The meeting took place on Wednesday, 1 August, at the skatepark in Bolesławiec. It was initiated by Arkadiusz Krzemiński, a City Council councillor. “This issue keeps coming back like a boomerang,” says Krzemiński. “In 2005, we were promised that this facility would be continually expanded. It ended with promises. Nothing has changed here—well, perhaps apart from the fact that the skatepark elements that were installed are now damaged.”
“This facility is in a deplorable condition,” says Dawid Rutyna, a BMX rider who attended Wednesday’s meeting. Protruding sheets of metal, an unstable ramp and quarter pipe, and the terrible condition of the plywood on the box are just some of the skatepark’s defects. “Facilities of this type are no longer being built,” Dawid stresses. “The surface is also in poor condition; it is visibly uneven. Skateboarders have it worst.”
All this has led young people to decide to fight for a proper skatepark, a 21st-century facility. Arkadiusz Krzemiński has created a Facebook profile: We want a proper skatepark in Bolesławiec. “On the very first day, 100 people supported this initiative,” the councillor points out. “I would like an entertainment park to be created in this city thanks to them: a skatepark, a volleyball court, a climbing wall and so on.”
The group supporting the initiative will organize a signature-collection campaign. “Then we will consider establishing an association supporting projects of this kind,” Krzemiński continues. “At this stage, my main concern is to raise awareness of the issue. I asked the meeting participants to promote the campaign on social media. We will also have T-shirts and stickers with a logo designed by the phenomenal graphic artist Marcin Zawada.
Several dozen people attended the meeting about the skatepark. “The sports practiced here are to become Olympic disciplines. Who knows, perhaps some future champions are riding here,” Arkadiusz Krzemiński says with a smile.
We will return to this subject.
(information: ii)