Olympian speaks up for skaters

When Olympic snowboarder and summertime Sisters resident Chris Klug heard that skateboarders were getting bad press in his hometown, he knew it was time to speak up.

As soon as he returned from a training camp in Chile he contacted SOAR officials to arrange a meeting to lend his support to a skateboard park.

“(Skateboarding) is how I got into snowboarding and I’m still passionate about it,” he said.

His early skateboarding days were spent on a makeshift skate park set up on an unused tennis court in downtown Bend. It was well-used for several months, “then it got shut down. It seemed we were always looking for a skate venue,” Klug said.

According to Klug, there are a number of small town skate parks in Oregon and across the country that are first-class facilities, serving their intended purpose of keeping keen skateboarders off the streets, sidewalks, picnic tables and railings of their towns.

Several of those parks have ended up on a tour circuit that includes camps and competitions.

Klug sees no reason that Sisters shouldn’t be able to come up with a plan and design that would make its skate park fit right into that elite group.

“I think what we need to do is accommodate all kinds of skaters, and we have a good opportunity to rally support (in Sisters) from all walks of life. We should set the bar pretty high,” he said.

Klug’s comments came during a public meeting held at the SOAR community center and facilitated by SOAR executive director, Carrie Ward. There was a strong attendance, made up of downtown Sisters business owners, parents of skaters, and several skaters themselves.

Ward described where the campaign is financially and set up a committee to begin serious research into design and cost. There is a generous grant waiting to be confirmed, and an anonymous downtown business owner has offered $5,000, if the community garners contributions that will double the amount. The estimated target amount needed is $100,000, which may change as a result of the research.

Ward said the big issue for Sisters is to determine what kind of park will meet the long-term needs of the town. She added that all designers of the parks are aware that local skaters need to be involved in the process, and that local police also like to be kept in the loop to discuss safety issues. Already having land available near the SOAR building is a big plus, she said.

Another aspect of the campaign is that of “friend-raising,”changing the public perception that all skateboarders are hooligans bent on harassing pedestrians and damaging property. To that end, several local skateboarders have spoken out in their own defense and have embarked on a fund-raising effort that involves face-to-face meetings with local business owners and placing donation jars in several businesses around town. Klug’s high profile in the sporting world and his support of the project is a welcome boost in that area.

Klug’s girlfriend, Missy April, also a Sisters resident, pointed out that most skaters tend to be kids on the fringe, who aren’t going to be found on the other playing fields around town. Why shouldn’t they have their own place for recreation? she asked.

Plans for the next public meeting include endorsements for skate parks from leaders of other small towns that have incorporated them into their recreational arsenals.