Skate On: New skate park opens at Tulalip

Photo/Micheal Rios
Photo/Micheal Rios

 

By Micheal Rios, Tulalip News

It was back on May 3, 2014 that the Tulalip Board of Directors made a motion to approve funding to build a community skate park. The skate park’s purpose is to give Tulalip youth another recreational opportunity, while offering alternative sport modalities to youth not interested in the most popular reservation activities, such as basketball, volleyball, and weight lifting. Nearly 21 months after the Board motion, after much careful planning and collaboration with Tulalip skateboarders, the Debra Barto Memorial Skate Park officially opened on Friday, February 19.

There has always been a passion for skateboarding amongst Tulalip youth, but they didn’t have an outlet for that passion or a location to showcase their skateboarding skills on the reservation until now. The newly minted Tulalip skate park cost an estimated $400,000 and is nearly 12,000 square feet in size. It features a variety of skating elements including half-pipes, quarter-pipes, ramps, bowls, and grinding rails.

 

Photo/Micheal Rios
Photo/Micheal Rios

 

Ours is but one of the growing number of skate parks being built on Pacific Northwest reservations to address the recreational needs of Native youth. Recently, the Port Gamble S’Klallam, Muckleshoot, and Lummi reservations have opened skate parks of their own.

Seattle-based Grindline Skatepark, Inc was contracted for the design and construction of Tulalip’s skate park. Grindline emphasizes community engagement during the design process, and that was displayed during a number of collaboration meetings Grindline designers had with Tulalip skateboarders and the Board of Directors.

Grindline, who also built the Port Gamble S’Klallam skate park, is well-known for creating progressive and engaging skate parks with a design philosophy that each be tailored to its users and existing surroundings. To tailor to the Tulalip location, key aspects of our culture can be found in the skate park as stylized representations of a lake, river, waves and even an orca tail fin.

Prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony held at the skate park, there was a presentation to honor the skate park’s namesake Debra Parto. According to those who knew her best, her friends and family, Debra was a beautiful, kind and gentle spirit who had a nurturing energy to all. She loved helping people and supporting the youth in the Tulalip community.

Debra was familiar with skateboarding through her children and their friends. She became a big supporter of the sport and all of the youth who participated in it. For many years, she would listen to the youth’s dream of having their own skate park in Tulalip and she started dreaming with them. Debra was determined to see the youth’s dream to have skate park built on the reservation come to fruition. She supported youth in the request for funding in 2014.

Debra passed away June 24 of breast cancer at age 49, but her determination lived on through her children and all those youth she dreamed with. Now, we are able to honor her for her fight, encouragement, support and love with what is now the Debra Barto Memorial Skate Park.

“She wanted to make sure the young ones were happy and they have a fun, safe place to go,” said Debra’s son Shane McLean. “When you’re out there skating, you fall down a lot and get a lot of scrapes and bruises. That’s how I think my mom’s life was, with a lot of ups and downs, but she always got back up and kept on doing her thing.”

 

Design by Ty Juvinel
Design by Ty Juvinel

 

Having a skate park in our community will address many of the goals the Board and Youth Service workers are tasked to achieve for our Native youth. Understanding the need to support the youth who wish to pursue healthy, active lifestyles and provide them a safe and fun area to progress in their athletic interests has remained a constant mission for the Tulalip Tribes.

The commitment to Tulalip youth is commendable and goes to show we will continue to invest in them. As Board of Director Theresa Sheldon said at the ribbon cutting ceremony, “The true leaders are our youth, and any time we can give them a voice and a platform then that’s what we’ll do.”

 

Photo/Micheal Rios
Photo/Micheal Rios

 

In the next syəcəb issue we will be detailing the opening of the Alpheus Gunny Jones Sr. Ball Field. With the additions of the ball field and our skate park, the popular Tulalip Youth Center will continue to grow in capacity and further diversify the activities local youth can participate in.

 

 

Contact Micheal Rios: mrios@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Tulalip skateboarders get a say in design plans for new skatepark

Tulalip skateboarders gather after a meeting held on May 15, with Seattle's Grindline lead designer Micah Shapiro, on design ideas for new Tulalip skatepark. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Tulalip skateboarders gather after a meeting held on May 15, with Seattle’s Grindline lead designer Micah Shapiro, on design ideas for new Tulalip skatepark.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

By Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

TULALIP – Skaters and longboarders had reason to celebrate on May 3, when the Tulalip Board of Directors made a motion to approve funding to build a skate park in Tulalip during a regular board meeting.

Tulalip Skate Park, the unofficial name the park is being called currently, will join a number of skateparks being built on reservations across Indian country, such as recently opened Port Gamble S’Klallam and Lummi Skatepark, opened in April.

A community meeting was held on May 15, at the Tulalip Don Hatch Youth Center, to discuss design ideas, site location, and park size. In attendance were nearly 20 Tulalip youth, including Tulalip Board of Directors, Marlin Fryberg Jr., Deborah Parker, Les Parks, Theresa Sheldon, Marie Zackuse and Tulalip Interim General Manager Misty Napeahi. Micah Shapiro, lead designer for Seattle concrete skatepark design and construction company, Grindline, was also in attendance.

Tulalip skateboarders show off their skills in possibly location for new Tulalip Skatepark during meeting held on May 15, with Seattle's Grindline. Photo/ Brandi n. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Tulalip skateboarders show off their skills in possibly location for new Tulalip Skatepark during meeting held on May 15, with Seattle’s Grindline.
Photo/ Brandi n. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Grindline, who built the Port Gamble S’Klallam Skatepark, creates progressive and engaging skateparks with a design philosophy that each skatepark be tailored to its users and existing surroundings, and welcomes community engagement during the design process.

“I want to support the youth and this Board of Directors wants to support the youth,” said Tulalip vice-chairman Les Parks, to the youth in attendance. “You’ve been asking for a skatepark. There has always been a reason why we can’t make it happen, but this year it is going to happen. September 1 is our deadline that we are going to impose upon ourselves.”

Two sites are being considered for the park’s location, the grassy area in front of the youth center’s council room parking area and across the street from the Greg Williams Court, by the Tribe’s old finance building area. Youth favored the site across the street from the Greg Williams Court due to parking, length of skatepark use, elimination of possible beach erosion, and the incorporation of natural elements into final design ideas.

Seattle's Grindline lead designer Micah Shapiro talks with Tulalip skateboarders on May 15 about conceptual design ideas for new Tulalip Skatepark. Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News
Seattle’s Grindline lead designer Micah Shapiro talks with Tulalip skateboarders on May 15 about conceptual design ideas for new Tulalip Skatepark.
Photo/ Brandi N. Montreuil, Tulalip News

Youth presented conceptual ideas along with concerns about park use, amenities, size and safety. Youth advocated for onsite security to eliminate potential drug use or selling in the area by visitors.

Size of the park was another concern for youth, who toured local parks for ideas. The requested 10,000 to 12,000 square feet would allow for a variety of skating elements in one structure, and cost up to $400,000.

“There are a lot of possibilities that you can do with a skate park,” said Shapiro, during his presentation of finished Grindline skateparks. “What we are doing is getting community input through community outreach. The things that need to be considered when you’re designing a skatepark are flow and who the users will be. You have to look at how elements are related to each other; because you are looking at the environment you are designing in. Places to watch are parking lot access; utilities such as restrooms and lights, adjacent uses and impacts near the park. All that has to be considered.”

Tulalip skateboarders listen to budget concerns in a meeting held on May 15, about the newly approved Tulalip Skatepark. Photo courtesy / Ty Juvinel
Tulalip skateboarders listen to budget concerns in a meeting held on May 15, about the newly approved Tulalip Skatepark.
Photo courtesy / Ty Juvinel

“It will come down to budget,” said Tulalip Board Member Marlin Fryberg Jr., about park amenities, such as a request for a roof over the skatepark. “We will have to come up with different options and designs and then go from there. We are not ruling out roof, but that may have to be in phase two of the project.

A final design plan is still being drafted and will include size, location, budget, and skatepark amenities. A budget will be presented once the final design is complete.

For more information on the next community skatepark meeting please contact, Tulalip Youth Services at 360-716-4909.

 

Brandi N. Montreuil: 360-913-5402; bmontreuil@tulalipnews.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S’Klallam Tribe Unveils Skatepark Made Possible by Sheckler Foundation’s Be the Change Initiative

SEATTLE, WA–(Marketwired – Apr 14, 2014) – Yesterday the S’Klallam Tribe in Washington State, joined by pro skateboarders Ryan Sheckler and David Reyes, unveiled their new skatepark with a ceremony and tribal feast for hundreds of Native Americans. This is the first skatepark on the reservation, and it was made possible by the Sheckler Foundation’s first-ever “Be the Change” project. The youth of the S’Klallam Tribe submitted their cause for a new skatepark and received the most votes for their plans to build a much-needed skatepark and basketball court in their community. See the festivities of this historic event for yourself on video here: http://youtu.be/o_UnBYiOaj0

 

The demo by Ryan Sheckler (pictured above) and David Reyes was a highlight of the event.
The demo by Ryan Sheckler (pictured above) and David Reyes was a highlight of the event.

Pro Skateboarder and Founder of the Sheckler Foundation, Ryan Sheckler says, “I am so blessed and stoked to skate alongside these kids and to be here for the grand opening of the skatepark. It’s unreal and rewarding to see how the community came together to ‘Be the Change’ and create a skatepark for the kids of the tribe.”

Left to right: The Sheckler Foundation’s Angelique Zaki, Kaitlyn from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Ryan Sheckler and Sheckler Foundation CEO Gretchen Sheckler-Hachee.
Left to right: The Sheckler Foundation’s Angelique Zaki, Kaitlyn from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Ryan Sheckler and Sheckler Foundation CEO Gretchen Sheckler-Hachee.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe was the Sheckler Foundation’s first “Be the Change” recipient in 2012 and the first phase of building the skatepark took off on August 27, 2012. After a year and a half of hard work the project is complete. This skatepark was built as a plaza with features for everyone from beginners to lifelong skateboarders. True to the S’Klallam roots the skatepark includes a mural by Native American artist, Louie Gong.

Quite a few kids from the S’Klallam community wanted a chance to meet Ryan and get an autograph during the festivities.
Quite a few kids from the S’Klallam community wanted a chance to meet Ryan and get an autograph during the festivities.

For additional info on The Sheckler Foundation check out shecklerfoundation.org; follow facebook.com/shecklerfoundation, LinkedIn, @SheckFoundation on Twitter and @ShecklerFoundation on Instagram.

About The Sheckler Foundation:
Founded in 2008, The Sheckler Foundation was created as an avenue for Ryan Sheckler, his family, friends and business associates to give back to the community and industry that they are so grateful for. Fueled by the desire to contribute to the many causes that directly benefit and enrich the lives of children and injured action sports athletes, The Sheckler Foundation will produce fundraising events, passion projects and web-based initiatives to raise capital and awareness. Our ultimate goal is to empower our community to “Be the Change!”