After waiting for close to three months, Ethan Inman got back out on the Kinsmen Skateboard and BMX Park after it opened on Friday. (Jeff D'Andrea/paNOW Staff)

By Jeff D'Andrea

It's Great to Skate Again

Dusting off the boards and getting back to the skatepark

Jun 12, 2020 | 5:23 PM

After a long, three-month wait, Ethan Inman ran onto the Kinsmen Skateboard and BMX Park within minutes of its official reopening. He held his board in one hand and a Red Bull energy drink in the other with only one thing in mind, to shred everything in the park.

He jumped down a set of stairs right away, then made sure he could still do a kickflip. Pandemic rust or not, Inman nailed both clean.

Having the park closed off took away a big part of Inman’s pastime. Before the pandemic, Inman was at the park every day for at least four hours a day, eight hours on the weekends.

“It’s kind of like our second home. You come home from school and you’re like ‘I can’t wait to go to the skatepark.’ That’s all you think about in math class while you’re sitting there, ‘I want to go to the skatepark,’” Inman said. “So when it was closed, it was pretty boring for all the boys that know nothing but going to the skatepark after school.”

Carson Antoine launches himself just minutes after the Kinsmen Skateboard and BMX Park opened on Friday. (Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff)

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Carson Antoine, who normally skateboards but recently starting biking, spends almost as much time at the park then he does at his own home.

“I was never really home, just spent my days here. Get up early, come ride, go home late,” Antoine said. “We’re pretty lucky to have a park, considering a lot of other places don’t. We have a really nice park to be able to ride. It’s in a really nice area and it’s successful.”

The fencing is still around the park, but now has an entrance and exit. A maximum of 25 people can be allowed in the skatepark, to ensure everybody can stay at least two metres apart from each other.

At the playground

Jake Charles takes a big swing at the playground at Kinsmen Park. (Jeff D’Andrea/paNOW Staff)

It wasn’t just the skatepark that finally was open after three months. The playgrounds also were open too.

Stephanie Charles brought all three of her children, Addison, Tessa and Jake out to the playground at Kinsmen Park. She said it was a relieving break from having three bored and restless kids in the house, and have them burn off some energy in the outdoors.

“Everybody’s getting some fresh air and playing. Hopefully they’ll have a little bit of a snooze later,” Charles said with a laugh.

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Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW