Through events and fundraisers the Waterbury community pushed for a safer and more modern skatepark. The new park will be more durable because of the materials they use.
This affects skateboarders, rollerblades, and people who want to go to a skatepark nearby. And this could encourage more people to skate or just stop by and see. This would encourage kids that are nearby to maybe skate or do something at the park.
Like the Warren Skate Park it started off at a DIY meaning “Do It Yourself” Project. The Waterbury skate park was built in 2010 by the community members who used wood. The wood was deteriorating and getting old so they hired Catamount Skateparks.
The old park was old wooden and was falling apart until October 2023, they decided to tear it down and the Waterbury skate coalition pushed to have a modern skatepark in Waterbury.
Catamount Skateparks launched in April 2021 and their crew took action with their hard working members, some with 20 plus years of experience of building skateparks all over Vermont.
The original thought was to build a park near the ice center; however, the designers had to tear down the old deteriorating wooden park. As a result, they shifted their focus to building a park at Hope Davey Site.
Commonground had the opportunity to speak with Sophomore Wilson Stack he said “Now there is a more accessible park since it’s right in Waterbury, and maybe families that would like to try something new would go check it out, and it could bring people that currently do stuff whether they live there or driving thorough,” said Stack
The skate park is for dedicated young kids and older beginning or intermediate skaters to meet and share experiences.
The Waterbury Park and Warren Park relate because they share the same designers who have their experience and skate themselves so they know what something should be from a skater’s eyes.
When asked about his development as a skater, Stack said “I’m proud of doing a blunt to fake on transition and proud of doing a heel flip on flatground.”
Senior Taj Fairchild commented on the park saying “I’m proud of doing a kickflip to rock to fakie in my prime of skateboarding and I’m also proud of doing 180 over the gap at the Warren skate park”
Yuma Cormier said when reached out to from Commonground “A trick I’m proud of doing is a tre flip, and a trick that is clean looking is a hardflip backside 180.
The Waterbury skate park offers more flatground opportunity and Warren offers both and that’s good that the parks offer flatground (street style skating) and transition for a skater because some like to stick to one or even do both.
Vermont hopes to see more parks from Catamounts Skateparks.