Skatepark rolling along
Sk8 City has come to the Seaway City.
After years based away from home, renowned skateboarding legend Claude Regnier has brought the franchise to his hometown of Cornwall.
The 50-year-old and Mary-Beth Lavoie, his girlfriend and business partner, are hard at work building half pipes, flat banks and maybe even a spine at 416 Cumberland St. in a 3,500-square-foot space that could allow up to 35 skaters at one time. The skateboard park is tucked away at the back of a warehouse building at the intersection of Fourth Street.
For the last two weekends the couple has opened up the space to boarders on a limited basis.
They’ve been working through the week to add new features for the next weekend, but already have part of the course done.
Lavoie said there were 32 kids in last weekend using what they could.
It’s exactly what the couple want, to build a haven for young skateboarders and their families during the off-season when weather keeps them away from outdoor skate parks.
“It’s great for the kids, and the more the parents see of it the better,” said Regnier, who has won the Wold Championships of Slalom Skateboarding several times.
Sk8 City has at least one local family using the facility already.
Brad Filion, 29, has been skating since he was nine years old. Now he has three children who skateboard with him at Sk8 City.
He has also been coming in every day while on paternity leave to help renovate the old warehouse.
“I try to help whenever I can,” Filion said. “It’s great for the community.”
Regnier said safety is a priority at Sk8 City. According to the veteran boarder, too many beginners don’t wear pads, end up getting hurt and leave the sport behind altogether.
Sk8 City is designed to be more than just a place to board. It’s a school as well.
Regnier is offering programs he helped develop as a coach in Quebec and Ontario for skateboarders of all ages and skill levels.
“Claude can do a lot with a small space,” Lavoie said. “There will be lots of stations for coaching and teaching. We’ve got programs for serious beginners and the seriously advanced.”
Regnier first became interested in skateboarding in the early 1970s when he saw it on TV.
The clincher came when he was at a friend’s birthday. His friend’s older brother lent Regnier a skateboard.
He gave it a shot and the rest is history.
Unintentionally, Regnier never got the board back to its owner.
Regnier soon bought his own board for $40, quickly found it lacking, then put down $275 for another board. Now he says he is trying to find the owner of that board just to see the look on his face when he sees Regnier still has it. Regnier went on to push for Cornwall’s first indoor skate park at the Bob Turner Arena, but it was soon shut down.
Ever since then he’s been competing successfully, coaching skateboarders and designing and building skate parks.
Sk8 City isn’t a not-for-profit organization, but Regnier says it might as well be.
“You don’t make money running an indoor skate park,” he said.
Regnier says that for years he has been trying to convince different levels of government they should support skateboarding, just like hockey or baseball, to no avail. For more information, call Sk8 City at 613-360-9485 or email Regnier at sk-8-park@hotmail.com.
[ Standard Freeholder, Cornwall ]
