Skate Land Local Teens Team Up With Parks Department To Create A Place For Skateboarders And In-Liners To Catch Some Air

Spokane finally has it.

Thanks to Beth Raddatz, a 17-year-old Spokane Falls Community College student, the city has a place for skateboarders and in-line skaters complete with the ramps and lifts they crave.

More than a year ago, Raddatz and others persuaded Spokane officials to build a skate park, which is located under Interstate 90, across from Lewis & Clark High School.

On Nov. 21, skateboarders and in-line skaters, as well as a few curious parents, gathered around the new skate pyramid for the official opening, and ribbon cutting.

“Is this what you wanted? … Are you happy?’ a parks official asked those who gathered. Skaters yelled in unison, “Yes!”

Now that the park is open, the key is making sure it is respected and those who use it respect others.

Raddatz said, “The only concern is for the care of the skate park. If we trash this one, we don’t have a chance at another one.”< Another concern is potential rivalry between skateboarders and in-line skaters, Raddatz said.

But Ange Taylor, parks department chairman, said, “We did a survey and the kids wanted to police themselves. Skate at your own risk.”

Easing some of the concerns, Raddatz said, is that not all skaters will use the park. “Many skaters have a spot where they skate. They won’t give up their skating spot.”

Steve Wescott, a student at Mead High, thinks the park is a great place to skate, and predicts nearby businesses will benefit from it.

In the past, Spokane skaters have competed with pedestrians and vehicles for sidewalks and asphalt. Skaters often complained of being kicked out of places they skated.

Future plans for the park include adding a half pipe and other accessories. For now, skaters said, it’s enough that Spokane has given skaters a place to go.

As Wescott said, “This is the coolest thing since peanut butter.”