What is SK8 del Sol
Sk8 del Sol started in 2007 as an event to help the Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department raise money for Cole skatepark improvements and the installation of smaller skateparks, known as “slabs”, in other neighborhood parks.
All proceeds from this event will be dedicated to improving/expanding Cole Skatepark and installing “slabs” in other parks. This includes all money from skate contest entry fees, from raffle and the sale of t-shirts; basically everything goes toward the skatepark fund – nobody associated with this event makes any money from it.
A Brief History
The funding and building of the Cole Skatepark was accomplished by the Junior League of Corpus Christi. Upon completion of the skatepark it was donated to the city and opened on February 17, 2007. As the city was not involved in the planning, financing or building of the skatepark, they therefore have no money in the budget for upkeep or improvements. It appears that the economic situation in 2008 will continue to limit what funds the city can apply to skateboarding facilities.
The city was approached by Straight Skate in early 2008 with the concept of putting concrete slabs in a few of the many smaller neighborhood parks that are throughout the city. These would be known as multifunctional park use areas that could be used by skateboarders, inline skaters, basketball, street hockey, BMX and many other urban sports. The Parks and Recreation Department was very receptive to this and enthusiastic about the concept, but the funding was not there for this idea.
What Cole Skatepark Needs
The Junior League did a fantastic job of raising the money and getting the skatepark built. Even though the skatepark is one of the most utilized facilities in any of the city parks there are some basic items that would greatly improve this skatepark:
- Maintenance to keep the skatepark from deteriorating.
- Lighting to allow skating into the evening after dark – this is the coolest time to skate in the summer.
- Seating to allow spectators to watch without interfering and give the skaters a place to rest.
- Shaded areas for those hot summer days.
- Expansion of the skatepark to increase the street skate area.
Why The City Needs “Slabs”
“Slabs” are simply level concrete areas with enough space to be used for all urban sports, not just skateboarding. An urban sport is any activity that is played in city neighborhoods and they are generally played in the street, on a sidewalk or driveway, a parking lot or other piece of concrete. Anyone who grew up in a city knows how valuable a level, good size piece of concrete is to play activities.
There are many small neighborhood parks scattered throughout the city. They are all grassy areas and the city does a very good job seeing that they are well kept, but there are lot of them that are underutilized by the public. Installing "slabs" in some of these parks would expand use of the parks to include inline skaters, BMXers, skateboarders, basketball, street hockey, hopscotch, jump-rope, just bouncing a ball and a lot-lot more activities.
A few good things about "slabs"; it helps get kids that play urban sports off the streets and away from traffic; another great thing about "slabs" is that they are maintenance free - once installed they need virtually zero upkeep or maintenance and will last for many-many years.
Sk8 del Sol started in 2007 as an event to help the Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department raise money for Cole skatepark improvements and the installation of smaller skateparks, known as “slabs”, in other neighborhood parks.
All proceeds from this event will be dedicated to improving/expanding Cole Skatepark and installing “slabs” in other parks. This includes all money from skate contest entry fees, from raffle and the sale of t-shirts; basically everything goes toward the skatepark fund – nobody associated with this event makes any money from it.
A Brief History
The funding and building of the Cole Skatepark was accomplished by the Junior League of Corpus Christi. Upon completion of the skatepark it was donated to the city and opened on February 17, 2007. As the city was not involved in the planning, financing or building of the skatepark, they therefore have no money in the budget for upkeep or improvements. It appears that the economic situation in 2008 will continue to limit what funds the city can apply to skateboarding facilities.
The city was approached by Straight Skate in early 2008 with the concept of putting concrete slabs in a few of the many smaller neighborhood parks that are throughout the city. These would be known as multifunctional park use areas that could be used by skateboarders, inline skaters, basketball, street hockey, BMX and many other urban sports. The Parks and Recreation Department was very receptive to this and enthusiastic about the concept, but the funding was not there for this idea.
What Cole Skatepark Needs
The Junior League did a fantastic job of raising the money and getting the skatepark built. Even though the skatepark is one of the most utilized facilities in any of the city parks there are some basic items that would greatly improve this skatepark:
- Maintenance to keep the skatepark from deteriorating.
- Lighting to allow skating into the evening after dark – this is the coolest time to skate in the summer.
- Seating to allow spectators to watch without interfering and give the skaters a place to rest.
- Shaded areas for those hot summer days.
- Expansion of the skatepark to increase the street skate area.
Why The City Needs “Slabs”
“Slabs” are simply level concrete areas with enough space to be used for all urban sports, not just skateboarding. An urban sport is any activity that is played in city neighborhoods and they are generally played in the street, on a sidewalk or driveway, a parking lot or other piece of concrete. Anyone who grew up in a city knows how valuable a level, good size piece of concrete is to play activities.
There are many small neighborhood parks scattered throughout the city. They are all grassy areas and the city does a very good job seeing that they are well kept, but there are lot of them that are underutilized by the public. Installing "slabs" in some of these parks would expand use of the parks to include inline skaters, BMXers, skateboarders, basketball, street hockey, hopscotch, jump-rope, just bouncing a ball and a lot-lot more activities.
A few good things about "slabs"; it helps get kids that play urban sports off the streets and away from traffic; another great thing about "slabs" is that they are maintenance free - once installed they need virtually zero upkeep or maintenance and will last for many-many years.
