llskate

"Limerick youngsters have gone skateboard crazy on our city's streets and despite the lack of a specializedpark we have our own Irish champion. Every weekend scores of local teenagers take
to their boards and surf the urban landscape.The only thing stopping them in their tracks
is the lack of proper facilities. Despite the growing interest in skateboarding
among young people there is no skatepark in Limerick. Even Limerick's own two time All-Ireland
Skateboard Champion has nowhere to skate. He and his fellow skaters have been moved
along ny security personnel and garda?ecause they are seen to be loitering.
"I would love to see Limerick get its own skatepark or even if there was a hall we could use a
couple of times a week to skate," said David Hurley who has won the itile of All-Ireland Skateboard
Champion twice. "Its a shame that we don't have such a venue because at the moment we keep getting moved on," said the Raheen student. Currently he is studying for his final exams in
Civil Engineering at Limerick Institute of Technology,David has been skating since he was 10 years old.
"So many young people end up in trouble from drugs and crime. Skateboarding is something positive
for them to put their energies into," said David. "It's an artform and a way for people to
express themselves," he said. The Increasing popularity of skateboarding in
Limerick can be seen any weekend or during school holidays when dozens of people aged between 11 and 20
gather to practice their moves. "I like skateboarding because it's a good sport
and it keeps you away from trouble, and I love learning the tricks," said an enthusiastic Steffan Daly from
Convent Street. The youngest of the skateboarders at 11 years of age, Steffan showed the Leader some of the moves he had learned sisce he started skating a year ago."This is an ollie, this one is called a kickflip
and this is called the heelfilp," Steffan claimed eagerly. David Hurley who helped a lot of the younger kids to pick up the basic moves said: "It's a great feeling to land agreat trick.""I can understand that people might look at us and think that we are a gang up to no good, and I can understand that the garda?nd security guards probably think that we are reckless and will hurt ourselves. But all we want to do is to skate and we would be willing to pay for the use of a facility to do so," said David who spends over ?a month on a new board.
What these keen skaters need to practise their sport is an area with a couple of ramps and because of
the Irish climate a roof over their heads. At the moment they are using makeshift ramps out of planks of wood and park benches.Eoghan Griffin 16, from Gouldavoher said: "I skate everyday and I would love if we could get sponsorship for our own park." "Many of the skateboarders are studying for exams at the moment but we will definitely try and get sponsorship for a skatepark during the summer, Lots of companies pride themselves in supporting youth culture so mabye they will give us some money to get our own park," said Mr Hurley.
Cork city is home to Irelands only public facility for skateboarding, and Limerick skateboarders often make the trip to skate in the park. In Dublin, the citys Central Bank is planning on spending millions to prevent skateboarding in the vacinity. But despite the lack of facilities for skateboarders in this country, Boarder Co, a company that produces its own boards is based here. Ireland has also played host to skateboarding tours
featuring the greatest talent in the world, including a competition held in the Point Depot which attracted 5,000 spectators and was broadcast on national television. According to Limerick Corporation's Fergus Quinlivan
: "There are no immediate plans for a skatepark in Limerick, but if someone wanted to put it in as part of an overall amenities project we would have no problem," he said. More and more kids are getting into extreme sprots like skateboarding and rollerblading through television and magazines, so surely there should be some alternative for young people interested in these sports to be able to practice in a safe, warm and fun environment." Alan Jacques, June 2000