Nothing keeps skaters from ramps

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Come hell or high water, come cold wind and rain, nothing keeps kids like Zevlan Wolner away from the ramps and railings of the New Ulm Skate Park.

The park reopened after a fire nearly a year ago caused an estimated $24,000 in damage to a couple of ramps.

The park was established by the city with the idea of giving local kids a place to hang out and ride skateboards or in-line skates.

On a Friday afternoon, the theory certainly seems true.

Many of the kids that show up at the park are in middle school or are just starting high school. Some come to the park directly from school. Others prefer to go home and change clothes before they go skate.

They show up one by one, sometimes two at a time, dressed in baggy pants or jeans, sneakers, long-sleeve t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts and knit ski caps.

Once they are at the park, riders and skaters generally split up between skateboards and Rollerblades, practicing their moves in what almost seem like their own sections of the park. The kids that ride bikes are just a few hundred feet away, down the hill at the bike track in South German park. Whenever someone riding a dirt bike pedals into the skate park, the skaters typically yell "'Skate' is not in 'bike'!" until the bike rider leaves.

"Anytime it's sunny and not raining and decent," said one older skater when asked about when it's the best time to ride.

Friday afternoon was the best time and the worst time to be at the park, since dark black clouds hung around for a few hours but then cleared, making way for clear skies and sunshine.

The day was a chance for Brady Hagen, Randy Schoo, Devin Smyth and Wolner to try out a few tricks like the 5-0 grind, where skaters come at a box or a rail and ride the edge of the skateboard along its edge, sliding over the top and then going back down.

Once the 5-0 gets boring, everyone heads over to the halfpipe, where Wolner nearly pulls off a 360-degree spin but wipes out just after he lands. Others try similar turns and flips, going up and down each side of the halfpipe, a small group of skaters gathering at the top watching each other's moves.

On occasion, someone will miss a landing and wipe out. Most times, wipeouts mean "butt burn". Some cases actually leave skaters limping away from the action.

Wolner said he's been thinking about getting a local skateboard competition going recently.

"With all the kids that are here, we could probably have one," he said.