POSTED BY BP IN News @ October 6, 2011 - 1:32 am
Located at 75th Avenue and 112 Street, McKernan Park has always been a concrete oasis for Edmonton Skateboarders. Despite the fact that McKernan Park is nothing more than an old wading pool with a few tiny curbs, a small drop and a crusty ledge, Edmonton Skateboarders have found many creative ways utilize the park for their own personal enjoyment.
Last year, the McKernan Community League and the City of Edmonton decided to update the old wading pool with a new, modern splash park. Not wanting to displace the Skateboarders of Edmonton, the McKernan Community League reached out to the Edmonton Skateboard Association to discuss the possibility of creating a skate spot adjacent to the new splash park. Over the last year, I have worked with the McKernan Community League and the City of Edmonton as a representative of the ESA to help design the new spot:
Second Conceptual Design
In order to make this spot happen, the ESA has committed to fundraising $10,000 for the McKernan Skate Spot. I have a number of fundraising ideas already planned and I will need volunteers to help reach the Edmonton Skateboard Associations’ goal. A Facebook group and Email have been set up for all those interested in fundraising or anyone who has suggestions for the design of the McKernan Skate Spot.
Emal: skatemckernan@gmail.com
Facebook: Skate McKernan: Fundraising Group
I have spent countless hours skateboarding at McKernan Park and can still remember my first time there. I will always remember that day because it was when I met one of my best friends, Tyler “Teebs” Stuart: a true king of MCK. I am sure I am not the only one with fond memories of this park and I feel it would be important to keep McKernan Park’s legacy alive for us as well as the future generations of Edmonton Skateboarders.
Thank You
Brandon Pedersen
October 6, 2011 @ 8:08 pm
concerned mom
put a top on the qp callingwood and millwoods already made the mistake of not having one on theirs
October 6, 2011 @ 9:36 pm
Concerned Dad
sharp objects are dangerous
October 7, 2011 @ 1:48 pm
concerned mom's son
this park looks good!
October 9, 2011 @ 1:54 pm
concerned fire fighter
put in fitepits so bbqs will be easy and safe for all to enjoy
October 9, 2011 @ 1:57 pm
concerned older brother
this park looks like it could have some major improvements,
1. quarter pipes should not be skated like a stair set, there should be stuff that you can use to generate speed to hit it, running and throwing down your board is not ideal when you are seshing a qp
2. like the concerned mom said the quarter pipes need to have a top ( i cannot sttress this enough) this doesnt make it any less a quarter pipe and more a “plaza obsticle” it just sucks
3. how boxes and banked walls does it need? not more than 2 especially if theyre floating
4. more flow is needed, only robots like skating back and forward and stopping or having to push to skate everything, a good park should be able to be skated in a line without pushing
needs to have some wide banks or hips or corners for carving and generating speed
5. needs a harcsh bank to curb
6. put in a jerser barrier, how hard can that be?
7. make somthing that hasent been in a park youve skated before,, why make the same stuff over and over again
8. make wallrides and stuff so peoope have the choice to not have to ollie up everything just to get across the park, your shoes will last longer and it will have more flow
9.put in a mini bowl or a ditch or somthing
10. dont make the coaping on the ledges out of that shitty stuff barkman uses it sucks
October 10, 2011 @ 11:55 pm
BP
The most important thing to remember is that the McKernan project is NOT intended to be a skate park. The Community League has been kind enough to allow us to place a few obstacles, as the budget and space available restrict the amount of features. The overall vision of the spot was to keep the feel of the original spot intact while adding a few permanent features to the spot. I understand your concerns over the flow of the spot, but once again this project is not intended to be a skate park for carving and generating speed. The space available is too tiny to accommodate a park with quarter pipes, hips and bowled corners. It may have not been clear in the design that half of the space taken up by a spray park. (Empty space at the bottom of the wadding pool) The current long stair set will be removed as well as around 65% of the existing wadding pool. I am a bit confused over your objection to having a quarter pipe without a top deck when you suggest a jersey barrier be incorporated into the design??? A jersey barrier is essentially a quarter pipe without a top deck and in most cases you have to skate up to them like a stair set. The original plan had no transition and it was decided that a quarter pipe should be added. This is not the final design. There will be a meeting in the near future for all people interested in contributing to the design of the skate spot.
October 11, 2011 @ 1:45 pm
mellow vodka flavour jello
the more spots the merrier
lets make this 1 a fun 1 boys and girls
October 11, 2011 @ 3:37 pm
concerned scrotum
my older brother needs to chill out ,having a top to the quarter would be nice for when older brother attempts a lame ass lipstall and rips me open when he sacks on the top of it
October 21, 2011 @ 11:07 am
concerned sk8rat
jersey barriers are hesh and have no coaping
“plaza steez” quarter piipes are lame, theres a reason the barrier cult exists, you dont see them doing tricks at callingwood because barriers are gnar therefore word
October 22, 2011 @ 2:12 pm
shaun
cool cd in the middle better have some cool cover art also add a place for graphiti to go so that the FEW permenant cement obstacles dont loose there flossy glide slide
November 29, 2011 @ 1:23 am
BP
Yo! All you people out there (people of all ages) The ESA is having another meeting Thursday, December 1st at 7:00pm at the C3 church at 10545 81st street. While a portion of this meeting will be spent discussing the ESA/MHSA/Calgary Mexico Home Building Trip 2012, the other half of this meeting will focus on the McKernan Skate SPOT Project. In McKernan Skate Spot News…. The Community has given the okay to dedicate the spot to the memory of Tyler “Teebs” Stuart. So that being said I would like to invite all those interested helping with the McKernan Skateboard Spot Project to come out to the meeting. I know there has been a lot of comments regarding the design of this Project, so this is your chance to have your opinions herd. If you cant make the meeting feel free to post a comment below. Bring you Design and Fundraising Ideas. Hope to See you there.
December 1, 2011 @ 12:16 pm
Bousse
Looks awesome boys. I cant make the meeting. will be a fun place to session. It’s not a park, that’s what I love. In the jutout of the NE corner of the picture above, you should have a bank to ledge… rest looks awesome.
well done guys. stoked for a spot like this, with the trees and all to be more skateable.
December 27, 2011 @ 4:54 am
frederickB
i grew up skating this park, this place is a legacy. im looking forward to seeing what awesome improvements are going to be made. old memories are timeless, and new memories are limitless! love to see people working to keep this place alive!!
SKATE.LOVE.EMBRACE!
January 17, 2012 @ 4:49 pm
p.c. st albert
flat boxes flat bars manual pads…basically anything triggity travis would skate. add a 39 inch flat ledge too so he can front tail it when he comes to town
February 5, 2012 @ 10:39 pm
AdamPruden
Hey BP, this is nuts. I was looking at the design and thought even that was ballin. I remember the days where if someone brought over a fun box the entire park would be filled up with the majority of the skaters in Edmonton. Dude posting about flow has not experienced Mck like the old school peeps.
I think you should try to get a rail going down the drop like how we use to prop rails or boxes. Since the big stair (gap) is being removed due to the pool, maybe put a big stair where part of the drop is and put a rail down the middle? Leave about 3 feet on each side so it’s still big enough to gap over or do the rail if you choose. I agree with a top on the QP, just so people can chill on top and wait to drop in. Whatever happens though, if a QP is made I wouldn’t make it any bigger than a couple feet tall. You won’t need much speed in that space. Whatever you guys decide, I can’t stress enough that all this park needs is simplicity, nothing crazy. As all the OG’s know, it was never about anything more than that.
I can’t wait for this to happen. I’ll go buy a complete again, and Fredrick, we can play a game of skate like we use to
March 12, 2012 @ 9:34 pm
unconcerned 22-year McKernan resident
i think this initiative and the ESA’s involvement with/support of it is great – mckernan has needed something that isn’t for the pre-school and younger school-age demographc for as long as we’ve lived here and we completely support what you’re doing!