Sk8Park Goes Urban With A Summer Camp 360

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Jon McLaren

If you want to know about dedication, spend some time with Jon McLaren. I caught up with him while he worked to renovate the Skate Park in the rain. He was finishing up before the worst of a storm hit, squeezing in time during his busy schedule as Community Recreation Manager to make the renovations happen. He’s gone beyond his duties to improve the Skate Park, upgrade the summer camp program, and engage our young skateboarders.

Along the way he’s inspired and motivated the kids. They’ve been involved with the changes sending lots of emails with their ideas for repairs and changes. Reusing the wood and transporting supplies in his own truck, Jon has been doing the construction along with Rockville City Coordinator Ian Chamberlain and some teen volunteers. The “Sk8Park” is our unofficial teen center and lots of very radical things are happening in this small, fenced-in area.

Ian Chamberlain

When you read the Rock Enroll description of the Skateboarding Camp at the Skate Park, you don’t even begin to get the full picture of what our Parks and Recreation Program has developed for the camp, the facility, and our young people. The whole skateboarding program is airing a gap between the need for activities and the time on kids’ hands.

This summer the Camp has been expanded to five days a week. No longer being run by an outside company, the camp counselors have been chosen and trained by Jon McLaren who is a lifelong counselor and outdoor education instructor. Ranging in age from high school to college, the four counselors chosen to work this summer are skilled skateboarders who have undergone training, including first aid and CPR.

When I spoke with the youngest counselor, Paul Leiby, age 16, he was most looking forward to “having a positive influence on a kid’s life”. He’s been skateboarding since he was 12 and can’t wait to do activities with the kids. He’s most pleased to be a “part of the skate park community”.

Jon explained that the camp counselors will not only have much-needed jobs during the summer, they will also inspect the park throughout the year.

There are still openings for most of the weeks from June 21st to August 27th at the new Skateboarding Camp. Here’s the description from the Summer Camp catalog:

Radical dude! A fun camp for beginner through intermediate skate boarders. Learn to push, ride, tack-turn, ollie, kick flip, grind, stall and drop in. Skate park etiquette and more will be taught/reviewed. Campers must bring skate board, helmet, knee and elbow pads, wrist guards, water and snack. Note: Fee includes skateboard deck. Contact skatepark@rockvillemd.gov for any additional questions.

Register with Rock Enroll using bar code # 31052. Ages 6-to-14 years. Fees are $155 for residents and $165 for nonresidents.

Skateboarding is an athletic art form and the goal is to make the Sk8Park a living art gallery with an urban feel. Skaters known for their artistic talents are invited to think up the designs and paint. This controlled graffiti will become a community asset in a living landscape. The community is invited to come and see the designs and skateboarders in action.

The Sk8Park is nine years old and it needs to be replaced. Five large renovations have been built out of the existing wood but the rest of the Park won’t last much longer. The $60,000 in funds was in the FY10 City budget and although it didn’t make it into this year’s budget, it is a FY2011 CIP. The intent is to use concrete which will last 20 years.

In the meantime, the Sk8Park has $5,000 for immediate repairs and $3,000 for new lighting to meet the need for skateboarding. Skateboarders do travel from all over the City to visit the free park and our youth could use additional facilities just like it in other neighborhoods.

On Saturday, June 26, 2010, the Sk8Park will be having a Contest.
Noon to 12:30 PM. Registration ($5.00) and Warm-ups
12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Skating
3:45 p.m. Awards.
Download Contest Waiver here.

Without a doubt, the Sk8Park is a gr8park and with all this effort, it’s only getting better.

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