Frankford, ON
Spott Dreams of Skate Parks
The musings of an Independent Skatepark Critic, Enthusiast, Documentarian and Advocate. Basically - I'm Just a Guy Who Loves Skateparks.
Sunday 18 February 2024
Frankford, ON
Friday 17 November 2023
Pickering Skateboard Parks Strategy Update
Pickering Skateboard Parks Strategy Update
It has been 5 years since the Pickering Skateboard Park Strategy was approved and the West Shore Skate Spot has been proof of the need for action sports facilities.
While The Strategy has guided the City of Pickering to this point, there is much to be done and several updates that need to be made to The Strategy.
Scott Loyst is a local resident, skateboarder and advocate for additional skateboard parks in Pickering. He serves on the Executive Board of the Pickering West Shore Community Association (PWSCA) which organized a federal grant to hire two summer students to design a sensory garden and a skate spot at the West Shore Community Centre location.
Scott presented the students work & his work to the PWSCA at the Annual General Meeting which took place on September 13th, 2017. The PWSCA voted to approve a skateboard park for the West Shore Community Centre should the opportunity arise with the development of the Skateboard Park Strategy 2017.
The Skate Spot was unanimously approved by council after public feedback came in at 91% in support. The spot was constructed in the summer of 2022 and opened to immediate and constant use proving the need for additional action sports facilities in Pickering.
Saturday 11 November 2023
2023: The Year of Sassy Spott
2023: The Year of Sassy Spott
Picking a Fight with 'Canada's Most Patriotic Town'
Earlier this year I was sitting out in my yard after the kids had gone to sleep, enjoying an adult beverage, when I got an email notification about a comment on this blog.
It Read...
While I am always happy to have an update on a park or an explanation for why something was done a certain way (in this case, the crushed gravel), what rubbed me the wrong way was the assumption of what I like. I like skateparks. I'm disappointed to see communities work so hard and get taken advantage of due to their lack of skatepark knowledge. I'd followed the Arthur Skatepark Project for a while so I was bummed when I found out it was going to be pre-fab. One highlight was the inclusion of the CRC 'Snap' obstacle.This ramp was notably missing on my first visit. Additionally, the budget for this project is public record so I know what they paid and what they could have gotten for the same price in concrete.
Having consumed a strong sour, I was feeling sassy and replied...
The next morning I re-read my message and found it was not as sassy as I remembered. It was actually quite fair.I have been back and there is grass to the edge of the park and the new feature is there. I wouldn't say it's worth the trip. It's a just steep bank with extension in the shape of a 1/2 skateboard and the supports are rusting. The whole Park Review & Comments can be found HERE.
Here's the Video
Tamworth
Tamworth is a park in Rural Southeast Ontario and it is riddled with problems. In short; it was not built by skatepark professionals.
Check out the whole post HERE or the video below.
There's a bit of sass in the video tour and the blog post.
When I posted about the park on my IG, I mentioned that I did have fun despite the poor quality of the park. Most of the commenters agreed with my assessment of the park. Except one, and given the post was focusing on the quality, I replied...
TLDR: There's a mural and it made the spot too slippery to ride. Check the post HERE. It comes into play later.
Thursday 2 November 2023
Food Court Skatepark
Food Court Skatepark