OPINION | New Rainier Beach Skatepark Gives Kids a Place to Belong in South Seattle

On Saturday, Oct. 10, Rainier Beach celebrated the grand opening of the neighborhood's skatepark. It was exciting to see the community come together. Along with all the smiling faces, local skate shop 35th North and the nonprofit Skate Like a Girl were there. They provided free lessons and gave away a lot of gear to help make skateboarding more accessible and equitable for all.

As someone who grew up in South Seattle, lives in Rainier Beach, and has been involved in the project since the beginning, I'm grateful for the opportunities this new skatepark brings to our youth and community.

In the '80s and early '90s, we didn't have skatepark advocates like the Seattle Skatepark Advisory Committee, Parents for Skateparks, and Skate Like a Girl. So there weren't skateparks like the ones you see today in city parks. We had to find spots to session, and if you got caught skating places like the Seattle Center or Westlake Plaza, you could get ticketed or even arrested.

Back then, all we wanted to do was skate with our friends. So with nothing more than a couple dollars and a bus transfer, we would meet at skate shops like Fallout and Time Travelers. From there, we'd hop on a bus and go find spots to skate.

En route, we'd share music we'd discovered, like The Accused and Alice in Chains. We'd joke about how much school sucked and laugh at corny jokes. We'd get to the spot and skate for hours. Sometimes a homie would get stuck trying a trick, but we'd hype them up and wouldn't leave until they got it. We didn't know it, but through skateboarding, we were building community, staying out of serious trouble, and learning lifelong lessons.

That was a long time ago, and a lot has changed. We owe a debt of gratitude to visionaries like Mark "Monk" Hubbard, builders like Grindline and Dreamland, and skatepark advocates like the ones mentioned above. Their work building relationships with the city and the business community ultimately revolutionized the experience of skateboarding in the Pacific Northwest.

Today, finding new street spots and doing tricks that have never been done before is still what skateboarding is about. However, we no longer have to travel too far, work too hard, or worry about getting busted just to skate.

Seattle has skateparks throughout the city, from North Seattle to West Seattle and now Rainier Beach. Parks like Jefferson, Benefit, River City, Delridge, and Roxhill have helped galvanize the South End skate community. But Rainier Beach is particularly special because this community has historically not received the same level of investment as other parts of the city.

Let's also celebrate the crew from Evergreen Skateparks who brought its first build to Seattle. There's no other park like it in the city. Its flowing lines and otherworldly terrain offer something for everyone. There's also shaded seating for hanging out and lighting for skating after dark.

Situated in the heart of Rainier Beach and accessible by Link light rail and Metro routes 7, 106, and 107, it sits among schools, a community center, playgrounds, soccer fields, and a community garden.

This park is about more than just skateboarding. It represents a safe, welcoming place for young people to be active, creative, and connected. Kids in underserved communities like Rainier Beach lack safe spaces to play and spend time together. You don't have to dig too deep to understand how that deficiency is connected to the public safety, social, and financial issues facing our youth. Unfortunately, the neighborhood a kid grows up in can be a strong predictor of their life outcomes.

The Rainier Beach skatepark is a step toward changing those outcomes. We finally have something more than just words in a speech or aspirational-at-best legislation. We have something real and tangible that can help our youth. Kids who feel forgotten or lost, or like they don't belong, now have the opportunity to tap into a welcoming and all-inclusive community that can help them make sense of the world around them.

In 2020, researchers at the University of Southern California published a first-of-its-kind study of skateboarding. Skaters in the study described relieving stress, finding community across differences, and learning to keep trying after a setback.

All sports, in general, offer these benefits, and kids should have access to any sport or activity that they want to try. Access to meaningful and engaging recreational activities should be a basic human right in this city, and in all cities. The Rainier Beach skatepark is one of many steps to creating that reality.

So how did we get here? Through years of hard work and community advocacy.

I moved to Rainier Beach in 2015 and made a few inquiries about why we didn't have a park and what it would take to get one. The city gave a number of reasons why it couldn't happen, and we moved on. However, in the spring of 2018, one of the most unlikely skatepark advocates stepped in and picked up where we left off.

Danielle Jackson, founder and president of CHAMPS Resource & Service Center, began working with advocates like Scott Shin, residents, and the city to gather community input, organize planning sessions, and secure funding for the skatepark.

Here's the remarkable part: Jackson isn't a skateboarder. She simply believes in Rainier Beach, its youth, and the families who call it home. CHAMPS continues to raise funds for administrative costs associated with bringing the park to life.

At the grand opening, many people were rightly thanked for helping make this project possible. But the person who deserves special recognition is Danielle. Without her leadership and the work of CHAMPS, we would not have the Rainier Beach skatepark.

On behalf of skaters near and far: Thank you, Danielle. Thank you, CHAMPS, and thank you to everyone who helped make this park a reality.

The views expressed are the author's own and do not represent the Seattle Department of Transportation or the City of Seattle.

The South Seattle Emerald is committed to holding space for a variety of viewpoints within our community, with the understanding that differing perspectives do not negate mutual respect amongst community members.

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Adonis E. Ducksworth grew up on Beacon Hill and now lives in Rainier Beach. He graduated from O'Dea High School and the University of Washington. When he's not skateboarding or snowboarding with family and friends, he works as a strategic advisor at the Seattle Department of Transportation.