La Sierra Skate Park Still Going Strong

A year ago, the was due to budget cuts by the .

There was also the possibility that it would stay open until the end of last summer.

Today, the skate park remains open after fighting the odds to stay alive. Like last year, skate park manager Bob Kerr says that keeping the park open is still a month-to-month process,

“It’s a constant struggle,” Kerr said. “But we’re grateful to be staying open…  we’ve been able to keep the park going and looks like we’re good for the rest of the summer and then we’re going to go on from there and see how things are.”

“A lot of the community doesn’t understand what skateboarding is” he continued. “There’re a lot of misconceptions of who skateboarders are. They come from all different backgrounds just like every other organized sport”

“Basically, people just kind of don’t like skateboarding and it’s been a struggle to educate them that they, basically, are good people, but they need some guidance.”

Fortunately, the skate park has gained support from the community to stay open, especially from .

“We were just looking for a good organization to help the community,” R Thrift store manager Joe Duncan said. “We just felt that would be a good spot for that."

“Unfortunately, they had to close in the Carmichael Pool a few years back and when they were talking about trying to close the skate park, that’s when we were on board to try to help that out because we need more places for the kids to go to.”

The partnership between the skate park and R Thrift has been beneficial, both sides said.

“We’ll do events to cause awareness to what’s going on and how they help us,” Kerr said. “That the store is there and that it needs support because R Thrift supports the community and try to show them that we love them for doing everything that they’ve done for us.”

Some skaters help out at R Thrift, Duncan said.

“They hold up signs to try to encourage people to come into the store," he said. "It’s been a good relationship between us and the kids over there at the skate park.”

Although there are other skate parks that aren’t nearby in the Sacramento-area that skateboarders visit, nothing beats skating close to home. If the park were to close, the kids would likely turn to the streets to skate, officials said.

“The skateboarders just want to keep the place sacred to them going,” Kerr said. “This is like a second home to us and whether people like us or not, at least this keeps us in an environment where we’re leaving people alone and kids can excel at their skills.”

It’s been a tough ride to keep the park open, but with the support it’s received it won’t be going anywhere.

Do you or someone you know use La Sierra Skate Park? Tell us in a comment below?