contact Hadfield at miltonindoorpark@hotmail.com .
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This is great news for any enthusiast of the sport. This is a great place for a thing like this and I’m pumped to see the results!
Best thing to do is get into contact with her and see what can be done to help promote it. I think it would be a fantastic idea and a safe place for our tweens, teens etc to go. – Mike
i think that skateboarder should have there own skate park but i am a BMX rider and we should also have are own park to ride in becaouse skaters always get in my way when im riding… Last time i cliped him because he cam out of nowhere. so to all BMX riders i have a great point. i dont care about skaters anymore becaouse the are in the way of everything all the jumps and like everywhere downtown.
but also to all the city workers in timmins build a BMx park for BMX only !!!