Half-pipe dreams come true
DEVIN WEEKS/Press Aaron Jarnes, 16, of Coeur d’Alene, works to land a 180 disaster on his BMX bike during the grand opening of the Coeur d’Alene Skate Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene on Saturday. The park was packed with spectators as athletes tested their wheels on the new concrete and celebrated the beginning of a new era for the skating community in North Idaho.
Skater mom Sheila Murphy-Cantarero of Coeur d'Alene takes a ride around a flow bowl Saturday during the grand opening of the Coeur d'Alene Skate Park in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Hundreds of people attended the opening ceremony and came and went throughout opening day, which featured live music, vendors and plenty of skaters, bladers, BMXers, scooters and at least one unicyclist who couldn't wait to test the new park for the first time. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
Ryan Labenske of Stevensville, Mont., catches air in the new Coeur d'Alene Skate Park in downtown Coeur d'Alene during the grand opening Saturday. Numerous vendors, bands and spectators turned out for the all-day event, which many park supporters had been looking forward to for a long time. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
Gary Higgins II of Idaho Falls lands a jump Saturday during the grand opening of the Coeur d'Alene Skate Park in downtown Coeur d'Alene. The first skate park was built next to Memorial Field in the 1990s, but the need for a new and larger park grew with the skating community, ultimately leading to this monumental and exciting day for skate park supporters. (DEVIN WEEKS/Press)
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Skaters, bladers, BMXers, scooters, unicyclists and masses of spectators and supporters all came together Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of the Coeur d’Alene Skate Park.
“It was old, crumbling down,” said James Brighter, secretary of the North Idaho Skate Park Association. “Now this is a world-class skate park, a complete 360 from what it used to be. It was this little place on the side where punk kids used to hang out. Now it’s this world-class skate park where people are doing tricks, hanging out and building a community.”
The all-day event featured a colorful array of live bands, local vendors, raffles, competitions and plenty of opportunities for skating enthusiasts of all ages to test the new concrete for the first time.
“I think it’s really smooth,” said BMXer Aaron Jarnes, 16, of Coeur d’Alene. “Everything is really smooth, the transitions and everything.”
Skateboarder mom Sheila Murphy-Cantarero of Coeur d’Alene said she thinks the new park is awesome. She skates with her husband and 9-year-old son, Zephyr. She’s originally from a skate central area of California, but said she didn’t feel comfortable learning the sport until she moved to North Idaho nine years ago. Her family runs the online skateboard business Imanaeul and they travel to different skate parks to support kids and encourage their love of skateboarding.
“Now I shred like I’ve never shredded before,” she said. “This is really special because Coeur d’Alene Skate Park is where I learned how to skate.”
The original skate park was built next to Memorial Field in the 1990s, but as the skating community grew, so did the need to give its members a larger, more complete space of their own.
Coeur d’Alene City Council President Woody McEvers smiled as he stood back and watched the action happening in the park, which is much bigger and provides more skating area, surfaces and ledges than its predecessor.
“This is as good as it gets,” McEvers said. “There’s all these people who worked so hard for this for the last eight years, you know. It’s finally come to fruition … It’s a unique feeling to have this all done and all of this support.”
Tim and Stephanie Keaty of Hayden attended opening day because their sons grew up skating in the old park.
“One of my sons actually has a piece of the cement from the old park as memorabilia,” said Tim, who also serves on the board of the North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation. “Now that they have left the house, we all wanted to come back and be here for the grand opening of this most excellent skate park.
“Every bit of it is absolutely amazing and it’s another jewel in the crown of North Idaho.”