Skate park nearly 20 years in making opens in San Juan Capistrano

By Laylan Connelly

It was a skate party nearly 20 years in the making.

A ceremony was held Monday, June 30, to celebrate a new, 20,000-square-foot skate park in San Juan Capistrano, a much-awaited project that drew hundreds of skaters, young and old, to try it out.

“It’s like opening a present on Christmas,” said skater Mo Henderson, who for a decade lobbied alongside the San Juan Capistrano Skate Park Coalition to see the project to completion.

The opening was made official with a ribbon cutting, San Juan Capistrano Mayor Troy Bourne clutching oversized scissors to cut the bright red ribbon to mark the occasion. Music blared over the sound of screeching wheels and clanking boards, balloons and sponsor booths welcoming guests.

“As soon as the ribbon drops, you drop in,” he said to the crowd. “Try not to hit each other.”

Bourne talked about additions planned in the future, including a shade structure and a multi-use trail.

“The nice thing is, every skater at every level, even your City Council, could probably do something in this park starting today,” he said. “Just get better as you practice, that’s what it’s all about.”

The project cost upward of $6.8 million and sits on about 1 acre of the southwest corner of the former Kinoshita Farm property, near a new public trail and the city’s sports park and community center.

Plans for the skate park go back to 2007, identified by the city as a priority among recreational needs in the community, but the project was repeatedly stalled through the years until it was officially approved in 2022.

The City Council picked Grindline Skateparks to design the park. The plan called for a mix of features that would be usable by scooters and BMX riders as well.

The project also included restrooms and a playground for younger children.

The concrete skatepark has a blend of street features, emulating what can be found in urban environments, such as curbs and railings. An expert bowl inspired by an iconic backyard pool called “Haunted Hole” was built, as was a smaller pool for intermediate riders.

Skater Ruben Villasenor, from San Juan Capistrano, took a break between laps, watching others test themselves on the features.

“Really, really stoked,” said Villasenor, who remembers when they first started floating around the idea decades ago, back when he first started skating as a kid.

“Sick as hell,” he described the park’s features.

Bike shop owner Jim Curwood said his son Brodie, now 30, was a teenager when talk of the skatepark started.

“It has taken forever. At least it’s done right. At first, they were just hiring some concrete guy – all the skate kids were saying, ‘No no no, you need a real skate company to do this,’” Curwood said. “I’d like to see them do a pump track and more stuff, but we’ll take baby steps.”

He attributes skateboarding to keeping his son out of trouble in his youth, steering him away from drugs because of the athleticism it takes.

Now part of the Olympics, much has changed about the perception of the sport spawned from a counterculture.

Brodie Curwood recently opened a nearby skate shop, Hidden Gem, following his dream to open a skate business once the park opened up.

For Henderson, skateboarding got her through a tough cancer fight. Now, four years following her diagnosis, she’s excited to finally have a place close enough to rollerskate to, then roll around on her skateboard. While she still has to take it slow following surgery, she’s looking forward to the day she can drop into the pool.

She marveled as skaters of all ages — and some on bikes and scooters — navigated the transitions and boxes, the drop-ins and the steep, massive pool.

“The kids that were trying to get it before, they’re all adults with their own kids now,” she said. “Everybody’s here, everybody’s happy.”

As a father of two skateboarding teens, Dana Point Councilmember Mike Frost said he could see the need for the park in the area. Dana Point is a partner in the project, with San Juan Capistrano footing the bill for the park and nearby Dana Point covering $25,000 in annual maintenance costs.

“You can just see from everybody here how important it is, and it’s fantastic,” he said. “It gives the kids a place to go. Too often, communities are not willing to give an outlet to kids … I give kudos to the San Juan Capistrano councilmembers who were strong enough to push this through. People want to say no to everything and they were strong enough to not give in — and they came up with something that betters the entire community.”

It’s a perfect fit for Southern California, where the surf and skate cultures were born, he added.

“We like our kids to be outside playing around and surfing, skateboarding,” he said. “It is part of the culture here.”

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