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We?EUR??,,????'???ve asked nine companies involved in skateparks and one city director to talk about what they offer in the way of skatepark amenities. The contributors to this article are:
Huna Designs?EUR??,,????'??? phasing approach to building skateparks gives communities ways to create skateparks to accommodate skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX bikers of all abilities and the long-term growth of the park. The concept behind phasing begins with the modular design of Woodward Ramps and Rails. ?EUR??,,????'??The modular equipment allows tremendous flexibility in designing and building a skatepark because it gives the option of adding more equipment over time,?EUR??,,????'?? says Ron Derk, director of sales and marketing for Huna Designs.
?EUR??,,????'??When funding for a skatepark is a concern, phasing makes it possible to have the initial equipment set up for the community to enjoy, while plans for the next steps are under way. If budget doesn?EUR??,,????'???t allow expansion, having the initial phase in place can motivate fundraising activities for future equipment,?EUR??,,????'?? continued Derk. Using the phasing approach also allows riders to provide feedback on the equipment, which may influence what is selected for the next phase.
?EUR??,,????'??We recommend the initial phase of the skatepark be designed to appeal to all skill levels,?EUR??,,????'?? explains Derk. ?EUR??,,????'??Over time you can continue to add more challenging and complex equipment so that you keep your advanced riders challenged.?EUR??,,????'??
Woodward Ramps and Rails are designed for easy on-site assembly; a welder is not required.
Huna provides a detailed step-by-step installation guide. In addition to saving a community as much as 30 percent on the installation cost, community-built skateparks create a bond between the skateboarders, in-line skaters, BMX bikers and the rest of the community.
Spohn Ranch designs, fabricates, and installs custom and production skateboard, inline and BMX ramps for indoor and outdoor public and private skate parks. Spohn uses steel, composites, concrete, wood, plastic, and other materials. The company is known for its semi-permanent, modular skate park installations of heavy duty steel and Skatelite. The ramps rival the durability of permanent, concrete parks yet are capable of being reconfigured for park renewal. This equipment features high-grade galvanized steel framing and enclosures. It is surfaced with Skatelite Pro for grip and a low abrasive ride.
Unlike lightweight, portable obstacles that can be moved around in the park or entirely removed from the park, Spohn says these structures are built for long-term use and, therefore, low cost of ownership. Their modularity allows them to be rearranged to accommodate the addition of new obstacles or to create variety with new lines of travel without the dangers and limitations inherent in less substantial, more easily movable construction.
Spohn Ranch says its design, quality of materials and precision engineering make for rugged longevity, low maintenance, and performance and safety for users. Their park layouts are designed with good visibility and traffic flows in mind.
The company has extensive CAD archives that make it possible for a client to have a facility that is unlike any other skate park, without the cost of custom design. Many details not found in other parks are included specifically to protect equipment from damage and to make obstacles tough enough to handle BMX bikes.
According to Eric Eggena, director of general services for the city of Bell, Calif., the inspiration for the city?EUR??,,????'???s new Skatewave skatepark came directly from the city council.
?EUR??,,????'??They saw the need to provide recreation to our teenage kids, and a new skatepark was one of their first ideas,?EUR??,,????'?? Eggena explains. ?EUR??,,????'??We had kids skateboarding in front of retail shops and on the back loading ramps at Save-On. The council wanted to give these kids a place to congregate and do their thing. We took their vision and a piece of land the city already owned, and built the Bell Sk8 Station. This skatepark never would have happened without the support and the initiative of the council.?EUR??,,????'??
Bell is a densely populated city of 40,000 on the outskirts of East Los Angeles. It?EUR??,,????'???s a city of urban street skaters, pure and simple, and Eggena recognized very early in the planning that it would be important for the city?EUR??,,????'???s first skatepark to capture the freewheeling style of the street skating environment. Midway through 2003, Eggena began working on the design of the skatepark with RecWest, the Southern California representatives of Skatewave, a division of Landscape Structures.
The Bell Sk8 Station relies on Skatewave Urban Series equipment to provide the necessary street skating appeal. Strategically placed among the ramps and quarter pipes in the 10,000 sq. ft. skatepark are Urban Series stair sets and rails, a skate table, highway barrier, grind boxes, ledges and the new roller rail.
The skatepark hosted a grand opening in March and thereafter will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. It will have a premium outdoor sound system and lighting, and ample seating for spectators and riders.
Eggena is also adding a 5,000 sq. ft. pro shop, arcade and pizza parlor to the facility, which will generate funds for recreation facilities and programming. The Bell Sk8 Station charges a nominal one-time registration fee for all riders, with no daily charge for use of the skatepark.
Skate park ramps should be constructed and assembled on site and be full-sized. How about portable? Yes, skate ramps ought to be full size and portable. They need to be constructed on a single, one-piece frame and be moved at will, well, with some muscle power and a couple of dollies.
Some companies are supplying state-of-the-art, steel-frame, hot-dip galvanized, ramps with a phenolic surface that are delivered to the site nearly ready to use. Just attach the ground approach plates and the guardrails and they are ready to ride for boards, blades and even BMX bikes. Hot Rails of Orange, N.J. supplies quarter pipes, wedges, fun boxes, spines, jump boxes, and even pyramids that can be easily moved.
A skate park can be reconfigured in a matter of hours by a couple of able-bodied workers and some equipment. The entire park can be moved to another location with a trailer and a lift truck.
These ramps are up to eight feet tall and 24 feet long, with all the features one expects in a quality ramp: steel edging, copings, poly underlayment and phenolic Skatelite surfacing. The one-piece welded frame provides strength. By using a hot-dip galvanized finish, Hot Rails can offer a 20-year warranty on the frame. The ramps, lighter, and easier to handle, are totally enclosed to provide the maximum in safety. For modest budgets, wood frame portables are also available. The company ships one-piece half-pipes, ?EUR??,,????'??an industry first,?EUR??,,????'?? it says.
An in-house, licensed professional engineer approves all designs. Hot Rails creates layouts with groups of skaters in conjunction with the customer and can construct to any plan. Half pipes and bowls are constructed in modules that are easy to assemble on site.
Hot Rails also manufactures a system of ramps great for temporary settings: camps, after school programs, churches and festivals. The ramps stand four feet or less and are easily mixed, matched, or rearranged in minutes. These are not plastic knock-a-rounds, but sturdy uniframe ramps as the full-size ones. They are also equipped with phenolic surfaces and steel edging.
After becoming Canada?EUR??,,????'???s premier supplier of skatepark equipment, Solo Ramps is now on the designing and manufacturing end and has entered the American market.
Solo Ramps are made from Domflex, a patented, proprietary high-performance concrete mix unlike typical cement mixtures for sidewalks, concrete surfaces, or poured-in-place skate ramps and bowls. Solo Ramps uses injection molding to make its modular ramps. The high performance thin concrete slabs are 7 1/2 feet wide, 1-1/2 inches thick at thinnest area and 6-inches thick at the widest.
Domflex, the company says, offers boarders, bladers and BMX?EUR??,,????'???ers the smoothest riding surface, most noise reduction and maximum durability, while being ?EUR??,,????'??20 to 30 percent less expensive than ramps from any of the more popular ramp companies.?EUR??,,????'??
The company asserts these products are nearly indestructible and require virtually no maintenance. Solo Ramps states: ?EUR??,,????'??Most companies suggest weekly/monthly inspection to ensure that all surfaces, rails, decks, and transition plates are checked for gouges, popping screws, flaking or cracked paint, and loose fasteners. This is not a factor with Solo Ramps. If one were to calculate the costs involved with re-surfacing, labor, and equipment over the five-year span, it might cost the same amount to maintain a park as it did for the initial investment.?EUR??,,????'??
No need to worry about storing the ramps for the winter season, warping surfaces or corrosion, the company says, because of its Ihigh tech concrete (ASTM C109/65 Mpa).
?EUR??,,????'??Our ramps are modular, portable and 85 percent lighter than your average concrete ramp,?EUR??,,????'?? says Gerald Sabol. ?EUR??,,????'??This makes them light enough to be reconfigured with a forklift but heavy enough to prevent vandalism. Solo Ramps modularity offers the flexibility of adding more equipment to an existing location and reconfiguring.?EUR??,,????'??
Whitefish Skate Ramp Co. provides life-size ramp plans with traceable templates for towns that don?EUR??,,????'???t have the budget to hire outside sources to build or freight in a skatepark. The local parks hire carpenters or use their own staff to trace Whitefish templates and follow the plans to build each ramp.
Many times, donated materials and a volunteer workforce are gathered at city council meetings rather than a lump sum of cash. The lumber, steel and labor are purchased locally, the traceable plans and ramp surfacing such as Skatelite Pro are purchased from Whitefish.
The skatepark designs range from 80 feet by 50 feet (with most of the halfpipe set off of the slab to save space) to large indoor or outdoor custom designs. Extremely small set-ups can be moved around from time to time.
One recent project completed was the Eagle Mountain Skatepark in Azle, Texas, 21,000 sq. ft. of skateboard ramps and a large separate beginner skate area. All ramps are Skatelite covered on concrete pads. A cool greenbelt area separates the intermediate skating area and the BMX ramps and trails. The lower course is connected to the beginner course and clubhouse by an inclined 130-foot skateway. Numerous large trees shade the facility during various hours of operation.
?EUR??,,????'??The traceable template plan materials list allowed us to order the materials with no waste,?EUR??,,????'?? said Terrence Backiel, president of Lake Extreme, Inc. ?EUR??,,????'??Three local contractors were able to follow the extensive step-by-step instructions and trace the correct transitions for each ramp. None had any experience with ramps prior to this project, yet all combined to construct a great skatepark.?EUR??,,????'??
SunRamps are designed to reconfigure skateparks. Made from an infusion of polyurethane, molded wood, recycled tire rubber, and rustproof aluminum, they?EUR??,,????'???re durable alternatives to the maintenance involved in traditional skateparks.
SunRamp says it has the only fully-stackable skatepark system currently available and enables conversion of a surface into an extreme park and back.
Portable skateparks allow you to host more activities in the same facility. SunRamp asserts its stackable design is the most portable skatepark on the market, which translates to easy storage between sessions.
Affordable ramp packages are designed to minimize cost for communities, military bases, YMCAs, camps, and entertainment centers.
SunRamps says its equipment is designed and strength-tested by scientists at the University of Minnesota. An advanced polyurethane coating encapsulates all SunRamps to provide moisture and UV resistance, better grip for poly wheels, and for dampening noise.
The SunRamp has added new half pipe, ?EUR??,,????'??the first to use a lightweight, rustproof aluminum frame.?EUR??,,????'?? It also boasts the polyurethane encapsulation and maintenance-free wood core. This means it has a uniform surface, free from blemishes and delamination. To the owner this means safety. There are no screws to come loose, a common maintenance issue that threaten an athlete?EUR??,,????'???s safety.
Skateparks have become a familiar site in municipal parks, YMCAs and in privately owned facilities. Skateboarding, inline skating and BMX bikes, unlike traditional sports, challenge the individual?EUR??,,????'???s abilities to master maneuvers over a terrain of contours, ledges and obstacles. The skate culture rejects many of the conventions of team and competitive sports that can strip kids of self-accomplishment. Skateparks can foster the development of self-responsibility, self-esteem and individualism. These athletes often practice their sport for hours at home, on the streets and at skateparks.
Skateparks should be unique and challenging environments for the sports of aggressive skateboarding and inline skating, just as golf courses are to all levels of club swingers. The dark days of the premanufactured ?EUR??,,????'??cookie cutter?EUR??,,????'?? parks are here with limited modular shapes that neatly fit together forming nonchallenging so called skateparks. Known as ?EUR??,,????'??Fisher-Price parks,?EUR??,,????'?? skating through them is like playing the same par three hole 18 times. In addition to the absence of challenge the geometry and quality of fit is lacking. A modular company?EUR??,,????'???s catalogue shows many different obstacles, however, upon close inspection the pieces are the same. The curved ramp section used as a quarterpipe is in fact used for the halfpipe, spine and flybox. Correctly built these ramps should have a geometry unique to the obstacle and the flybox should not have a pipe coping as the quarterpipes and spines. Skating one of these modular parks in Naugatuck, Ct. proved to be both boring and dangerous. The layout was difficult to skate, thresholds were separated and lifted off the ground and the halfpipe seams in the 4 x 4 ft. sections did not sit flush or line up causing an extreme skating hazard.
Great skateparks are created with input from local skaters, a professional design team of skaters and builders, the site and its environment and the support of local government.
The extreme sports industry is not without national and global representation. The Skatepark Association of the United States of America, (SPAUSA) has taken a bold stance against the proliferation of these nonskateparks along with Skateboarding Magazine in a November 2003 article, ?EUR??,,????'??Modular Skateparks Are Evil?EUR??,,????'?? by Dave Carnie. Dave visited, skated and interviewed skaters at these modular parks and labeled them as ?EUR??,,????'??a rip-off?EUR??,,????'?? of skaters and community funds. Skatepark.org offers a wealth of information about building skateparks including a listing of manufactures. These companies are rated on line with comments from park operators and skaters. The comments were less than positive for the modular equipment companies.
Free formed concrete offers some of the best terrain for extreme skating; however, many communities with limited budgets are opting for above-ground equipment that is free standing and in some cases movable. Wood-framed ramps are not an option due to the nature of the material which leaves steel as a material of choice for the framing and structure. These structures should be hot-dipped galvanized after milling and welding, affording a maintenance free rust proof structure. Steel as a skating surface with any of the coatings presently being used is not ideal. They are noisy, hot and unforgiving to the skaters. The standard in the industry for a skating surface is a phenolic laminate such as RampX and SkateLite Pro. These surfaces are used on the ramps for the X Games and most of the major competitions around the world.
I?EUR??,,????'???ve been skating for 17 years and building skateparks since the early 1990s. Rampage is a skater-owned and skater-operated company that designs, manufactures and constructs steel framed custom skateparks. We have constructed parks from coast to coast and around the world without a bad review. These are claims that can?EUR??,,????'???t be made by the hundreds of playground distributors representing the playground manufactures that are building these nonskateparks. There is not one skater in their organizations and these people are designing skateparks. What is next? Are the playground companies going to start building golf courses?
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