City's new skate park built to draw attention

By Bryan Dean
The Oklahoman

To people not familiar with grinding, ollies or half pipes, the park at SW 17 and Robinson Avenue is nothing special.

The as-yet unnamed $684,000 skate park in Wiley Post Park means a lot to the skateboarders, in-line skaters and cyclists who have been waiting for such an attraction. Parks Director Wendel Whisenhunt said it could also mean a lot to the local economy.

"We've already had people drive in from other states to use it thinking it was finished," Whisenhunt said. "We expect it will be a regional attraction"

The park is expected to open late this month or in early January.

Competitions
Whisenhunt expects van loads of skaters to flock to the city to try out the park. Competitions, such as television network ESPN's X Games, could also visit the new park.

"One of the things we learned about the skate park industry early on is that it does bring tourism to the area," Whisenhunt said. "I'm certain that we will have some competitions there with the facilities that are there now and with facilities that could be brought in to supplement them."

The city held three public meetings to seek suggestions from those who might use the park. What they asked for was a mixture of bowls and ramps, with a "plaza" area with stairs and rails.

The 26,000-square-foot park will be the largest skate park in the state. It will be lighted and fenced with art specifically designed for the project.

"This is by no means a new sport," Whisenhunt said. "We expect it to grow even more now that we've got this new park. The young people at the meeting were already identifying with the park and identifying it as their skate park. That's what we want."

Whisenhunt said he expects the skating community to quickly attach itself to the park, ensuring that it will be well taken care of.

"We clearly hit the mark with this project," Whisenhunt said.

$10 bucks says its named after Mat Hoffman. I also wouldnt be surprised if we see X games or another event stop by. I have heard rumors, as well as I had a meeting at Hoffman's bike warehouse a few weeks ago and talked to his personal assistant about some things.

$10 bucks says its named after Mat Hoffman. I also wouldnt be surprised if we see X games or another event stop by. I have heard rumors, as well as I had a meeting at Hoffman's bike warehouse a few weeks ago and talked to his personal assistant about some things.

Why would something be named after this guy? Who is he?

Oh man, yes!! Matt Hoffman is an icon among the world's "extreme" athletes. He's a BMX champion who even has his own video game. I saw him in a talk show a couple of weeks back. And he's an OKC native. He has a nice house here as well.

Man, I can think of the retail and other possibilities if we made the skate park, in effect, Matt Hoffman-land!!!! As the article states, we could attract the Gen X game and Gravity Games -- right on the river!! How much would that effect OKC's national reputation among the hipsters??!!

I seriously hope you are joking. Mat Hoffman, of Mat Hoffman bikes, he's like the Tony Hawk of BMX biking. He's an Oklahoma native, he lives in Edmond with his worldwide headquarters just off Lincoln close to the capitol. He's the one that got the ESPN X Games started and his promotions company is the one who maintains it. He is proud to be Oklahoman and he is loyal to staying here instead of fleeing to the West Coast or elsewhere

He also had a recent interview in the Sunday Oklahoman as well

If I remember correctly, he was also in the movie 'Rad'. But I could be wrong. Yes, he is a loyal Oklahoman. He went to my high school in Edmond (Memorial High School), but years before I did.

he was also recently on MTV's "cribs", i'll be there with my board today

I wish much success to the skate park. I hope it does bring ESPN and others in. That would be pretty cool.

Edmond's skate park is named "Mathis Bros. Skate Park". I have no reason to believe the OKC one will be different. Expect it to be called the "Sonic Skate Park" or something to that effect.

One of the first stories I did when I was doing TV reporting at UCO was a kid (well, a 26 year old kid) who died of head trauma within weeks of the park's opening.

He wasn't wearing a helmet and he was skating after hours. Anyone who knows about the Edmond park would be quick to note that it'd be hard to regulate that place -- it's built too far back from the road.

My biggest concern about this skate park is something MidTowner brought up.


"One of the first stories I did when I was doing TV reporting at UCO was a kid (well, a 26 year old kid) who died of head trauma within weeks of the park's opening.

He wasn't wearing a helmet and he was skating after hours. Anyone who knows about the Edmond park would be quick to note that it'd be hard to regulate that place -- it's built too far back from the road."

Are helmets and other safety gear going to required at this park, or do you just show up, and skate at your own risk? My son is in to skateboarding, and I have watched a few videos with him on the sport. I have seen some accidents that were life threatening, and others that caused skaters to be paralyzed.

This is a dangerous sport, and although there are some veteran skaters with skills, there is always a chance that there will be an accident, and many of these skaters don't wear helmets. I am real thankful my son doesn't do it much anymore, because he was one of those type that didn't like to wear safety gear, and I've seen him crash many times.

Don't get me wrong...I am not against the park, I would just like it to be a safety consciense place.

I'm almost positive for liability reasons it will be required and posted, however the issue of how easy to enforce is another thing. I'm sure it will be at your own risk as the city should not be responsible for people's stupidity

Yeah, safety and liability are real issues. I'm sure the parks department will have some policy posted about safety recommendations. If the city really wanted to go all the way with the park, they could contract a rental shop to provide safety gear. Or perhaps a skating/biking group could get one started, much the same way OAR has taken some ownership of activity with rowing.

Just FYI: it will be skate at your own risk, but there will be a sign suggesting the use of helmets, protective gear etc.

This is great news. I miss going to the Vans Triple Crown event in Oceanside CA. Some amazing stuff. And if they do get something like the X Games, that's a lot of money coming in for those events.

For what it's worth, my roommate is a skater and he said he looked at the skate park and is glad that they built it. He said it's not for beginners. But when I read him that article, he didn't understand why it cost so much and why an X Games could do it. I'm out of my terrirory when I talk about skateboarding, but he said something about how it's too small and there's no flow or track for people to follow and that is something that is needed if we were to ever snag an X-Games.

Don't get me wrong, he's not complaining about it. In fact, he'll probably skate there quite often when it opens. He just said that to talk of ESPN coming for THAT course isn't very realistic.

One skater's opinion.

All I know is I've heard rumors from reputable people and have personally talked to Matt Hoffmans company. If they say it can be done it can be done. Also there is two parks there and they flow together.

Actually, what the X Games would do is build their own ramps and courses. That's what they do in Oceanside when the Vans Triple Crown comes to town. I'm thinking the park is more of a "Hey world, we're building here and we have the people who'll come spend money for all the sponsors!" kind of thing.

So, metro, are you saying that the Hoffman will have some kind of role in the park?

I would hope that a local "star" that decided to stay around would be very involved with the community. I have no idea about this guy since skating isn't my realm, but I hope he uses his "sway" to bring events and new parks to OKC. It's a great addition.

First, Hoffman is a biker, (BMX mainly) he is the Tony Hawk of biking, but none the less the park still fits. Yes, I believe negotiations are currently going on to get him involved somehow in the park and perhaps even a naming right as well as maybe an event.

That's great. I think he can use his status and $$ to possibly add on bike-friendly features to the park. One thing, though. It does appear small. You need a lot of surface to build up speed, no? To be an appealing park, perhaps more surface is needed (now that downtown is off-limits to skaters), particularly if it's going to be a draw for non-locals, adding more users.

the new Gazette has an article "Ready to Roll" about the new skatepark and its plans, I tried to copy and paste but the site will not allow.

Feb.3
opens at 5pm

Yes, and if I am not mistaken, skaters will be required to wear safety gear, and the OCPD and another agency will be providing the "security" for the park.

Hey, has anyone had the chance to go skating or riding at this new park yet?

I drove by there the other night. It was pretty impressive, and there was quite a crowd. I guess it opened.

At night, drive south on Shields, and you get a pretty nice view of the skate park at Wiley Post Park. It's on the west side of the road, and on the bridge you have a pretty nice view looking down on it. It's lit up pretty nicely. I'm glad to see it!

In todays Daily Disappointment Metro section, it said that the city is currently looking for contractors for concession, security, and equipment rental services. Another step in the right direction.

Anyone know if Matt Hoffman's Crazy Freakin Biker's series is coming this summer. It's usually in June everyyear, I went to the website and couldn't find anything for this year. I'll have to investigate. Sadly, most locals don't know about this event yet it's a huge worldwide event that is usually poorly attended, especially for a free event.