Skatepark Update
by Miche Milford, Tofino

By the time this magazine is in your hands, the crew from New Line will be putting the finishing touches on our new skatepark!! Complete with bowls, hips, ledges, rails, up gaps, and stairs, the list goes on and on. It is hard to believe it is finally a reality.

A few of us have had the privilege of having a couple of "test" sessions in the bowl and you will not believe how smooth and fast it is until you ride on it with your own wheels. The speed is amazing, the lines are endless and that was with a third of the park complete! Everyday I stop by the park once or twice to watch it come together. With every new panel poured my pulse quickens as I imagine skating all the new lines that open up.
It has been an incredible journey to get this project to it's finished state with so many exciting events and fundraisers. With the completion of the park comes our biggest event to date - the long awaited grand opening ceremony. We have coincided the grand opening with the annual Canada day celebrations at the Village Green. What better gift to give this beautiful country on it's birthday than a brand new skatepark? The festivities will kick off at 1pm on Friday, July 1st and will be action packed from start to finish. In addition to the annual beer gardens, live music and barbeque, we will also have an official ribbon cutting ceremony, a booth with everyone's favorite Tuff City Skatepark apparel and of course tons of amazing skaters showing us the limitless possibilities of a perfect skatepark. After the festivities at the Village Green, we can all head to the harbour for the Canada day fireworks and then finish the night with music, dance and general merry making at the Legion.

Four years have past since we started this project and it is with mixed emotions that I watch it come to an end. Of course 95% of me is ecstatic and overwhelmed with joy, but there is still that small part that is sad to see this very successful community project draw to a close. Over the past four years I have had the privilege of working with so many exceptional community members and have learned that without people and projects like these, Tofino would be just another tourist town with no future for its long term residents. July 1st is not only the opening of our new skatepark but also an opportunity for everyone to see what can be accomplished when our community members work together to achieve a common goal.

With so many reasons to celebrate Canada day this year, I expect to see everyone out skating, dancing, singing and eating and of course to see our beautiful new park used by the most important members of our community....the kids!

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Miche Milford has been a part of the Tofino Skatepark Committee for three years. Reach him for more info or with support and donations at 725-2072.