Justin Bishop at an event in Zephyrhills, Florida organized by The Boardr.

The Big Picture

Skateparks are just as much a social vehicle as they are a sports facility. Because of this, it’s important to consider the amenities and experience surrounding the skatepark facility. Chaperones, parental units, non-active friends, and support are all part of the social community that will utilize the passive areas of the skatepark. Access from all angles and intentional design of the perimeter of the park is just as important as the field of play itself.

Oscar Lorento, Jr at an event in Des Moines, Iowa organized by The Boardr.

Inclusivity

Action sports consist of very diverse activities, encompassing all non-motorizied, wheeled sports like skateboarding, bikes, roller skates, scooters, etc. Each individual participant has a unique thought process and approach. In addition to all using different equipment across action sports, the culture and identity of each stakeholder celebrates uniqueness and is closely related to art, individualism, and diversity. These qualities naturally include adaptive and neurodivergent participants as well. When Platform Group’s design philosophy and approach is applied, skateparks inherently accommodate adaptive needs. It's essential that the design extends this inclusivity beyond the field of play, treating the surrounding areas as an integral part of the riding space.

Oscar Lorento, Jr and Nick Mullins with awardsa at an event organized by The Boardr.

Technical Details

However, more can be done to build on those qualities in a way that does not take away from the function of the park for others. Platform Group’s global event production services division, The Boardr, organizes several adaptive skateboarding events each year. We see firsthand how these participants use the facilities both in their own unique way, in ways very similar to their less challenged peers.

As an example, the dimensions of ledges is a key consideration requiring expert participant knowledge. Through our exposure to adaptive and neurodivergent participants, we also learned additional details like extra length in ledges is helpful for vision impaired riders to get an additional second or two of set-up and evaluation time before their trick. Detailed considerations like that can only be obtained from direct experience with the adaptive and neurodivergent community, and factors into our package and design approach.

This thinking extends to the perimeter of the park so that access and experience for chaperones, teachers, and personal support is the best experience it can be. It includes everything from line of sight considerations to coloring concrete to identify changes in areas and spaces.

Justin Bishop in the bowl contest at St Pete, Florida, an event organized by The Boardr.

Educational

Integrating educational elements serves as an additional avenue to inspire all visitors. Incorporating signs that delve into various STEM-based subjects with historical narratives can greatly enhance the park's design. We aim to implement these features through both traditional methods and, potentially, augmented reality applications, amplifying opportunities for school field trips and personalized device interactions. The educational components can evolve for phased implementation in the future. A few examples include:

• Science: Physics, Mass, Environmental Studies, Psychology
• Technology: Lighting, Materials, Color Theory, Design Principles
• Engineering: Stormwater Management, Structural Strength, Subgrade Engineering
• Mathematics: Geometry, Angles, Radius, Diameter, Light Concepts, Speed Calculations
• History: Site Background, Sporting

Overall, we aim to make sure your facility captures the immense potential to improve the quality of life for a diverse range of individuals, leading to an unbeatable return on investment when you partner with Platform Group to design your space.