SC
Legendary: The Pool – Charleston, SC
If you have ever skated in Charleston, SC then you might have heard about The Pool. For those that had the opportunity to skate it and live it, check out the video in progress and reflect on days gone by. If you missed the chance to skate it, go ahead and live vicariously through the video. Artist and Skateboarder, Kevin Earl Taylor, is compiling video, photos and interviews in an effort to create a more complete documentary about this beloved skate spot from downtown Charleston. If you have something to add to the video please contact Kevin through sk843.com or ryan@pouritnow.com
Wheels rolling for skate park
Four years ago, Mason Rauch got hooked on skateboarding.
He soon connected with others who shared the same passion — all of whom just wanted a place to enjoy their sport.
But, like skateboarders around the Columbia area, Blythewood teens were finding themselves shooed out of parking lots and private property.
The nearest skate parks were nearly a half-hour’s drive from the Northeast Richland town — making them out of reach for many teens.
But things might be changing for Blythewood-area skateboarders.
In July 2006, teens Brian Gross, Matt Yarborough and Paul Watson talked to then-Mayor Pete Amoth about building a skate park in Blythewood.
Amoth told them to collect a petition of 150 signatures.
Within a month, they had 195.
This week, Blythewood council members had a work session to discuss a possible skate park, part of a larger town park plan.
A number of committee members and citizens voiced their concerns about noise and safety issues that a skate park could bring.
“Every time I’ve seen a skateboard facility, it doesn’t appear to have any honor students in there,” said Bob Mangone, a member of the architectural review committee.
“We don’t want a bunch of kids flying around on skateboards while other things are going on.”
Rauch, wearing a suit and tie, later addressed the audience of about 30.
“Skaters are a very diverse group,” he told the audience. “Some of them are honor students, they just want to skate.”
His group, he said, would like a free, public place where teens can skate with each other during the day.
Skaters, Rauch said, could be trusted to take care of the park.
Mayor Keith Bailey said that by not building a skate park, the town still would have to deal with teenagers skating where they shouldn’t.
“Do we want them here or do we want them all around Blythewood?” he said.
“I’d rather have them in a centralized location.”
Blythewood Town Councilman Ed Garrison said several members also support the idea. They could take a first vote on the proposal as early as next month.
Cost and design have not been determined.
Still, Garrison said, “I think we owe it to the teenagers in the community to address that need.”
Rauch, 16, today leads the Blythewood board of Pour It Now, a chapter of the Charleston-based organization that helps communities raise money for skate parks.
“Without a skate park,” he said, “Blythewood will be a skate park.
“That means that skateboarders will continue to skate where it’s unsafe and unwanted.”
In the meantime, Rauch said his group is working on getting a skate spot built as close to town as possible to use while they wait for a possible skate park in Blythewood.
The materials, he hopes, will be donated by companies in the Midlands.
In the meantime, Rauch said he tries to encourage his fellow skaters to be patient and respectful of business owners.
“I think the better we look — the more we defy the stereotype — the more skate parks we’ll be able to have.”
Reach Copeland at (803) 771-8485.
Columbia Skate Park Will Soon Be a Reality
(Columbia) – By Sydney Cummins
Kids and adults from all over the Columbia area gathered at the Fifth Avenue Deli on Rosewood Drive today for National Go Skateboarding day.
But, it wasn’t just a chance to show off their skills, the area skaters also got an announcement that could make their dream into a reality.
Not every jump can pay off, as some of the skaters learned Saturday. “I spend a lot of time with it. You gotta get good at it… When I jump in the air, I just feel like I have control over something and it’s just really, really fun,” says skater Caleb Brown.
Skatepark Clears Another Barrier
By JOEY HOLLEMAN – jholleman@thestate.com
The design and location of the new Owens Field Skate Park approved last week balanced the needs of skaters with the wishes of neighbors upset at the loss of trees during other park projects.
The plan by Wally Hollyday Design features a linear skate park with bulges for bowls and ledges at either end. It would be tucked between the existing baseball field parking area and the forest.
If the skate park is laid out as designed, no trees would have to be cut down, according to city parks planner Damon McDuffie…
Full Story Here
