Watts, California Has A Skatepark For Everyone

“This is the skatepark that nearly didn’t happen, but was truly needed,” said Miki Vuckovich, Director Of Strategic Initiatives for California Skateparks, which designed and built the park. “Everyone involved knew how important this project was to the skaters and their families, so we stuck with it and overcame every challenge to ensure it got done.”

The challenges included protests from absentee property owners and the state government imposing an embargo on the original site, but the skatepark plan was overwhelmingly supported by Watts residents. After identifying a suitable alternative site beside Imperial Highway in 2022, the project finally began to gain momentum.

The Watts Skate Plaza was made possible with funding and support from LA Recreation And Parks, LA Parks Foundation, The Skatepark Project, and the Annenberg Foundation. From its inception in 2010, the project also had the support of California Skateparks. The most renowned designer and builder of skateparks, the company donated several early designs that presented a bold vision for Watts—a world-class skate plaza with the most modern features.

When the project was relocated to its current site, California Skateparks’ Lead Landscape Architect Zach Wormhoudt started from scratch to maximize the features and flow of the new space. The opportunity also allowed him to implement the company’s new All Access Skatepark design approach. Working with several of the world’s top adaptive athletes, the California Skateparks team studied their use of skateparks, documenting how they ride and learning what improvements they’d like to see. The result is a skate plaza that seamlessly blends traditional and adaptive-friendly features together, creating an integrated environment where all skaters can enjoy the same space.

On Saturday, adaptive skaters Oscar Loreto, Jr., Andy Hernandez, and Edward Jeffries, plus WCMX wheelchair skaters Damian Munoz and Tracie Garacochea joined skate legends Kevin “Spanky” Long, Cordano Russell, Dashawn Jordan, Sean Malto, and others to inaugurate the Watts Skate Park with a special session. They rolled down the park’s three levels, grinding and sliding alongside pros and local skaters on rails and ledges that included ramped sections to help them to the top. While the pros could bypass the ramped sections, everyone could use these adaptive-friendly features in their own way.

As the city’s response to the recent fires demonstrated, LA is strong. And after waiting so long and working so hard to see their dream of a skatepark come true, the Watts skate community is stronger, too. They’re stronger because they have a place to gather and grow, and stronger because they will connect with visitors who travel from around the world to see and experience the new skatepark whose history is a testament to the resilience of the community it represents.

More information about the Watts Skate Plaza and the 29 other skateparks in Los Angeles can be found at laparks.org/skateparks.