Skaters call for secure indoor park

Poor design and undesirable visitors at Abu Dhabi's current spot prompts a Facebook petition by enthusiasts.

Hassan Shahid, 16, practises his skills at the skateboard park on Abu Dhabi's Corniche.

ABU DHABI // Hundreds of Abu Dhabi skaters are petitioning the municipality to build a secure indoor skating park to replace the outdoor area they use on the Corniche. More than 250 young skaters have formed a group to lobby for the park.

"There are several problems with the current park," said Bashar al Abadi, 17, president and founder of the Abu Dhabi Skateboarders Community and creator of the Facebook group, Let's Build the First Indoor Skate Park in Abu Dhabi. "The biggest problem with the park we have now is that it is outdoors and uncovered. "It was also built incorrectly. There are three ramps built in a straight line. If two skaters were to begin their jumps at opposite ends at the same time, they wouldn't see one another. I've seen people collide in mid-air."

The park is built out of concrete and steel and several teenagers have suffered broken arms and legs after landing heavily. Protective gear such as helmets and padding are not required. Young skateboarders, rollerbladers and BMX bike riders were quick to voice their concerns. Mirijam Redinger, 14, said: "We need security here. In the past, lots of girls used to come skate, but after being harassed by older men, they stopped coming. I have had adults watching me and trying to give me their telephone numbers. If this were an indoor park with security, non-skaters would not be allowed inside. As things are at the moment, anyone can come here."

Other unwelcome visitors to the park include young men who do not skateboard. At the park recently, a man in his mid-twenties pulled out a pipe and began smoking the local tobacco, or dokha. He offered the pipe to the boys, one as young as 13. Although he refused, other boys smoked the pipe. "This is one of the troublemakers," said Ahmad "Nino" Fathi, 16. "Sometimes he charges Dh2 for a cigarette or to smoke his pipe.

"This is the most popular place for fights. When someone has a problem with someone else, this is where they come to fight." However, skaters just want to skate, Ahmad said. "Other problems we face include people intentionally breaking glass in the park to make skating here dangerous," he said. Ahmad Kaddoura, 24, is a college student who stopped skateboarding four years ago after breaking his leg twice. He and three others try to keep troublemakers away from the park.

"Until a new skate park is built, I ask that the municipality bring in a permanent security guard or at least install security cameras," he said. Samir Fadel is the operations manager with Star Security, the company originally contracted by Abu Dhabi Municipality to patrol the Corniche area. He said security was removed from the park last month. "Our guards were sent off to patrol the new public beach," he said. "So now, there is no security at the skate park."

Bashar said he started asking the municipality to take action last year, but had received no response. "One official I met sent me to another and then another and then another. In the end, nothing was achieved," he said. A municipality official, with responsibility for works including the skate park, said no written request had been received. "Should a formal request be made in writing, the municipality would take the matter under consideration," he said.

Bashar, who is from Iraq, said although a safer indoor park was needed, skaters appreciated having a place to ride their boards. To raise awareness and to attract more people to the sport, Bashar, and Ghaith Musleh Al Bakri, 17, co-president of the Abu Dhabi Skateboarders Community, are organising skating events in public places. The most recent, held at Al Wahda Mall, attracted dozens of skaters and hundreds of spectators.

"Etisalat sponsored the skateboarding contest along with Skate Society, Circle8 and Abu Dhabi Skaters. "If more organisations take an interest in skateboarding, then we just might be able to have the indoor and air-conditioned skate park we need," Bashar said. Volume Skateboards has pledged US$10,000 (Dh36,732) towards the cost of building the new park, which Bashar believes skateboarders should be allowed to design.

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