Great news for skaters! New requirements for Tony Hawk Foundation grant applicants will lead to better skateparks.
Say goodbye to dangerous kickplates!
Previously, Tony Hawk Foundation grant awards allowed more flexibility in size and style of skatepark. Guidelines
introduced in the latest call for applications clarify its emphasis on professional concrete design and construction for park projects, and the requirement that skatepark projects with budgets over $50,000 must be
made from non-kickplate concrete in order to be considered for a grant. This eliminates any notion that steel-framed modular parks would be awarded Tony Hawk Foundation funds in all but the smallest of parks.
For the average skater this could mean that hard-earned skatepark advocacy projects don’t conclude with a lackluster collection of ramps and boxes installed on a concrete slab.
Skaters for Public Skateparks have been proponents of poured-in-place skateparks for years and believe that designing skate spaces that appeal to the wider public help illuminate the value and contribution of skateboarding youth. Landscape architects, community planners, and skaters are all aware of a new era in skatepark design. The spaces are more integrated, visually compelling, and structurally innovative. In recent years skatepark design has taken a dramatic turn toward architecturally arresting design. This shift has brought more people to the skateparks and has helped reestablish the skatepark as a prominent place to recreate, hang out, and develop skateboarding skills.
Everyone at Skaters for Public Skateparks is thrilled to see the Tony Hawk Foundation encourage greater design and construction innovation in skateparks. It’s a good day to be a skater! (More so than usual, that is.)
im confused about exactly the grants are available too if that makes sense what i would like to know if how i could get one in my town
Doug,
You need to go to the Tony Hawk Foundation website…
http://www.tonyhawkfoundation.org/
…and download an application to see if your town will qualify for a grant.
What will happen with the steel plates? We may be able to use them on our electric motocross parks. Please contact us at StadiumofDreams@aol.com
Thank you!
SPS recommends against steel kickplates on an outdoor permanent public skatepark. As for an electric motocross park we are not familiar with it. The best of luck.