PORT ANGELES — It was worth the wait for the chance to skate at what they’re calling the best skate park in the region.
“They” are the 50-odd skateboarders who put their heels on their wheels Monday morning at the newly opened Port Angeles Skate Park.
“It’s got a lot of ‘vert’ [vertical walls], which is good, ’cause there’s not a lot of vert in this town,” said Cole Groff, 13.
The Port Angeles park is superior to the one in Sequim, said Brian Svec, 15, who also cited “vert.”
“The Sequim one is just slanted,” Svec explained.
“It’s been worth the wait,” said Leif Mathisen, 16, who said he’d skated parks in Port Townsend and on Bainbridge Island.
Which was the best?
“This, for sure,” he said.
Tanner Hinrichs, 12, said the park’s biggest drawback was its popularity. It was dedicated Saturday and opened to skateboarders Monday.
“It’s really good. It’s really fun. And it’s really smooth,” said Hinrichs.
“The only bad thing is there’s a lot of people here.”
Tough for beginners
A few younger skaters said the park’s bowls were too steep for novice boarders.
“It’s kind of more for the pros,” one said of the park, which was designed by skateboarders.
“Us little kids can’t do much.”
But Alex Pope, 15, said he’d ridden skateboards “in hundreds of places — from Hawaii to Sequim to Orcas Island.
“This is easily one of the best parks in the world. It’s a great park, and it’s totally worth any wait we might have had,” Alex said.
Schools open in Port Angeles today. Most Monday morning boarders said they’d probably be at the park as soon as classes end.
