Skate parks and Squares for Skateboarding practice in Caracas

Luis Sánchez | Dec 10, 2016

Currently there are 6 places in Caracas for Skateboarding practice from which only 4 are 80 to 100% operational.

The Skate park in San Antonio was built in 2008 and since then it’s been disabled by the fact that it was built and then there was no maintenance personnel that would take care of the structure so that it was properly kept. Local skaters from San Antonio go to other parks in the big city because of the fact that installations at this park are not fit to the sport’s practice, the floors and the ramps are completely cracked which doesn’t permit that the wheels from the skates can shift as needed for the different maneuvers.

The extreme park of Chacao has not closed its doors to the public since it started working in 2009. The space for the practice of this sport is in very good shape with security at the entrance and the skaters must present an ID that it’s given to them once they register in the park. It has an extreme coffee shop, as the users call it, fully operational bathrooms for men and women and it also has locker where the users can store their belongings so they don’t have to worry about losing them. Inside the park there’s a young skater known as El Chino that runs a small school from skateboard to skateboard which Works from Monday to Friday at the end of the afternoon.

The Chacao Mayor’s Office is in charge of the park. In order for any event to take place in the park a permit from said office is needed in order to maintain the organization and have the cooperation of the Chacao security forces.

 

In 2010 the Mayor’s Office of Sucre inaugurated the Los Dos Caminos skate park. For skaters it was an ideal place and, at the moment, the biggest extreme park in the city and one of the most visited. It had security at the entrance and in the offices in which the administration of the park worked. Events such as concerts would take place in the park and the structure of the ramps was great until, with the pass of time and no explanation, the security employees disappeared and the managers closed the park. Skaters organized themselves and they accomplished the re-opening of the park but it wasn’t enough because people with bad intentions started to come until the park was not safe anymore so skaters cannot enter and practice their activities without fear of being robbed. No one does anything in order to make the space viable again.

In 2012 the construction of the New Urban Generations Park was finished. This park is located in Caricuao parish and since its opening the organization of the park has been very good. It has public services offices, a coffee shop, restrooms and places for senior people recreation. The U, the bowls, the mini-ramps and other locations used by skaters at the park are in very good shape and is daily visited by the majority of the local skaters and skaters from other places in the city so that they can evolve and develop their skating skills.

Last but not least, the Extreme Square of Los Símbolos arrived to the city in 2014. In this square skaters from Caracas get together in order to practice and have fun. There is no direct security on the park but there is a patrol due to the location near a military zone. Installation conditions are still in good shape since it is the most recent park in the city. On Sundays the trainer and creator of the Skateboarding of Los Símbolos School, Freiman Gamez is present. He started teaching the youngest one of his own accord so that they can learn the sport.

After going to the previously mentioned places, it can be concluded that in order to recover these lost spaces, the government’s or private entities’ help is needed and building new places for the practice of this and other extreme sports are very helpful in order to try to keep the youngest and the oldest ones away from drugs or any type of vices.

Luis R. Sánchez N. / @LuisRaSb