As homemade skate spots across Davis are taken down, patrons grapple with how to rebuild
By EMME DUNNING — features@theaggie.org
In the past year, multiple patron-made skate spots have been taken down across different jurisdictions including UC Davis land, city of Davis land and across rural Yolo County.
The do-it-yourself (DIY) skate spots have been built and maintained by their patrons, who are now coping with the loss of a beloved community gathering place.
Ben Salko, a third-year landscape architecture major, has been skating since elementary school. Salko asserted the importance of skating in his daily life and the role it plays in building positive connections in the community.
“It’s been a source of community and friendship since then, as well as being a great way to push myself physically and express myself,” Salko said.
Since coming to Davis, Salko expressed disappointment in the park options that the city of Davis offers for skating.
“The Davis skatepark fails to meet the needs of the majority of skateboarders and is very run down,” Salko said. “It has been ranked as one of the worst skateparks in the [United States] a couple of times.”
Salko and his friends recognized the importance of an adequate skate park in cultivating a thriving community and set out to create a halfpipe ramp in an open field tucked behind The Domes. The halfpipe was made primarily out of wood and could comfortably support multiple people. At one point, couches were even brought to the spot, providing a multi-functional place for people to skate and socialize.
“Word of this place quickly spread,” Salko said. “Every time I went, I would meet new skaters from the area excited for the opportunity to skate a fun ramp in Davis. We quickly had a third space — a true home away from home — where everyone could hang out and push each other to learn and improve.”
Despite the growing popularity of the ramp, it was taken down last August by an unknown party, causing a rift within the skateboarding community. Other DIY parks, including the Davis Ditch, a converted concrete bowl in a field off of County Road 32A, have faced similar instances of demolition.
The Davis Ditch featured curbs, quarter pipes and boxes made primarily from reused and found materials that came together to make a functional skatepark. It was a longtime local hub for recreation and creativity, something that UC Davis students and locals have come to appreciate.
Colin Carter, a Davis local and avid biker, enjoyed the collaborative nature of the DIY spots.
“The people you’d meet at a DIY spot were all super into constantly improving and maintaining it,” Carter said. “You knew every time you would show up, there may be a new feature or some work to be done, which was part of the fun.”
This unique feature has made the recent demolition even harder for those who frequent the spots.
“Coming back and seeing them slowly being taken apart over the last few months has definitely been sad to say the least,” Carter said. “I’ve been able to get out and see them again, which may be the last time.”
Trey Brown, a third-year global disease biology major, was introduced to the DIY spots through a friend and was immediately drawn to their innovative models.
“You knew that people had put time and effort into making the park,” Brown said. “It was different, but encouraged you to get creative to make the space work.”
Brown asserted that the DIY spots were not a safety or waste concern and that patrons were committed to their maintenance.
“They caused no harm and weren’t in the way of anyone,” Brown said. “They remained clean and were purely a place for people to gather and enjoy themselves.”
He also expressed worries about the future of skate culture in Davis if the crackdown on homemade spots continues.
“The Davis Park is beyond insufficient — so without these locally constructed spots, there aren’t too many options,” Brown said.
Looking forward, proponents of the DIY skate and bike spots hope that more collaboration could take place between the university, city officials and DIY park users to facilitate the re-establishment and expansion of skateboarding spaces that allow for creativity and community connection.
“Having a place to skateboard that is easily accessible to people and is enjoyable defines the skate community in the area,” Salko said. “I would like to imagine a future where universities — especially one like Davis with such strong DIY roots and spirit — can create spaces to promote skateboarding and the wider range of activities that their population enjoy[s].”
Written by: Emme Dunning — features@theaggie.org
