The Hendersonville Skatepark is long overdue for a facelift.

I Have been a resident of Hendersonville for most of my life and I have greatly enjoyed going to the skatepark at Veterans Park. The only issue is that the skatepark has remained the same with little to no improvements for the duration it has been there. I think a renovation to the current park would make a well fitting addition to Veterans Park and the City of Hendersonville as a whole.

I am grateful to live in a city that offers activities for those not interested in traditional sports and I am sure that there are adults and kids that feel the same way. One visit to the skatepark on a busy day would show that. it would also show that there are major flaws in the facilities. The biggest of the flaws being the overall size of the park, at any given time with as little as 6 to 8 riders in the fenced area the park feels packed. This leaves little to no room for practicing tricks or even space to learn how to ride a skateboard. How could we expect anyone to learn to ride a skateboard if there is not enough space to roll around without feeling like you are in the way? Especially if you are a person that requires adult instruction and or supervision. The animosity that this creates between the widely spanning age groups of persons using the facilities is not a welcoming attitude for beginners to the sport and could easily be prevented with more space. 

The next flaw would be the obstacles within the skatepark. They have been relatively the same since inception with little maintenance and in the past obstacles have even been removed and not returned after they have become a safety hazard. The material that a majority of the park is made out of is hazardous due to how slick it is and does not provide much confidence for staying on the board. a concrete skatepark could simplify this issue with ease. The next area of attention on this flaw would be the lack of consideration for progression of skill. The four foot quarter pipe itself provides no opportunity for a young rider to learn the mechanics of dropping in while also removing the ability for a more advanced rider to warm up to the size of the obstacle. The roll in ramp opposite of the quarter pipe is too tall for young riders unacquainted and too small for even two riders to wait their turn at the top making the centerpiece of park impracticable the moment you enter. That leaves the boxes and rails surrounding the outer edges of the park, all of which are useless if you can not ollie more than six inches. For those that can, the space allotted to gain speed for said obstacles is unrealistic. Most of these issues have and will continue to cause the park to lack flow and subsequently cause injuries.

Building Hendersonville a new skatepark could be tremendous for the already rapid growth of our city. Skateboarding has reached a new level of rapport and athleticism in recent years and has even been included into the Summer Olympic Games. I think as a community we should rid ourselves of the old stigmas of skateboarding and shed a light on the benefits that comes with it. There could be a safe place for the teens and young adults to stay in shape and out of the rising crime rate. It would provide an outlet for those who are not interested in the various traditional sports offered in the city. A competition scene through the parks department could be future development. A beautiful, well maintained skatepark would catch the eyes of anyone driving along 386. These and many other benefits could come to fruition with a new and or improved skatepark.