Wakefield Skatepark Pictures

[HarryR]

Had a short session down there first thing yesterday when it was quiet. It was very dirty and the advice to take a brush is well worth taking. I didn't and was a little bit restricted in places, especially in the bowl which does tend to trap dirt and other detritus in the deep end.

The ground above the bowl does seem to have turned in to party central on an evening with loads of beer cans and other assorted crap strewn all over, some of it in the bowl.

So, went back late morning today with my mate and took a couple of brushes. Unfortunately the place was absolutely rammed, mainly with bikes, so we didn't get much of look in. You have to be the ultimate snake to get a decent run in at the moment. At times the bikes outnumbered the skaters by about 10:1.

Early days yet and the mud around the site isn't helping things at the moment. Not sure what the plans are for landscaping but if that can be sorted out for the summer it should hopefully help things to stay cleaner than they are just now.

I reckon skating on a school day in term time will be the way to go for anyone planning a special visit.

[anon]

Early days yet and the mud around the site isn't helping things at the moment. Not sure what the plans are for landscaping but if that can be sorted out for the summer it should hopefully help things to stay cleaner than they are just now.

I reckon skating on a school day in term time will be the way to go for anyone planning a special visit.

The mud areas around the park will be turfed and planted by early March apparently - that should sort the mud/dust problem out.

The 10:1 biker situation is a bit of a nightmare from a user (skate) point of view but from the perspective of the council etc it's a really good thing as a lot of local bikers, despite not attending one meeting in 5 years were all going on about how "shit" the design was as it was being finalised. Half the people moaning back then are now there every day.

[Trevenen]

a lot of local bikers, despite not attending one meeting in 5 years were all going on about how "shit" the design was as it was being finalised. Half the people moaning back then are now there every day.

Isn't this always the way?
To be fair there are a few nice projects driven forward by bike riders (Newton Abbot for one, but then they expect exclusivity despite what always happens at 'skate'parks.) but they are wildly in the minority and generally the bike riders will do nothing but moan the whole time hard working people are putting a project together, only to turn up en masse and snake everyone on opening day, tutting all the time how shit it is.

Most places I've skated in the US have 'skate only' and 'bike only' parks. The 'skate only' ones are kept bike free by the simple use of a big fence and a turnstile which it is not possible to get a bike through. There was only ONE 'bike only' park that I would have liked to skate. So we did, early morning with no one else so didn't piss anyone off, apart from the one rent-a-cop who turned up.

[HarryR]

The mud areas around the park will be turfed and planted by early March apparently - that should sort the mud/dust problem out.

That's good to hear.

The 10:1 biker situation is a bit of a nightmare from a user (skate) point of view but from the perspective of the council etc it's a really good thing as a lot of local bikers, despite not attending one meeting in 5 years were all going on about how "shit" the design was as it was being finalised. Half the people moaning back then are now there every day.

I suspect that a number of the bikers are there for the novelty value at the moment as they weren't actually riding very much, just 'hanging out'. There was a small number of really good riders who were ripping the bowl and generally setting a good example (they even turned up with brushes and swept it out!).

I think the 'novelty' crowd will either get with the program and follow the good example or just end up drifting off elsewhere. I guess at the moment the fact that they're there and not making a nuisance of themselves elsewhere is a good thing from the Council's perspective.

[ChrisK]

Or the danger is the novelty crowd will take the place over. Genuine BMX people are cool and approach parks the same way skaters do. The dick heads on the barbie bike stolen from somebodies garden can be a real prob as they often have at Radcliffe.

[JellyHead]

[TonyB]

OK Jelly......Where is that?

[JellyHead]

OK Jelly......Where is that?

Behind my shed

[Alec]

OK Jelly......Where is that?

Not Harrow

[TonyB]

OK Jelly......Where is that?

Behind my shed

You wish!

[Brian S]

Hmm, just come across this thread for the first time.


I re-started skating about 2 years ago & missed the opening of what is actually my nearest park, what the hell happened to this place that seemed to be universally feted on here?


I have only been there on two occasions to skate (both early midweek mornings the last been my birthday in June last year) & a few times when I wasn't back on board at weekends when I took the kids to the park, the place is a chav/dickhead nightmare hangout it seems especially at weekends in good weather, with access up to the skateable park for the drugged up piss artists with broom broom cars , the bowl is usually full of crap which bikes ride with impunity.


Speaking of the bowl there was no mention of the main deep end flat bottom in this thread, it's absolutely horrendously rough, it's like putting on the brakes when you go across it & falling on it would be pretty lethal to say the least, now there are cracks in the joins with bits of concrete coming out leaving holes?


The rest of the park is kind of OK, but not the wonderland made out on here, is that guy involved in the project still around on here at all?



My sons friend used to be a regular user here a year or two ago, but after been mugged & robbed twice he stopped going at all, unless you go early doors midweek or mob handed this place is a bit of a nightmare it would seem, the proximity to a rough local authority estate is probably not really helpful in this, there is absolutely no supervision or security here at all, the local paper some time ago raised questions about the violent & aggressive problems going on here.



What do any of the original posters feel about the place now, no one on here seems to even have it on their radar at all anymore?

[HarryR]

Bloody hell Brian, I can't believe you've only just made to this thread

I think some of the early fears that were expressed have been realised. Me and Steve went a couple of months ago and TBH I didn't enjoy it. The place was full of crap and scooters and Mexicans. As you say, they ride through to crap and don't give a shit about cleaning the place up. Some of the concrete finishing that looked a bit suspect when it was new is proving to be rough. I guess it's not really bad but skaters are mostly marginalised and it hasn't been 'claimed' in the same way that other parks have. Personally I'd prefer to travel a little further, like Micklefield. It feels more comfortable there. Strangely that place has largely been claimed from the Chavs and is more successful as a result.

[Brian S]

Harry,

So the initial enthusiasm for the park soon evaporated then ?

That bowl main flat bottom is really crappy, but the rest of the bowl surface is generally OK when compared to it, was it OK when the park was new if so what the hell happened to it, as I wouldn't want to fall on that surface, it would rip off your pads & skin?

What happened to all the best park in the North crap then?

[HarryR]

I think the initial enthusiasm during the build never really translated into anything much after it opened. That's just my anti scooter/bmx/busy park/want it all for me old twat self speaking though. Others may have different views. It's safe to say that collective MASers never seemed to take to it though.

The rough concrete in the bowl was ok to start with but it was definitely a different mix from the other surfaces. Initially I thought they'd deliberately used a different mix for the waterfall so that it would be grippy when walking out. Now I just think it was poor quality control. It is a Gravity park after all.

[Brian S]

Gravity, isn't that the company that totally screwed up the new Livingston mega bit ?



P. S. has anyone on here been to the New Livingston, I skated it when it opened in 1981?

[HarryR]

Gravity, isn't that the company that totally screwed up the new Livingston mega bit ?

Yep, that's them.

[Brian S]

Wow another year on, wonder if they will ever repair the bowl & maybe clean the place a bit?