Every Calgary skater has gone through skate withdrawal for 6 or more months every winter when the weather turns to crap, making skateboarding pretty much impossible. Unless you have a basement skatepark or can drive to Red Deer, Sylvan Lake, or Medicine Hat, the only time you can skate is when you brave the cold and shovel snow at mills. Our town has over a million people and in excess of 40 000 skaters, it should be able to support an indoor skatepark.
Calgary Indoor Skatepark History
Calgary has had many indoor skateparks come and go over the years.
You could skate the Plexiglas window at Skatopia in the late 70's
- Skatopia1 (1977-1979)
- Rich Speed & Sport
(1983-1984) - Ramp-o-rama
(1984-1986) - Powderstick Skateworld
(1986-1989) - Skate Jungle (1989-1993)
- All School (1999)
- 403 (2000-2003)
- The Source (2003-2006)
Each of these skateparks had enthusiastic, hard working owners and skaters travelled from all corners of the city to skate there. In the end, none of them were able to make a go of it as a business despite the hard work, energy, enthusiasm and money invested. Truth is, it’s pretty much impossible to pay the high rent and utilities, expensive insurance, staff salaries, maintenance, and other expenses while charging skaters a few bucks to get in. Even sponsorship money from skate bands and shops won’t cover the huge overhead costs. From about October to March lots of skaters will come, but the rent, utilities, and insurance still have to be pad in the summer when Mills and the local skate spots can be skated for free. The only way a for-profit skatepark will stay open is if they have a generous donor willing to lose a bunch of cash, and it will stay open only as long as the generosity continues.
Successful Indoor Skateparks
Where indoor skateparks have survived, they have been operated on a not-for-profit basis, which opens opportunities to receiving grants, donations, and even casino funds to cover the costs. In Regina, the city has partnered with the SK8 Regina Association with the city providing the building and insurance while the association applies for grants and fundraises to cover the rest of the costs while managing the park. CASE believes that the Regina approach is the right one for our city too and we are promoting that idea in our discussions with the City (along with the need to change the ramp bylaw and build a network of outdoor skateparks). If you want to see an indoor skatepark in Calgary, an email or letter of support to the Mayor and to your City Councillor will go a long way. Especially if one came from every skateboarders house in the city!
Read More to see some photos of Calgary’s old indoor parks
Skatopia
Skatopia was an indoor concrete park that was open in the late 70’s
Skatopia Bowl
Rich Speed & Sport (1983-84)
Rich Speed & Sport - Early 1980's
Rich Speed & Sport
Powderstick Skateworld (1986-89)
Powderstick Skateworld
403 (2000-03)
403
403 had an outdoor mini
The Source (2003-06)
E-mail sent! I really hope you guys are successful in getting something indoor for next winter…I’m fuckin’ dying here! Although I disagree that a for profit park isn’t feasible. I’ve been trying to come up with a way to make it happen. Here’s where I’m at:
1. Keep working full time at my day job (making roughly 55K) bashing tin…park would be open after 4pm weekdays and all day Saturday, Sunday and holidays. Just me running the place. Stand Alone Media kinda commitment.
2. Sell my condo (worth around 225K, got ’bout 20 years left on that one though)…don’t really want 2 mortgages!
3. Sell my car (this sucks, I love my car)…if this is what it takes.
4. Buy industrial bay (my new home)…found one for 425K.
5. Build park…this would actually be super fun, who cares what it costs!
6. Open park (public, private, semi-private, 16+, 18+…legal/insurance issues will likely decide this one)
7. ?…go broke, work myself to death, make money, quit my job…who the fuck knows! Pretty sure I would skate quite a bit though!
May never work, but at least with my plan it wouldn’t just be the Calgary indoor skatepark, it will also be my home, which kinda makes pumping money in a little easier to bear! A long term investment. Maybe it makes paying to sesh a little easier knowing it’s a truly skater owned/operated biz too.
Anyone wanting to help out or invest/sponsor, we are reopening the old 403. We only need a few more investors and it’s all a go. Looking to take possession of property in May with a grand opening on July 4 2011!
You may reach us at 587 CALL 403 or see us on Facebook under our group name: the 403 skate lounge
403 S.K.A.T.E. Institute Ltd.
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