Lee — As part of the town’s Founders’ Day Weekend, the Lee Youth Commission will hold its first-ever Skatepark Competition at noon on Saturday, September 16.
The park is located at 120 Housatonic Street at the Lee Athletic Field. According to Lee Youth Commission member Josh Bloom, the competition is open to all ages and skill levels and will include one-minute runs on the Skatepark loop. The event is open to skateboard, scooter, bicycle, BMX, roller skate, and roller blade riders.
The idea for the event came from resident Nico Resca, a student at Lee High School who has been a skateboarder for the past three years and is also a student member of the town’s Youth Commission.
“Skateboarding has taught me a lot of lessons, including how to appreciate fun,” Nico told The Berkshire Edge. “It has also given me confidence. One thing skateboarding has taught me is that good things can happen when you practice. For you to do things, you have to go through a whole process of learning. After you practice, that is when you see people begin to thrive.”
Nico explained that the skatepark is a great way for people in town to make connections with each other. “The skatepark is quite small, but you can always find meaningful connections with other people there,” Nico said. “It’s a very communal place. There is hardly a time when I go when I meet somebody new.”
Bloom estimates that, each year, hundreds of people use the skatepark, which was built in 2010. “The skate community is still somewhat small in town, but we are hoping that this event will be the first of multiple opportunities to offer programming relating to skating in town,” Bloom said. “My children have taken up skating and biking during the pandemic. I took up rollerblading lessons with an instructor. Skating has been a way for me to connect with my children and to get them excited about something that is both thrilling and fun for my family.”
Bloom said that a skatepark is an essential part of any community, especially in Lee. “A skatepark is where children can congregate and have positive activities that they can do on their own and learn from their peers,” Bloom said. “Our region doesn’t have a ton of extracurricular and recreational opportunities for children, especially for the children who are slightly older and out of elementary school. When playgrounds become too small for our children, it’s hard to find a place where children can go for recreational activities. While we have sports fields and basketball courts, skateparks are essential parts of our towns because they have become a safe place in our community where children can engage in safe and constructive activities.”
The skatepark in Lee is “unique in that it is a relatively easy skatepark to navigate,” Bloom added. “It does not have very high obstacles or ramps, so it is something that a beginner or an advanced beginner can easily skate on,” Bloom said. “For the advanced skaters, it does have rails and other things that allow skaters to do tricks and grind on. But it is still a really approachable skatepark for younger skaters as well.”
There will be various prizes offered at the event. For more information, contact Bloom at leeyouthcommission@lee.ma.us or (718) 683-2548.
