Skateboarders push for indoor facility to ride year-round

Skateboardersfrom across London are coming together in an effort to convince city hall that an indoor skate park would be worth the cost and effort.

A group of dedicated skaters, including skate shop owners, an Olympic hopeful and event organizers,hasstarted a petition to gather as many signatures as possible to convince decision-makers to build an indoor venue.

"It's almost surprising to me that it hasn't happened yet," said Zach Almeida, the co-founder of local skateboard brand HZRDSkateboarding, and the person who started the petition. "People are always saying they'd love something like that because there's really no facility near London. The closest one is in Kitchener."

Earlier this year, a temporary indoor skate park was built in the Western Fair Agriplex during the fair's 2024 season for an event called The Summit.It was a popular attraction, organizers said, and signaled a need to offer year-round facilities in London.

The organizer of The Summit, Ken Galloway, said the Western Fair and his group, The Risky Play Art Collective, spent $50,000building the skateboard ramps, and said they could be reused, if an indoor venue opened.

"It's a shame to take them apart and put them into storage containers. Young people were getting excited about finding a new place to put them, and we're excited to back them," Galloway said.

The skaters have not put a price on what it would cost to open an indoor skate park, and they say they have not yet met with anyone on council for support.

Still, they hope the petition will accomplish a number of goals, including getting elected officials onboard, but also to signal interest to potential private investors or property owners.

WATCH | Skaters pitch their plan for an indoor park

Here's the pitch for an indoor skateboard park in London

7 days ago

Duration 6:38

London has 11 outdoor neighbourhood skateboard parks, but no indoor facility. That's something local skaters want to change. Ken Galloway, a founding member of the Risky Play Art Collective, and Richie Bullbrook, a local professional skateboarder, joined London Morning to discuss raising support for the idea.

The need for an indoor skateboarding space is especially important to Richie Bullbrook, 21, whorepresents Team Canada in international skate competitions. He currently hashis eyes set on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but said London does not have ideal training facilities.

"Winters are always hard for skateboarders, but especially here. We can't use our outdoor parks year-round. That means we have to travel, making training in the winter inconsistent," Bullbrook said.

He adds an indoor park wouldn't just be aboutcompeting, but could foster community.

"It'd be nice to have somewhere to go, even just to fool around and have a good time. It's obviously not going to be an Olympic-level facility, but a fun place to go and enjoy the sport and the community in the winter would be amazing,"Bullbrook said.

At skate shops like the London Skateboard Co-operative, there's buzz aboutthe push for an indoor park, and what it could mean for London's skate culture.

"It's so important. We have kids that get really good [at skateboarding] and the community builds up so much during the summer," shop director Jim Travis said. "Then, by the end of the year, you have to go through winter, and that momentum is lost."

"Especially with skateboarding being an Olympic sport now, and being thrust more into the mainstream, I think it's time for an indoor facility," he said.

Petition organizers say they'll be looking to Kitchener for examples of how to go about opening an indoor park. That city hadre-purposed an ice rink and some say that could be a potential blueprintfor London to follow.