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Highlands Today

Skaters Take Hobby To New Heights

SKATE PARKS ARE CROPPING UP ALL OVER THE AREA

Jasmina Meyer/Highlands Today

From Left: Matt Wilson, Justin Evans and Richard Bowman build a ramp for the new skate park at Camp Sparta on Wednesday in Sebring.

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By Bill Rettew Jr. | Highlands Today

Published: May 23, 2008

SEBRING — Half pipes, hubbas and pole jams will replace double faults and lobs at Camp Sparta.
And Josh "Oreo" Jones, 14, of Sebring won't miss the tennis court.

He lives within walking distance of the camp. Jones has been working and skateboarding evenings after school and on weekends for two months to convert the 6,000-square-foot tennis court into a skate park.

The Camp Sparta skate park is just one of many. The area is packed with professional quality skate ramps and rails made by amateurs. Many are professional quality.

Frank Branca III owns Gatorboard Skate Shop in Sebring and said local skaters are building off-street places to skate, rather than riding curbs and railings on public property.

"We're getting places where we can get together, rather than up in town," said Branca. "We're getting a reputation for being the bad guys and want a place to go."

Thirty-six-year old Matt Wilson of Frostproof credited his two daughters, 12 and 16, for turning him into a skateboarder.

"We needed a place to go," said Wilson. "It's not just about skating. It teaches them skills – like how to run a saw. We're putting skating in a positive nature for kids and adults."

Wilson's backyard is full of ramps, including one that launches riders from a 10-foot high tree house and another that gives boarders the chance to "grind" a tree.

"They need to maintain their grades," said Wilson. "I talk with their parents. Everybody gets along together, without bickering or arguing.

"They just need somebody to give them a little bit of attention – a safe place with no drugs or alcohol."
Jason Snyder is the director at Camp Sparta, which can accommodate up to 200 campers and is owned by 52 churches. Summer camp is open for third graders through high school seniors. The skate park will be free to local skaters several nights a week during the off-season.

Signed waivers and helmets will be required. Liability insurance was secured by the camp. The $3,500 camp investment is being built with all volunteer workers.
"Today, camps are all about climbing walls and ropes stuff," said Snyder about building the park. "They're high adventure stuff. We feel like that's all been done."
Local skaters have been pounding nails. Branca and friends rebuilt the skate park in Wauchula following the 2004 hurricane season. Those repairs were paid for indirectly by skaters through a competition.
Now, any place can become a skate park, since the Gatorbord shop's portable skate park can be packed up, trucked and set up in an hour. Sebring Estates recently hosted skaters and the portable ramp at a block party.

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