About 70 people competed in skateboard, scooter and BMX competitions held at the Sundre Skate Park on Saturday.
The competitions were part of a grand opening event to officially mark the completion of Phase 2 of the park, according to Paul Shippy, co-chairperson for the skate park society.
Phase 2 was built this year to accommodate skaters at a beginner level, and now that it's complete, Shippy doesn't believe the park will be further expanding any time soon.
“I think this is a good size park for this town. And people seem to like it – a lot of kids have said this is their favourite park that they've rode. Even though there's much bigger parks, this one has nice flow,” Shippy told the Round Up at the event.
The society spent roughly $3,500 on the event, which was part of a $5,000 donation from a single resident.
The event started off with a ribbon cutting and speeches from Sundre councillors Paul Isaac and Jodi Orr.
Of the 70 contestants, about 10 people entered for the BMX competition, 15 for the skateboard competition, and 45 for the scooter competition.
People came from all over, including Calgary, Red Deer, Sylvan Lake and Lethbridge. The majority of competitors were not local.
Each competitor had two 30-second runs and they were judged by fellow competitors on consistency, difficulty and style.
Prizes were handed out to winning competitors – all of which had been donated from skate shops in surrounding communities.
“I think it was amazing for the first time we've ever done this. It really came together well,” said Shippy.
“We had no idea how many people we were going to get. And we had no idea if this park was going to be able to manage this many people. And it all just flowed.”
The leftover money will be used as seed money for future events at the park, which may be a skate camp or another competition, he said.
Whether the event becomes an annual one depends on who is willing to take on the task, he added.
“Somebody just needs to step up. I think truthfully the volunteers have put forth four long years of a lot of work into making everything happen, so a lot of the volunteers are backing away and taking on other projects,” he said.
He believes the skate park is an important asset to the community.
“I personally believe that skateboarding, scootering, biking – not only are they really intense, complicated sports that bring a lot of different kinds of people together, they're also very creative sports. They help people express themselves,” he said.
“It's not about what you win, it's more about supporting each other…That's the beauty of this park is that it's a place for creativity.”
He is appreciative of all of the volunteers who have made it possible to have a skate park.
“There's a lot of people that will never have their name recognized anywhere, yet who gave a lot,” he said. “That community spirit is pretty amazing, pretty special – and what makes a town like this unique. I've never been in a town that has so much going on for as small of a population.”
