LAKE FOREST – Wyatt Cannon confidently straddled his board, perched precariously on a ledge at Etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest.
Without hesitation the 5-year-old pushed off, dropped into the undulating flow and circled the park’s new cradle feature. On the second swoop he glided into the bottom of cradle — a cylindrically-shaped feature where riders can whirl around at 20 to 30 mph and go upside down. Then he asked skate camp instructor Matt DiPaila for a juice box.
Wyatt, of San Clemente, was one of about 50 skaters on Thursday riding the skate park’s just-completed 19,000-square-foot expansion. The construction fence around the expansion area was removed two days ago and since then word has spread across Facebook and Twitter.
Though the city has a grand opening planned for Aug. 20, skaters who know the terrain has been unveiled want to be among the first to lay their wheels on the velvety, smooth concrete.
The expanded section includes features found at famous skate spots such as San Francisco’s China Banks in Chinatown and Pier 7 Ledge off the Embarcadero, where many skate videos have been shot. There’s also a back yard-style pool modeled after one in Riverside popular with skaters in the 1970s. But the 16-foot-high by 8-foot-wide cradle is the expansion’s centerpiece feature.
The $800,000 expansion makes the park – at nearly 60,000 square feet – the largest in the nation, said Nick Gates, the city’s skate park coordinator. About 60,000 skateboarders visit the park annually, he said. Entrance is free, thanks to funding from the city and from skate park programs and camps.
The original skate park was built for nearly $2 million in 2003. Initially the city had planned a typical 10,000-square-foot park, Gates said. Then Etnies owner Pierre-André Senizergues, founder and CEO of Sole Technology, stepped into the picture.
Senizergues, a former professional skateboarder from France whose apparel and shoe company is based in Lake Forest, proposed a joint venture between the city and his company. He wanted to help provide a world-class skate park where riders could skate for free on professional-level obstacles, bowls and ledges.
Senizergues helped fund the project and donated money the first few years. With the park’s success, the city opted to invest more to make it better, Gates said.
“Pierre stepped in and had his Etnies and Emerica pro riders give input,” Gates said. “We have a variety of obstacles and everything is bigger. Because of that we can accommodate official, world-class events.”
One such recent event was skate pro Ryan Sheckler’s second annual Skate For A Cause, which raised more than $100,000 for charity. The park has also hosted other events such as Etnies Goofy vs. Regular skate contest.
The expansion broke ground on Feb. 9. Since then Gates and skate park staff have kept a watchful eye on its progress. The result, Gates said, is phenomenal.
“The concrete is the perfect texture and is smooth and fast, Gates said. “The coping has been set perfect. It looks like it’s been popped from a mold.”
A testament to more challenging features came Wednesday when local skaters were wowed by an impromptu visit from seven pro skaters who dropped in at the park around 9 p.m.
Brazilian skater Pedro Barros, who last weekend won silver in the Super Park at the X Games 17 in Los Angeles and won the skate board finals at the Dew Tour Tour Pantech Open in Maryland, a week earlier fascinated local skaters with huge air. Other skaters with him included Chad Bartic, Josh Matteson, Ben Hatchell, Kevin Kowalski, Ben Raybourn and Steve Reeves.
“All those guys skate the best parks in the world,” Gates said. “They came here and were really stoked. My hope is that the expansion will bring more World Cup contests, crowds and prestige to Lake Forest.”
Andrew Jimenez, a skater from Lake Forest, was there when the pros showed up.
“It was insane,” Jimenez, 19, who practiced some grinds on the flow part of the park, said. “I saw Pedro Barros go 20 feet in the air off a ramp. It was unbelievable. This park is incredible and with skaters like that it will make other locals better.”
Conan Craig, 6, from San Clemente, sat in the shade eating some Starburst candy and chatted with Wyatt Cannon about his run into the cradle feature.
“Dude, you’re only five, that was so cool,” he said to Wyatt.
Conan wasn’t going to be shown up, though. He took his board and headed towards the cradle. He stood at the edge and dropped in.
“I think it’s awesome,” he said of the new expansion. “I like seeing the pro skaters here. They’re really good when they do the tricks. I try the stuff but don’t really land it.”
Contact the writer: 949-454-7307 or eritchie@ocregister.com
