By TOM PFINGSTEN - North County Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 12

PALA —- If there are fewer skateboarders hopping curbs and grinding public railings around this small American Indian reservation these days, the answer can be found at a concrete wonderland across the highway from the casino.

That’s where a shiny new skatepark that opened in April has been attracting impressive crowds of skaters from all over North County and Temecula —- groups of athletic young men whose previous outlet for their preferred afternoon activity was the nearest parking lot.

The Pala Band of Mission Indians spent $570,000 to build the park on a thin strip of land beyond the softball fence at the Jim Banks sports complex off Pala Mission Road.

Bruce Guachino, sports director who manages the park, said the investment has paid off so far, with encouraging feedback from skaters and plenty of new faces who show up on a daily basis to use the facility.

“From what I understand, there’s such a demand for these parks —- not just in our area, but everywhere,” Guachino said last week. “There are quite a few kids from Carlsbad —- even from as far away as Arizona —- who come to the park.”

Daily admission for those who live within the 92059 ZIP code costs $3 all week, while those outside 92059 must pay $5 on weekdays and $10 on Saturday and Sunday. Annual passes can also be bought for $40 for 92059 residents and $100 for those from elsewhere.

The 92059 ZIP code includes Pala and parts of Pauma and Valley Center, and extends to the Riverside County line.

Guachino said the tribe wanted to build the park to give youths “something to do other than playing video games,” and that he wants to see more kids “go out there and be physical.”

After three months, the strategy appears to be working.

Gaining popularity

From the sweat-drenched youths gliding through its dips and trenches on any given afternoon to those who review skateparks for Web sites dedicated to the sport, everyone seems pleased with the way it’s designed and run.

Victor Medellin, a 20-year-old Pala skater, said he goes to the new park every other day.

“I like it because it flows,” Medellin said during a break from the ramps and bowls baking under a hot afternoon sun Tuesday.

“You can go right through the whole thing, and it’s a good combination of park and street,” he added, referring to “street” features such as railings and curbs that skaters use in parking lots and sidewalks, as well as the standard bowls and ramps that all skate parks incorporate.

Before the Pala skatepark was built, Medellin said, “We would get together and just go skating in Temecula, Escondido, Vista —- it wasn’t that good.”

Even with the entrance fee, he said, the new park is a great place to ride.

“A lot of the guys I’ve talked to say it’s way worth” the price of admission, he said.

In what local skaters describe as another nice touch, the park’s designers carved out a bowl in the shape of an empty swimming pool at the far end of the park.

Guachino said skaters used to congregate at an old swimming pool behind an abandoned house off Highway 76 west of the reservation, until it was back-filled to prevent the parties and competitions skaters organized there.

The pool in Pala’s new skatepark is modeled after that fabled backyard spot, Guachino said.

“Ask some of these older guys —- you mention the ‘Pala pool,’ and the fact that we duplicated it, and they’re there,” he said.

That attention to detail was driving the project from the beginning, he added.

“Our tribe really wants to make sure we do it right —- not just our casino, but also our fitness center, the sports complex,” Guachino said. “We take the time to figure out how to do it right.”

At the same time, he said, the tribe “didn’t really have a plan to make money.”

‘We’re mostly supplying people with something to do,” he said.

Local ties

While the crowds of skaters drawn to the new park continue to swell, Guachino says not all of the area’s kids can skateboard.

“Out here, there’s not a lot of kids who know how to skate, unless they go into town,” he said. “We want to get some of the kids who don’t know how to skate in our area interested.”

To that end, the tribe will host the first skate camp for kids ages 5 to 17, from 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 5-7.

“We’ll have professional skaters here to give lessons and there will be product giveaways and demos,” he said, adding that he hasn’t planned any competitions at the park yet even though he’s open to the idea.

“I’ve never been a manager of a skatepark before,” he said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Guachino said he hasn’t heard any negative feedback from tribal members about the new haven of cement and steel.

“It’s pretty accepted,” he said. “They see the kids out there skating and smile. We’re real big into softball, so when we’re out here playing softball and see that park filled with kids, our tribe smiles upon it.”

He said he just hopes the park continues to benefit the restless, energetic youths who often take up skateboarding and are quickly labeled a public nuisance when they take to the streets.

“It’s getting more and more busy as the weeks go by,” he said. “A lot of people are hearing about it, and we want the word to get out that it is open to the public.”

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.

Posted on July 12th, 2008 by hunwut
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