As plans for a new skatepark, take shape in Centre County it’s the latest development in decades of roller sports history in Centre County.
As Gary Sinderson reports it’s a history that has ties to skateboarding making its debut in last year’s Olympic games.
As plans for a new skatepark, take shape in Centre County it’s the latest development in decades of roller sports history in Centre County.
A history that has ties to skateboarding making its debut in last year’s Olympic games. Gary Sinderson has our story.
The nearly two million dollar skatepark is targeted for High Point Park in State College off of West Whitehall Road
“It’s going to bring a lot of attention to the sport of skateboarding,especially in centre county. we do have a vibrant scene here with Woodward camp. there are professional skateboarders who have come out of State College”
Woodward the legendary sports camp in Eastern Centre County added skateboarding and BMX bike competition nearly forty years ago
“You know we saw this developing at Woodward, being traditional sports enthusiasts, it was to myself and my son, it was totally different.we knew this was special”
Plans for a Centre region skatepark discussed and in the works for more than a decade
“Skateboarding is growing in a huge way society has accepted it more and more. it was generally though of as an outlaw sport at some point. but that has changed with a big part being skateboarding in the Olympics”
Skateboarding making its debut in the 2020 Olympics actually held last year due to the pandemic with the Olympic Skateboarding Director being Centre County native Gary Ream, one of the founders of Woodward
“I think i got lost in the politics and the stupidity of how the world is organized.forgot that what we were going to accomplish is having a sport in the Olympics”
For the High Point Skatepark in State College with hopes of opening next Summer, the focus now is fund-raising
“Community fund-raising portion of our campaign, we’re trying to raise 50 thousand dollars to show our bigger donors there is a lot of support for this”
