As you walk through Sedro-Woolley you will come across many places to visit; one of these places is the Sedro-Woolley skatepark. BMX rider Joseph Martinez has been riding at the Sedro-Woolley skatepark for 10 years.
“I’ve been riding at the Sedro-Woolley skatepark for 10 years, but have been riding for a total of 12 years,”says Martinez. “The Sedro-Woolley skatepark could honestly use some more jumps as it tends to get crowded.”
Watching him ride, there are times where it seems like he just glides across the park, like there’s nothing in his way, with no fear. Martinez rides with such great speed, you wonder how he manages to see what he’s doing as he flies around the skatepark.
The Sedro-Woolley skatepark was originally built in 2001 as a backyard park made out of old materials and dirt. In 2012, the Sedro-Woolley Rotary Club took on the task to revamp the skatepark into a concrete park more friendly for skateboarding and scootering which brought many more riders to the area. The Rotary Club also built the skatepark next to the police and fire station. Whether that was on purpose or not, it is very convenient for anyone who gets hurt.
“I think it’s smart because if someone gets hurt it will be fast to get a medic out there, especially if someone broke a bone or is unresponsive,” says Xaver Plata, a fellow skater at the park.
BMX was not always allowed at the skatepark. Bikes were initially allowed, however banned about one year after the park was built. In 2020, a group of BMX riders gathered together to sign a petition and spread the word that cops were taking bikes and saying they could not ride at the skatepark. This petition, signed by over 100 skaters, raised awareness to allow BMX at the skatepark instead of sending BMX bikers to the River Front Park jumps which are made of dirt and constantly flooded with heavy rains.
“It feels nice that we don’t have to ride so far to go somewhere where half of the people can’t ride since you need special tires for dirt. Actually being able to go to a concrete park you can have more fun meeting up with friends and riding around doing jumps or riding in the bowl,” says Martinez.
Since the petition, BMX riders have been allowed to ride at almost any time that they would like. When it gets to be a bigger crowd, there are restrictions on BMX riders since more people means it’s harder to ride safely which can cause issues with how many bikers can ride or how much they can ride.
Even with these certain restrictions, this petition has made it much easier for bmx riders to find a space to ride, and the skate park itself is definitely a great place to get out and have a good time.
