Built in 2000, this long awaited park serves both locals
and tourists. Next to the beach in Chase Palm Park,
the 14,600-square-foot concrete park features ledges, rails, hips, quarterpipes,
banks, a "taco" bowl, and pyramid. Admission is free, and pads are required
.
Directions: Highway 101, north or
southbound, get off at Garden Street and turn toward the ocean. When you
can't go any farther, enter the parking lot. Skater's Point is to your
right, near the wharf.
Review by Dan Bourqui
SANTA BARBARA
Santa Barbara has it's own brand
new concrete public park. It's called "Skaters Point" and it has 14,200
square feet, with a street course and a 5-foot-high bowl.
It cost approximately $830,000 to
build this park. This makes me wonder how the new skatepark in Newberg,
Oregon cost only about $300,000 and has 28,000 sq ft. Check it out in the
October issue of Thrasher magazine. But, I was also told the landscaping
and the wall done around Skaters Point had to meet Santa Barbara's city
standards, and that alone cost around 65 percent of the whole price.
Apparently the wall was also built
twice. The first time, it was made with full brick, which created a "box
effect", isolating the skating from the rest of the environment. Later,
it was rebuilt with an iron fence around it, so spectators could enjoy
watching the action inside.
I'm sure if you're a skater living
in Santa Barbara, you appreciate the new park. After all, skating is illegal
in many parts of town. Instead of running the risk of getting a ticket,
you can now skate in front of the beach all day long with no worries.
The design comes from Mike Taylor
at Powell skateboards and different local pros like Sammy Baptista. Apparently,
Shorty's clothing company donated funds for the construction, and team
manager George Nagai was also involved with the project.
You don't have to pay or to be a
member to skate Skaters Point. Just wear a helmet – it's required.
The location has to be one of the
better ones ever chosen for a skatepark in California. It sits on prime
beach-front property, centrally located and easily accessible, with its
own free parking lot. -End Review-
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