Balmy, 80-degree temperatures, brilliant blue skies, a perfect day to head... inside?
It all made sense to Virginia Beach's Brian Mitchell, 18, who spent Saturday joining several other skateboarders at the city's new indoor skateboarding park.
"This is perfect," Mitchell said of Skate High, a 10,000-square-foot maze of a bowl, ramps and rails and the only indoor facility in the city. "It's somewhere you can come, skateboard and just be yourself. That's what it's all about."
For Beach skaters, the new park is a larger, more convenient alternative to Mike'Sk8 Shop in Norfolk, which became the first indoor skateboard park in South Hampton Roads when it opened in December. The Norfolk center shares 7,000 square feet with a dive shop.
And while Saturday's weather made outdoor skateboarding ideal as well, Kevin West, 18, didn't mind leaving the sun to others.
"I like AC, man," West said. "And now when it's raining or it's cold, we still have a place to go. I mean, when you fall and it's cold outside, it feels like your bone's shattering."
David Koehler-Pfotenhauer, a 36-year-old father of two and a skateboarder himself, said he got the idea for an indoor facility two years ago after watching hundreds of kids show up for a skating day at the adjacent Princess Anne Recreation Center.
"We finally got permission from the city on March 10," said Koehler-Pfotenhauer, the new park's owner. "We started work on March 11."
With help from friends Kip Rountree and Bill Harrison, among others, Koehler-Pfotenhauer went about constructing the six sets of ramps and 4-foot bowl at what was formerly the Strawbridge Skating Center.
"We finished up at 3:30 this morning," he said.
A few hours later, Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms handled the official opening ceremonies.
The skateboarders took over from there.
"There's good vibes here already," said Mitchell, who painted the "Skate Shack" mural that adorns the wall behind the front counter.
"Beginners, advanced, it doesn't matter, because the setup is great. Yeah, I'm definitely with this."
Paul White, (757) 418-1447, paul.white@pilotonline.com
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Great Idea, Bad Park
I love that you guys wanted to do something for the kids and give everyone a better place to skate, but next time you really need to hire some consultants. You don't have to pay them, you don't have to look far, just go to Trashmore or Woodstock, look for the older guys who absolutely kill it, and then ask them to redesign your park.
Your layout it horrible, the park has no flow. With the space you had you could have done something that would attract skaters from all over the east coast. I know all about how loan financing and business plans work, so I know it will be difficult. If you want your park to be even more successful I would strongly suggest following my advice and recruiting some local guys to make your park legit.
Ribbon Cutter?
I remember a recent mayorial campaign and a candidate was often critical of our former ribbon cutting mayor. I guess it was a slow day.
Skate Park
Nice facility! I can't believe it's taken so long for another decent indoor skate park in VB. I remember nearly 15 years ago taking my son to a place on Dean Street (the FIRST indoor park). He was an inline skater. I hope your facility is open to inline skaters as well. Both skateboarding and inline skating are terrific sports for people of all ages.