Over the last 10 plus years this area has seen some epic skateparks come and go from our Central Florida skateboarding scene. It started before I eventually landed in the Orlando area with Badlands. I had not had the pleasure of skating Badlands but learned quickly that it was the original training ground for those who were elite among the now familiar shredding populace of the area.
I spent the early to mid-nineties in East TN, a horrible place to be a skateboarder. But also a great place to be proud for being a skateboarder, if that makes any sense.
So after Badlands there was Mission in Longwood, Fl. This was the first park I skated here locally when I relocated in 2002. Soon after, Vans Skatepark on International drive opened up. I worked at Vans for almost a year shortly after it opened and left in 2003 to go work for my new friends Simon and Brett at Metro in Sanford. Metro Skatepark was an indoor park with an amazing design located in an old Publix grocery store and is still regarded as one of the best parks ever by many-a-faithful OG. The Orlando Skatepark came in 2004 which and had a surprisingly awesome culture despite being a "public" park. Then after that a few more little neighborhood public parks came up around the area like in Lake Mary, Oviedo and a few other places. When Metro closed in 2004 it was a huge bummer. But then we saw Mission and Metro mesh to create… well, Mesh. Mesh Skatepark was a continuation of the realness Metro brought to the area and where much of the budding talent of the next generation became the true force that it is today.
So with that little rundown of skatepark history in the local proximity, we come to the present at a time we say goodbye again to an amazing skatepark with an unbelievable community and culture. It never gets easier to see something like this end.
With each one, I have seen a collective scene of folks come of age as skaters, creators and leaders of a proud and loving Central Florida skate scene. We've seen our friend's dreams come true, and we've seen some dreams come to an end. What these skateparks mean to us and ultimately show us in their triumph and or failures is that there is a never-ending commitment here to keep what we believe in going. And as long as there are Chris Abbott's, Kevin Perez's, Keith Gibbs's, John Stowe's, Daniel Wheatley's, Simon Ondrek's and I seriously could go on and on… there will be skateparks that are more then just places with ramps. There will be homie videos that blow minds wider then legit company videos. There will be start-up skate brands that focus on friendship and fun over everything and remind the real world that this is skateboarding, and you can only wish you were having this much fun.
The spirit of skateboarding is special here. It's being driven by people who get it and remember all the places and periods of time where it has been, the ups and the downs. There will be a new breeding ground for this shared perspective of what a skate scene should and should not be. There will be another place to call home. Have no fear, I believe in this scene and I know it will not sleep on being right with all of these things.
Farewell, Midtown. Until we all meet again.
KMC
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