Capital Region Skaters Push for More Skate Parks

by Meadow Bombard

Skater Douglas Quimby using the Lake George Skate Park for hours after work.

Quimby and his friend Frankie Cavone in seventh grade starting their fundraising for the Lake George Skate Park - photo curtesy of Quimby's mom

Capital Region skater Douglas Quimby grew up skating on curbs and sidewalks in Lake George, scraping his knees and getting tickets. Years later, he turned his love for skating into a 7-year-long effort to help build Lake George’s first skate park.

When Doug was 5 years old, he fell in love with skateboarding. He taught himself how to skate by using the curb across from his house, but he started skating more on the streets as he got older.

“Skating was illegal in the village,” he remembered. “You’d get a ticket or have your board taken away. But having a skate park now is a nice, safe spot to go hang out and do the sport you enjoy in peace.”

Skaters improvised by using makeshift objects like curbs, benches, and handrails or skating on public property. This came with harassment and safety risks but felt like the only choice they had.

Quimby and other skaters reflect on how skating on different public properties would sometimes end up with them getting in trouble with police officers and store owners.

Quimby was in 7th grade when he started thinking about how much easier and safer skating would be if there was a designated spot for
it.

12-year-old Quimby was determined to solve his problem of having nowhere to skate, but the solution couldn't come overnight.

Quimby asked around until he found out that a concrete park would cost around $120K, and he would need to raise at least half of that for the town to match him and build the park.

Generations of skaters before him attempted at fundraising for a skate park but failed.

It took Quimby about 7 years of fundraising by doing pasta dinners, cooking dinner for churches and doing coin drops.

Lake George finally built their first skate park in Charles R Wood Park in 2015. “Apparently 7 years was the recipe,” Quimby joked.

The skate park is still not fully finished. Skaters like Quimby are still trying to raise money for phase 2 of the skate park to expand it. Every year Lake George holds Wild in the Trees, an event with live music and a skateboard competition in Charles R. Wood Park. The event helps skaters raise more money for phase 2, but they say they can’t make phase 2 happen by themselves.

“It’s harder now that my generation and I graduated from high school. If the younger generation is very passionate about it and has the right person around them steering them, it’s amazing what could get done,” Quimby said, encouraging the younger generation to keep fighting for Charles R. Wood Skate Park.

Grand Opening of Lake George Skate Park

Timeline of Charles R. Wood's Lake George Skate Park

Skaters Xavier Bing and Quentin Schram hanging out at the Albany Plaza to skate with their new boards after getting bored of the local Albany Skate Park.

The lack of skate parks doesn't end after Lake George. Skaters all around the Capital Region express their desire for more parks.

“There's football fields in every town. If the towns and cities can pay for those, why can’t they pay for skate parks too?" The insurance argument makes no sense because football is really dangerous," Gavin Gadway, a skater from Fort Ann said.

Gadway's claim wasn't far off. According to a national sports injury study, football has nearly six times more injuries per 100 participants than skateboarding.

Gadway was in high school when he began to skate. His interest in skateboarding formed after he went to Wild in the Trees and watched the skate contest. "Contests are definitely what got me into skating," Gadway said.

He shared how skating helped his mental health and gave him a new way to express himself. Gadway had no car when he first started skating and found it difficult to commute to Lake George from Fort Ann.

Sports Injury Stats

Nick Bombardier, a local skater practices his tricks at the Albany Skate Park.

While Lake George has a skate park now, many skaters are still trying to find more places to skate, especially during rough New York winters.

The cold alone is enough to discourage skaters, but the parks are also filled with snow and mud.

Nick Bombardier, another local skater, said the lack of indoor skate parks makes it “impossible” to skate in the wintertime.

The mud and snow that come from winters makes the parks unusable for months at a time, which forces skaters to stop skating completely in the winter or travel to faraway places for indoor parks.

Like Gavin Gadway, Bombardier also had to commute to far places to enjoy his hobby of skateboarding. The pair would drive 3 hours together to the closest indoor park, where they were required to pay to skate for a limited number of hours. “I think the city needs to open up a couple indoors, even a few obstacles like a ledge or ramp would help,” Bombardier said.

moreskateparks.com

Capital Region Skaters Push for More Skate Parks

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Skaters are known to DIY their own skate parks, especially when the towns and cities won’t help them out.

Schenectady skate park was made by the local skaters. They remodeled the space heavily throughout the years. The park brought a safe place for people to hang out and express themselves.
Skate parks like this have formed arguments in many towns, like when local governments consider repurposing them.

In 2022, the city considered turning the skate park into a pickleball court. A lot of hard work went into the park, and it was well-loved by hundreds of skaters. Schenectady locals weren't about to let their skate park go, at least not without a fight.

The locals made a petition on change.org in an attempt to save the skate park. They were successful, and the skate park is still there in Schenectady, being used daily by locals.

Nick Bombardier expressed his admiration for the Schenectady skaters and frustration he has with the local government. “Skaters are willing to pitch in with the community, why can’t the state be willing too?” he said.

Despite these challenges that Capital Region skaters go through, skate parks continue to bring people together. Many skaters say the biggest perk of skate parks isn't just having a place to ride but having a place to find friends with common interests.

For Quimby, Charles R Wood Skate Park is more than just concrete for him to ride on. It represents possible change in local communities and the possibility of achieving your childhood dreams.

The creation of the skate park in Lake George created a skateboarding community in the area that didn't exist before. Quimby's efforts are greatly appreciated by locals. Lake George's Charles R Wood Skate Park continues to be well-loved by kids and adults every summer.

Quimby's experience has shown that communities can grow and benefit from creating safe public spaces for people.

Capital Region Skaters Push for More Skate Parks

Create Your Own Website With Webador

Skaters are known to DIY their own skate parks, especially when the towns and cities won’t help them out.

Schenectady skate park was made by the local skaters. They remodeled the space heavily throughout the years. The park brought a safe place for people to hang out and express themselves.Skate parks like this have formed arguments in many towns, like when local governments consider repurposing them.

In 2022, the city considered turning the skate park into a pickleball court. A lot of hard work went into the park, and it was well-loved by hundreds of skaters. Schenectady locals weren't about to let their skate park go, at least not without a fight.

The locals made a petition on change.org in an attempt to save the skate park. They were successful, and the skate park is still there in Schenectady, being used daily by locals.

Nick Bombardier expressed his admiration for the Schenectady skaters and frustration he has with the local government. “Skaters are willing to pitch in with the community, why can’t the state be willing too?” he said.

Despite these challenges that Capital Region skaters go through, skate parks continue to bring people together. Many skaters say the biggest perk of skate parks isn't just having a place to ride but having a place to find friends with common interests.

For Quimby, Charles R Wood Skate Park is more than just concrete for him to ride on. It represents possible change in local communities and the possibility of achieving your childhood dreams.

The creation of the skate park in Lake George created a skateboarding community in the area that didn't exist before. Quimby's efforts are greatly appreciated by locals. Lake George's Charles R Wood Skate Park continues to be well-loved by kids and adults every summer.

Quimby's experience has shown that communities can grow and benefit from creating safe public spaces for people.

Schenectady skate park was made by the local skaters. They remodeled the space heavily throughout the years. The park brought a safe place for people to hang out and express themselves.
Skate parks like this have formed arguments in many towns, like when local governments consider repurposing them.