The Worst New Skateparks of the Last 5 Years.

Following the induction of Skateboarding and BMX in the Olympics, requests for information to The Skatepark Project (formerly The Tony Hawk Foundation) increased by 700%.  Many smaller communities suddenly wanted facilities.  The community of Milverton, ON wanted a park quickly and on a budget. They selected a company that provided an existing design as a cost saving measure and confirmed their availability for the following build season.  I reached out and provided some 'Skater Input' and the final product is pretty fun.

The park isn't perfect but it's far from the other parks on this list.  This is my favourite skatepark from this company.

The Worst

Click the links for all the issues.

Strathroy All-wheels Park

Strathroy was a Design/Build by Canadian Ramp Company that took ~6 months to complete. For comparison, other parks of a similar size take crews 3-4 months.  I skated it within weeks of opening and was dismayed by all the issues I found.  Follow the link for all of them but referencing this photo (above); I returned to the park on a rainy day a few years later and discovered the company had to go back in and add a drain.

Tecumseh Skatepark, Sarnia

This was the next project by the same crew that built Strathroy.  Credit where it's due - the coping reveal is better and the seams aren't as bad. However, there's some other weird issues like these stairs that get wider towards one end and the steep rail.

Bellville, ON

Last CRC project, I promise.  There's very little competition in the industry when it comes to small skateboarding facilities so CRC is staying active.  Belleville was looking to build a beginner bowl & learner area at Riverside Skatepark and add a small skate spot on the other side of town.  The Sonny Belch Skate Spot (above), had to be partially rebuilt after the central feature was botched and the additions to Riverside include a very lumpy bowl and a slanted learners area.

Special Mention - Brimorton Skate Dot

This dot was a surprise find as I was digging through City of Toronto Projects. Toronto has roughly 250 park/community/arena etc projects ongoing at any time so it's a lot to keep track of.  This series of rollers and a crusty ledge (with stoppers on the public side) would have been better as flat path with a flat bar.  Toronto is supposed to consult with skaters on projects but there's so much to keep track of that local advocates can't keep up.

McNally St Skate Dot, Georgetown

Let me break it down for ya.

Stonemills Skatepark, Tamworth

My buddy skated the demo for the Grand Opening. I asked him about the park and he told me to hit it before winter. He was not wrong. This critique is a little longer as there are a lot of issues.

Gulleden Skate Spot, Mississauga

This spot has many small issues but its biggest flaw is the lack of coping in this ledge. Locals are mobilizing to address these issues with the city.  

Trimmer Skate Spot, Toronto

Trimmer Skate Spot was designed by a local advocate but built in secret by a general contractor who didn't even care to clean up the site before opening.  Besides the construction deficiencies, there was concrete left on the coping and flats.

Better yet, here's a video.

While all these parks have issues, I had fun and skated them to the best of my abilities. 

I didn't bitch and moan, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

However, these deficiencies my prevent beginner users from progressing or worse, cause them injury.