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Park use rockets from launch

Hundreds of passes are sold in the first weeks at Largo Skate Park. Skaters and bikers are now elbow pad to elbow pad.

Awesome.

That's how how 10-year-old skater T.J. Glessner and 15-year-old freestyle biker Will McCullough describe the new Largo Skate Park at the Highland Recreation Complex.

And many others apparently share the Clearwater boys' view.

The skate park, which opened Dec. 20, is doing phenomenally well and had sold about 200 annual passes and more than 400 daily passes.

On Tuesday night, about 30 skateboarders and inline skaters and 20 freestyle bikers were on hand to enjoy the park, which features a spine ramp, a bank ramp with a 90-degree hip, a grind box, grind rails and a mini-ramp.

"When I was a kid, skate parks all went away due to the liability," said Eddy Lyons, 33, of Clearwater, who was teaching his son, Niko, 6.

Lyons said that with the popularity of the X Games, the demand for skate parks has grown.

Highland Recreation Complex manager Matt Spoor said officials started working on a plan and funding for a skate park seven years ago, but it wasn't until recently that Florida law made it possible for them.

"Florida law started working with recreational facilities in the last year or two and came up with legislation that helps protect municipalities legally," Spoor said.

That legislation protects skate park owners from being sued if someone gets hurt while skating or biking on the premises.

Consequently, Spoor said, everyone who buys a daily or yearly pass at the Largo Skate Park must sign a liability form that says the complex is not responsible should they get hurt in the park.

"It's an extreme sport," Spoor said. "You can go out and break an arm or wind up in a wheelchair in a second. Skaters must skate at their own risk."

Spoor said the park is unsupervised, but workers make daily inspections. Additionally, skaters and bikers are required to wear helmets at all times when inside.

Spoor said he was glad the complex was able to open a skate park for the kids who really didn't have anywhere to skate or ride bikes.

"They were being chased away from storefronts, libraries and Largo Central Park because they were ruining their properties," Spoor said. "They sometimes get a bad reputation, but all they really want is a place where they can skate."

Kendall McCroy, who coordinates all youth programs for the city of Largo and periodically checks to make sure kids are wearing their helmets, agreed.

"Kids will skate no matter what," McCroy said. "If it wasn't for the park, they would skate in places they're not supposed to ... anywhere they can jump or flip off of. Just look at that bench, how black it is already. Just imagine if that was in front of the courthouse."

Although the popularity of the sport is growing, Chip Potts, athletic and teen program manager for Largo, said there are no plans for expansion.

"We will budget new pieces of equipment in the park or modify existing pieces," Potts said.

Potts said he plans to conduct a meeting with skaters and bikers at the end of January to see what's working and what's not working.

Skaters now get 90 percent of the park's open hours, leaving only 10 percent of the time exclusively for bikers. Potts said it may be necessary to give bikers more than the eight hours a week by themselves, which is what they are currently receiving.

New hours could be determined, Potts said, by the feedback received in the meeting later this month.

The popularity of the new skate park has already sparked some controversy between skaters and bikers.

Skaters did not want to give the park up to bikers Tuesday night, and bikers said they needed more time.

"They should make a park just for bikers," said skater Zach Baker, 14, of Largo.

"Skateboarders try to kick us out of everywhere," countered Greg Summers, 18, of Clearwater, who won first place in a biking competition in Cleveland last year. "It should be equal."

To skaters and bikers alike, it's not only a place to have fun, but also to practice for competitive games, said skater Wesley Miller, 13, of Largo.

"We do it because we love it and we do it to compete because we get noticed," Miller said. "When we get noticed, that's when we get our sponsors."

Largo Skate Park is open for skateboarders and inline skaters from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. Freestyle bikes only from 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays and 6-8 p.m. Sundays. Highland Recreation Complex, 400 Highland Ave.. Cost: Daily pass $3; yearly pass $12 for Largo residents, $15 for nonresidents. Membership must be purchased to obtain yearly pass: $3.50 for Largo residents, $25-75 for nonresidents. Call (727) 587-6723.