New street-style “skate spot” grinds into Huntington Beach
By Orange County on August 1, 2021
Inspired by skateboarding’s Olympic debut?
Huntington Beach this week unveiled a new skate area at Edison Park, dotted with street-style features such as rails, curbs and boxes for local skaters to grind.
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Thursday, July 14, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
John Magana rides a rail at a new street-style skate park in Edison Park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Thursday, July 14, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Thursday, July 1, 1970. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Thursday, July 14, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jake Dominguez rides a rail at a new street-style skate park in Edison Park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Thursday, July 1, 1970. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Thursday, July 1, 1970. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Visitors to Edison Park take to the a street-style skate park near the corner of Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, July 30, 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With the Vans Skatepark on the northern end of the city still shut down, the “Edison Park Skate Spot” off Magnolia Street across from Edison High School is the only other area in the city solely dedicated to skaters.
The Edison Community Center recently finished a remodel, with this skate spot part of the second-phase of that plan, said Sean Crumby, the city’s public works director.
“It improved a part of the park that may not have had a lot of attention, but also provides an amenity the community really needs,” Crumby said. “It provides a place for the kids to go and have a good time and skate. It’s really just as simple as that.”
Historically, skaters have struggled to find places to fine-tune their skills.
“We’re trying to transition to providing space and amenity, we want to provide a place for them,” Crumby said.
Skateboarding could see a cultural shift after its much-awaited debut in the Olympic games, where USA’s Jagger Eaton took the bronze medal in the first-ever Olympic street skateboarding final in Tokyo.
The Olympic park-style skateboarding with pools, bowls and transitions is coming up, with the women’s final expected on Tuesday, Aug. 3 and the men’s finals the following evening.
Crumby said more skate parks could be added in other areas of the city, which is open to finding more opportunities to add small-scale spots.
“We had a really great ribbon cutting, the kids have been waiting for this,” he said of a Thursday gathering of city officials. “They were literally waiting for this thing to get over so they could jump on it. I anticipate it being busy.”
The pandemic showed just how much people need outdoor space to exercise.
“I think that through COVID, the amount of time spent in our local communities has gone up,” Crumby said. “People need amenities, they need positive places to be.”
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