After initial disappointment caused by the FIFA World Cup, Vancouver skateboarders are celebrating a major win that proves that there’s still strength in community and in community advocacy.
Earlier this year, we shared that the skateboarding community, not just in Vancouver, was disheartened and disappointed by a decision to close a very important park, Hastings Skate Park, due to the FIFA World Cup. Many skateboarders beyond Vancouver use the park.
While there are no changes on that front, and the park will still be closed in June and July for FIFA, another pressing need for the skate park will be addressed, thanks to a motion that passed at Vancouver City Council, which will lead to a desperately needed $500,000 refurbishment of the park.
We spoke to volunteer Vancouver Skateboard Coalition (VSBC) Director Oliver Tennant, who was ecstatic about the news.
“We’re really, really happy about the opportunity to resurface,” he said.
Vancouver City Councillor Mike Klassen submitted the motion, which states that Hastings Skate Park is in need of renewal and lifecycle investment.
“On behalf of the VSBC, we are incredibly thankful for Councillor Klassen’s tireless efforts, and we don’t say that lightly. He came to our meetings in person. He met with us virtually on the side, and he deeply, deeply understood our concerns,” Tennant said.
The motion states that the $500,000 will be put toward wear, safety and modernization needs. The allocation of that money will be included in the 2027-2030 City Capital Plan. The motion also calls for the facility investment to be advanced as a priority to address the temporary loss during the FIFA World Cup.
The motion passed unanimously.
Klassen told Daily Hive Urbanized that he’s happy for the community.
“The skateboarding community came forward with a positive, thoughtful, and constructive message, and Council listened,” Klassen said.
“I especially want to acknowledge the speakers who took the time to share what this facility means to them and the leadership of the Vancouver Skateboard Coalition in advocating for this investment,” he added.
Klassen said that skateboarders ask for very little from the city but that the benefits they bring are enormous, “including youth engagement and recreation, to culture, creativity, and community connection.”
Good news, bad news
James Clarke skateboarding. (Jarrod Au/VSBC)
While there’s no denying it’s a massive win for the Vancouver skateboarding community, it doesn’t address the fact that for two crucial summer months, local skateboarders training for global competitions won’t have a place to train.
We spoke to a local skater named Stepan, who also thanked Klassen. We asked Stepan where he would skate this summer when Hastings Skate Park is closed.
“That’s a good question,” he said with a laugh.
“I think the entire community is dealing with that question, because Hastings is unique for skaters like us who enjoy skating big bowls,” Stepan said.
Stepan has been skating since 2001, or about 25 years, and moved to Vancouver to attend UBC. He mentioned that he could’ve gone to different universities, but chose Vancouver specifically for the city’s skate culture. The only comparable he mentioned was Montreal.
“When I first moved to the city, I was intimidated to go to [Hastings Skate Park]. Eventually, I got the invite to come and skate there. It’s become like a second home.”
He said that the resurfacing is a major win, and that fixing cracks and other faults in the aging park will be good for skater safety.
A brighter future for Vancouver skateboarders after a tough summer
While the resurfacing of Hastings Skate Park means great things for future generations, the closure still leaves a gaping hole for competitive skateboarders this summer.
We spoke to Adam Hopkins, a Canadian skateboarder who represented Team Canada and has performed on the world stage, who said he got emotional when he spoke for the motion at council.
“I was holding back tears when I was doing my speech. I couldn’t get through it. It was hard. It’s very close to my heart,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins said that the park was built 25 years ago, and earlier this month was its 25th anniversary. During that period, there hasn’t been much in the way of municipal funding contributing to its maintenance or improvement.
“There’s nothing like this bowl in Canada. It’s known globally. It’s a huge training resource for aspiring Olympians,” he said, adding that it has a deeply-rooted scene.
“This whole new generation of kids coming in, and the generations after that and after that, they’re getting a brand new bowl,” Hopkins said.
“Skateboarding comes from the dirt and the cracks in the city sidewalks from the ground up. I think it’s something that when you get involved in that community, you feel it. You know it. It’s hard to quantify it, it’s hard to explain, but it’s a very, very special thing,”
Hopkins still feels like there would’ve been a way to keep the park open during FIFA, but the decision to close it is final, and there’s no changing it. He said it feels like FIFA can come in and do whatever it wants, and that’s the power that organization has.
Invariably, the finality behind the closure means that skateboarders looking to train at Hastings Skate Park will have to find other places to go, which could mean going Stateside.
We spoke to Zoe Zollinger, one of the top youth skateboarders in Canada, who is from B.C., following the closure announcement. She was very upset about the summer closure of Hastings Skatepark.
“Being in Canada, especially on the island, I don’t have any skate park like that,” Zollinger said, adding that the closest place to go would be California, which isn’t ideal considering the situation in the United States.
A huge win for community advocacy
Shutterstock
Whether or not you’re a member of the skateboarding community, the advocacy leading to a major win at City Council proves that community outreach works, and that, at least in some situations, democracy can still prevail.
Tennant was very grateful to everyone who helped get the word out.
“On behalf of myself, Michelle, Stone, and Jeremy (members of the VSBC), we’re super excited and happy with the result and thankful for the staff and elected officials,” Tennant said.
“We want to say thanks to all the skateboard community members and also the community at large who reached out to City staff and elected officials. In the committee meeting yesterday, when the motion was passed unanimously, during the discussions between City Councillors and the mayor, they acknowledged being very aware of the situation and being educated on the situation,” Tennant added.
He attributed the City’s awareness of the issues to those who reached out.
“So that’s thanks to you at Daily Hive. That’s thanks to the team at CBC, and that’s thanks to the tens, if not hundreds, of emails that staff and elected officials got about this issue.”