The art of skating

By PAULA WELLNITZ guest writer

Orangeville’s skate park came to life midsummer this year. People watched and wondered what it would be like as they saw the grass cleared, the cement put in, the steps, the slopes brought in. They wondered how it would be used. Now they know.
All the rest of the summer it was in constant motion. Young people of all ages were coming and going. They came with their skateboards and little scooters. Parents dropped off their young masters and mistresses of the skateboard to-be. Sometimes parents stay to watch, perhaps to encourage or to protect their children from their own daring.
Sometimes there was music. Even without that, it often looked like a choreographed dance. On the skate park the traffic moved in all directions. It is amazing how they miss running into one another. It never seems that there are too many there. Most days this went on from the opening hour at 8 a.m. until the lights went out at 10.
A closer look revealed that some of the young people were not just from Orangeville but from Ferron and Huntington. They had heard of this new venue and wanted to try it out.
How would things be once school started? Now we know. Some elementary school children take their scooters and skateboards with them to school and may stop by for a few runs after school. Older experts of the skateboard may come later and sometimes stay quite late. Then there is Saturday or other free days when the movement frequently continues as it had during the summer, from 8 until 10.
There is a caring about each other in the midsts of all this as a daring skate boarder tries a new maneuver and falls flat. Another will call out, “Are you all right?’ The concerned one hears the reassuring, “Yes” and the flattened one gets up to try a different way. Then the concerned friend keeps on, keeping on his way. Sometimes the response is not so reassuring so all on the court gather round to wait to make sure all is well before continuing their ballet. Since the skate park was constructed in mid-summer there has been a steady stream of skaters from around the county trying out the new facility. The facility is located on the corner of the Orangeville Park that borders Main Street.
The skate park was a long time in coming to Orangeville and was a project of the Orangeville City Council.
The project adds another dimension to recreation in Orangeville. The skate park sits where those using the Old fire station community center can also access the skate park. Orangeville continues to look out for the needs of its residents as it adds amenities to the community for the use of everyone. During the past years they have improved the city ball parks and expanded the city park. The park boasts the skate park, horseshoe pits and tennis courts along with pavilions for picnics.