How We Roll: Skate Park of Tampa

By: Meredyth Censullo

Tampa, Florida - Last month, hundreds of young skateboarders converged in downtown Tampa for National Skateboarding Day. Joining them were dozens of police officers, reminding kids that skateboarding on city streets is illegal.

But one place skateboarders are more than welcome … and where skateboarding skills are – literally – hot, is inside a pair of un-air conditioned warehouses on Columbus Drive in Tampa. Since 1993, boys and girls have conquering street skating on a matrix of constantly changing challenges offered up at the Skate Park of Tampa - or SPOT. And while the emphasis seems to be in learning new tricks, the magic, says General Manager Ryan Clements, is in what you can't see.

Ryan Clements, SPOT: "I think that a lot of kids find their family here and they find it in the skateboarding lifestyle."

Clements says SPOT offers kids an environment they're comfortable in, but one that also teaches respect and discipline.

Clements: "We have some random kids come here and we know they're problem kids, and maybe we let them pick up trash and they skate for free half the time and they become part of the family. We're the ones keeping them in check."

18-year-old college student Dylan Perry has been skating at SPOT for seven years. When he's not working as one of SPOT's 27 employees, he's practicing for his next skateboarding competition, with the full support of his parents.

Dylan Perry, skateboarder: “I chose to do this and they are like ‘OK, this is what he likes to do so we’re going to support him in every way we can.’”

10 News found Karen Scaglione sitting at SPOT, working on balancing her checkbook and doing Suduko puzzles, while her 13-year-old son was spending a few hours skateboarding.

Karen Scaglione, Mom of skateboarder: “My son is not into organized sports. That takes so much time and a lot of those parents of kids that do organized sports are spending hours and hours at the parks and I'm not. So I'm willing to come here and sit all day so he can burn off some energy and get some exercise."

And so you see ... a lot of times skateboarders get a bad rap. But maybe they're just kids that trying to find a place to fit in. Here, they've found it.

Clements: “Skateboarders themselves are no different, no better, no worse than your average teenage kid."

For more information on the Skate Park of Tampa, including details on hours, rates and classes, visit www.skateparkoftampa.com, or click on the link to the right of this story.

If you have a story idea for How We Roll, send it to Traffic Pulse reporter Meredyth Censullo at mornings@tampabays10.com.