CUMBERLAND, Md. — For Hayden Kenney, skateboarding has offered a supportive lifeline on his journey of recovery and personal growth.
He started the sport more than two years ago after he returned home from treatment for drug addiction.
“I had to change everything — people, places and things,” Kenney, 18, of Cumberland, said via email. “That is hard to do in a small town like Cumberland, but I had to do something with all these waves of emotions that I have tried to numb for years.”
The skateboarding community provides a network of like-minded individuals and camaraderie, he said.
“Skateboarding has changed my life in so many ways,” Kenney said. “It has taught me discipline, perseverance, and resilience, qualities that are essential for me and my continued personal growth.”
However, since he graduated from high school in May and started working, the ability to travel to skateparks has become a challenge, he said.
“A local skatepark would be life-changing for individuals like me and the general youth in the area, providing a safe and inclusive environment for physical activity, personal development, and community building,” Kenney said.
“It would be a space where young people can find inspiration, encourage friends, and actually have a sense of belonging and acceptance,” he said.
“I get that some people think we are a bunch of hoodlums or something, but we are not,” Kenney said. “We are just trying to find a place where we fit in this crazy world.”
The potential construction of a skatepark in Cumberland has been discussed for decades, and for the first time appears on track to happen.
Stephanie Hutter-Thomas and Gregory Kerr co-chair the Cumberland Skatepark Committee, which has more than a dozen members.
At a recent Mayor and City Council meeting, they discussed in detail a proposal for a skatepark.
Kerr talked of making the skatepark “something that is extraordinary” that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
‘Surface for all wheels’A city workgroup in 2021 determined the Mason Sports Complex could be a suitable location for a skatepark.
The project’s current workgroup will spearhead planning and fundraising, and act as a liaison between local government and the community, Hutter-Thomas said.
“It’s a very diverse group,” she said of the committee, which estimates 1,600 local residents are interested in activities that involve skateboards, track bicycle racing, scooters and roller skates but have no specified location to safely and legally engage in the sports. “A skatepark offers a surface for all wheels.”
The local skate community is multi-generational and includes parents who want to teach their children skills, Hutter-Thomas said.
She talked of the need to provide more area programs for marginalized youth.
“Money is often a barrier,” Hutter-Thomas said of financial constraints that limit recreational options for many local families, and added that skateboarding can be an inexpensive activity.
Cumberland contributed an initial $10,000, and Allegany County officials committed $250,000 to the city to seed the skatepark project, she said.
The committee continues to hold fundraisers for the proposed skatepark and so far raised roughly half of its $50,000 goal that will be added to the city and county monies, Hutter-Thomas said.
The Community Trust Foundation, a non-profit public organization, manages all donated funds for the Skatepark Committee that serves as the fundraising entity, she said.
To help, visit facebook.com/CumberlandSkatepark.
Additionally, an application was submitted to the The Skatepark Project — which began as the Tony Hawk Foundation and is headquartered in San Diego, California — with hope to secure additional financial support.
‘Monuments to local culture’Alec Beck is associate director of external relations for The Skatepark Project.
According to the organization, he has “a lifetime of competitive skateboarding under his belt, and a decade of advocacy work, during which he led efforts to create the Stoner Skate Plaza in Los Angeles and to legalize skateboarding at the infamous LA City Courthouse ledges.”
A skatepark allows for athletic, artistic and expressive engagement within a community, he recently told the Cumberland Times-News.
“These people need a safe place to do this activity,” Beck said of the “intercultural exchange” that happens at a skatepark. “We have 80-year olds who are learning how to skate.”
Along the lines of golf courses, skate parks are custom-designed and attract new users who seek a different experience, he said.
A well-built skate park can last for decades, and insurance, with most risk put on participants, can be roped into its home city’s policy, Beck said.
“The rate of injury is half as much as basketball,” he said.
Cities around the world are building skateparks as “concrete evidence” of their desire to enrich communities, Beck said.
“They are seeing these as monuments to their local culture and commitment to the health and well-being of their constituency,” he said.