Spot review: Firewall Skatepark
July 28th, 2011 by admin received Comments Off TweetPictures: (c) Elisa Roggio and (c) Broken Art
We had a nice talk with one of the founders of the Firewall Skatepark, a park created a couple of years ago on the Ligurian cost, Imperia. We’ve been impressed by the passion and the commintment showed by those working there and besides that, the park absolutely rocks!
Hi Jack! Thank you for getting in touch! I guess you’re one of the minds that brought the project to reality. Can you tell me how did it begin? Were you thinking about it for a while, or maybe it happened to you to have a good opportunity all of a sudden?
R: Hey! Yes, I’m one of the five founders of the park, and it all begun after years of hard work. We long asked for the permission to build it to local authorities, since we were constantly chased, when not fined, every time we were skating. Finally we succeeded into having the attention of the sports councilor and he told us to found an Amateur Sports Association, after that he would have given us an area where to skate. So we did it, we founded our association ‘Skate for Fun’ and since that very moment everything was easier! The councilor gave us the promised area and we even received financial help to buy the first structures. All the other structures are home made!
You’ve a lot of structures in the park! What can a skater that comes for the first time try?
R:Well, surely what attracts the most is our spine ramp! With a bank too.. it’s 90cm high with a 2mts radius so the curve is extremely smooth. Then, since it’s not too high, you just feel like trying whatever! You can learn any trick there! In the street section we’ve something for everyone.. a bank bump to bum with a wall,curb, a quarter (1,50 mt high x 2 mt width), and many rails, even an ascent one!
I think you host many skaters, coming not only from Imperia.. How can one have the access to the park?
R:The park is open to everyone, you just need to subscribe to the association and then you have free entrance all the year long. The enrollment is important for various reasons, first of all because of the insurance (if you hurt yourself you’re covered by U.I.S.P. Insurance) and then also to increase the number of the associates. The more we are, the more we’re taken into consideration! And the more the local scene can grow. Then, if one comes from Genoa or from a far place, he can skate simply signing an idemnification paper. The park hours are different from season to season, anyway we’re more or less open from 3pm to sunset.
Did you encounter many problems into finding the right place for the skatepark? Do you have any suggestion to all those willing to do something similar? … your experience may be helpful for someone other!
R:Sure! My suggestion is to be insistent, and possibily a lot! Call your skateshop and talk with the owner, surely he’ll be up to help you (it’s a good thing for him having a skatepark round the corner!) Then you have to go to the municipe and insist a lot!Create a sports association and look for a place to propose. Then you have to design a project.. as I was saying, it is necessary having a great determination and patience, you have to do everything well and with all the papers!
How’s the scene in your area? Is it better since the creation of the public skatepark?
R:Surely yes!Many guys began skating after the opening of the park and some of them are really good at it! We’ve some really talented kids. And even those who gave up skating in the past, they began skating again with the park! Even we, the older ones, we improved our skating a lot because now we can skate everyday. Skating calls skating, dudes!
You hyped some really cool event, with big sponsors. Can you remember an event which marked you in a particular way?
R:Well, let’s say that the last contest(the work in progress), left me with some good memories. There was plenty of people, someone from Genoa, others from Savona,Varazze,Turin,Taggia,San Remo…and the locals of course! Everyone with a good level of skating. Then Joe, a guy from London came out of nowhere… he was here on holiday and he had heard about the contest.. He got the second place! And our major sponsor was Etnies. Always present at anyone of our events. In the end, we just had all we needed for a great contest: skaters, music, and beer!!!
And what can we expect for the future? I’ve heard that instead of going to the beach you’re working on something for August, isn’t it?
R:Yes, we’re preparing another contest in August, the flyer is almost ready. It’s focused on the street part and we have the perfect recipe: beer+friendship+skateboarding! We’ll release some more detailed info in the next days!
How many people are working in the association? Are you willing to enlarge the staff too?
R:We’re five in the staff, but all those who shares our interests and has cool and intelligent ideas for a reality like Firewall Skatepark is welcome in our staff!!
Are you working to enrich the park too? Is there any upcoming surprise?
R:Sure, we’re constantly growing! Every year we build something new to widen and enrich the park. We’ve a new project in mind, and we’ll start it at the end of the summer…it’s a huge PYRAMID! But we’ll give you more details at the right moment through our Facebook and YouTube channels!
Leave a virtual message to all the skaters that skated, are skating or will skate Firewall Skatepark:
R:The message is worldwide: GO SKATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Jack! All the best & support for firewall skatepark! Follow the guys on their site
http://firewallsk8park.altervista.org/ …see ya there!
Pictures: (c) Elisa Roggio and (c) Broken Art
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:Tags: firewall skatepark, imperia, imperia skatepark, jack primero, skate for fun association, skating
Posted under: INTERVIEWS, SKATE
