New skate park opens up a world of expression


 

Steven Stinson goes horizontal. (Photo by Andrew Preiss)

Steven Stinson goes horizontal. (Photo by Andrew Preiss)

By Rosalia Preiss
Teen Arts Co-Editor
the Durham Voice
thedurhamvoice@gmail.com

After many years of planning, a new skate park is opening on Rigsbee Avenue!

Skate culture has recently become popular in Durham, and kids skating down the street has become a common sight in downtown.  Having a skate park will keep kids and teens off property that they aren’

t supposed to be on and provide them with an area meant for their enjoyment.

To get a better idea about what having a skate park would mean for youth in Durham, I visited the Ujamaa Boardhouse on North Mangum Street.

There I talked to 22-year-old Carlos Famania, an employee of the shop.

“Skating is a form of self expression for me because when you go to a spot, there are no rules, you can do it however you want,”

says Famania, who has been skating since he was 12.  He is excited to be able to skate at the new park, and also thinks it will be a good boost for the business.

I also talked to Zion, a 10-year-old boy who was in the shop.  He started skating three years ago, and originally became interested because of the cool tricks he’

d seen.

Zion also introduced me to several skateboard brands he liked.  He had just come from the park, which officially opens Nov. 7.

Whether you just started skating or you’

ve been doing it as long as you can remember, the park has something for you.  The official opening is this Saturday, but you can drive by any day and take a look.  This new addition to downtown is sure to be a big hit!

One thought on “New skate park opens up a world of expression

  1. Totally, I wish they would make more skateparks where I live. That way we could skate in places we wouldn’t have to be worried about being caught. We wouldn’t have to damage anything to fulfill our passion. Thanks

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