Honoring a beloved middle school teacher of thirty years, the Barb Iverson Skate Plaza in Sioux Falls, SD is a 20,000 sqft state-of-the-art all-wheel park that will carry on Ms. Iverson’s legacy of advocacy, community building, and compassion for years to come.
With her heart for educating and inspiring countless individuals to celebrate personal self-expression, along with the promotion of learning and growth in safe spaces, this namesake park is a fitting addition to the greater Sioux Falls community.
We had the privilege of working alongside Let’s Skate, a local organization formerly known as the Sioux Falls Skatepark Association (SFSA) formed in 2016, whose mission is to build community through skateboarding by advocating and fundraising for the new park, offering after school programming, leading statewide community outreach and much more. Their initiative, dating back to outreach with our own Kanten Russell in 2017, paired with their incredible fundraising efforts, reflects their passion for changing the perception of skateboarding and ensured their community’s dreams of having a park came to fruition. Without them, the realization of the Barb Iverson Memorial Skatepark would not have been possible.
The last 8 years of planning and development has been a collective effort and we would like to thank the City of Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, and Let’s Skate for allowing us to play a role in this meaningful legacy project.
There is a lot to celebrate in Sioux Falls and we hope you will join us at the park’s official grand opening on July 13th, 2024.
#buildingskateboarding #buildingcommunity
A celebration is in order as Nipomo Skatepark in the City of San Luis Obispo has been awarded the 2023 Award of Excellence, Excellence in Design | Park Planning, Specialty Class 2 from the California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS).
“This award recognizes excellence in design of completed park facilities intended for public use. The project may be either new construction or a rehabilitation project that demonstrates high standards of planning, design, community involvement, operation and maintenance, quality of aesthetics, usability, accessibility, and versatility.”
Boasting 20,000 sqft. of diverse terrain, Nipomo Skatepark has been incredibly well received by the local action-sport / skate community and has users flocking to it from across the region. The recognition by CPRS validates the process of community consultation, planning and design philosophy behind this highly integrated and dynamic low-barrier facility. It is a prime example of a skatepark built by the community for the community and we could not be more thrilled for their award recognition.
Congratulations to the multidisciplinary team involved in this project including our partners at Stantec Engineering.
#buildingskateboarding #buildingcommunity
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Catch the action and hear about the community centered process that lead to the development of the highly integrated and accessible Gibbel Skate Plaza in Hemet, California. The park has already elevated the level of riding in the region and became an instant destination for All Wheel users of any age.
Built for Community, by the Community.
Video production by: Jim Kappel
Featuring: Kanten Russell, TJ Rogers, James Goebel, Joe Males, Brandon Turner.
Learn about the project approach and check out the action at the recent grand opening of the of the Fire Station Skate Plaza in Fort Worth Texas. The project was a true collaboaration between our design team at New Line, Near Southside Inc, the advocates and skaters connected to Magnolia Skateshop, VF Corporation and Dickies Skateboarding.
Featuring- Jamie Foy Jake Hayes Guy Mariano Mike Anderson Christian Henry Dylan Jaeb Vincent Alvarez Adrian Adrid Franky Villani
Filmed By – @BobbyBils @KevPerezz & Will McCarthy Edited By – Bobby Bils
New Line Skateparks would like to welcome the newest member of the team, Andy Stone – who will be taking on the role of Director of Engineering. Along with his professional accreditation and acumen, Andy brings a strong knowledge of the civil requirements of modern integrated concrete skateparks along with the youth action sport park’s application as a keystone amenity for the community at large.
Andy’s wealth of knowledge in the field is a product of his experience both on and off the board. Coming of age in Virginia and inspired by the legendary skate scene of Washington D.C., Andy went on to spend the majority of the 90’s navigating the globe as a professional skater. Riding for some of skateboarding’s most iconic brands (101, Element, and Capital just to name a few), Andy toured as a professional skater, filmed numerous video parts, assisted in team management, art direction, along with board production and advertising. All these experiences forged the platform on which Andy would build his expertise as a Professional Engineer with a full understanding of the skate/action sport user experience.
After receiving his degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia’s George Mason University, Andy has been intimately involved the design and construction of over 50 municipal skateparks and countless public infrastructure projects over the past 20+ years. Of particular significance is his experience in infrastructure rehabilitation, LID storm Water Management and matching the civil requirements of a variety of public sector projects with the expectations of his municipal clients. Andy’s transition to New Line Skateparks will allow him to marry his passion for skateboarding and building community while contributing the creation of sustainable and accessible public recreation infrastructure.
First of all, welcome to the team Andy!
Thanks so much. I’m really excited to be here. It’s been a long time coming.
How would you summarize Andy Stone the Skateboarder versus Andy Stone the Civil engineer?
Well, I’m definitely the same dude. A lot less hair and a bit more gray as I’m approaching 50 years old this year. My style of skateboarding was technical, and engineering is pretty technical. I was always good in math in high school and as I got into engineering, the precision and logic really drew me to continue learning.
What are some of the highlights of your career as a skateboarder? We know you got the cover of Slap Magazine, are there any other memorable take aways?
Traveling to various countries and exposure to other cultures significantly different from the US was absolutely the best part of my journey. I can also say without a doubt, that my skateboard friends are friends for life. As an adult, I still have more skateboard friends than I do engineering friends. I think the other major takeaway was the personal self confidence I got from skateboarding. It was really incredible to set that goal of becoming professional, work extremely hard, and then achieve it, but it’s not much different than setting the goal of learning a trick and them achieving that goal. One of the things all skateboarders share is an appreciation for how hard it is to ride a skateboard proficiently. We can all use that self confidence and sense of accomplishment in other aspects of our personal and professional lives.
With a lot of experience on Civil Infrastructure projects, what has led you to working on skateparks?
To be honest, I did my first 3D model of a skatepark when I was still in college, probably 2003 on a very early release of AutoCAD; R12 or R13 probably. I had just taken my first technical drafting course and prepared plans, sections, and isometric views for a local ramp guy who was selling plans for people to DIY various ramps. Soon after I started doing more intricate surface models and then just kept on learning and adapting skatepark modeling as the software packages were improved.
Are there any lessons from skateboarding that have helped you in your career as a civil engineer?
I believe the most important take away from skateboarding that has helped me in my professional and personal life is self-confidence. Skateboarding is really difficult. Learning patience and perseverance to be able to achieve what you set your mind to do is one of the most important life skills anyone can have.
What is a harder career to attain, Professional Skateboarding or Civil engineering?
For me, Engineering school was far more challenging than skateboarding. Skateboarding was an expression of me as an individual. I was fortunate to not get derailed by any significant injuries while I was trying to become professional and avoided significant injury down time throughout most of my career. Engineering school is a tremendous amount of studying and college professors don’t care if you show up as long as your check clears. I had to overcome multiple failures, academic suspensions, and there were many times when I thought I didn’t have what it took to make it through. That’s when that dedication and self-confidence is most important. The ability to draw on past failures and incredible challenges, and know that with enough work, we can achieve our goals.
What are your thoughts on the future of skateboarding and skateparks compared to Skateboarding in the 90’s?
I am so excited to see where skateboarding goes. In the 90s, it was a “counter-culture” sport, and anyone who rode a skateboard (at least in my area) knew they were doing something that wasn’t considered “cool”. We banded together as outsiders, and formed bonds and friendships that transcended cultural, socio-economic, age differences, and many other differences in our backgrounds. Skateboarding is huge business now but I see those bonds remain in the younger generations. It’s amazing to see the talent of the younger skaters these days and I’m incredibly blessed to be a part of providing a safe and challenging environment for skateboarders of all ages to find friends, build self-confidence, relive old memories, and enjoy a sport that has brought me so much enjoyment and fulfilment throughout my life.
Set at the newest skate spot in Escondido California, listen to Sr Designer Kanten Russell and legendary skater Brandon Turner discuss how skateboarding and skateparks can be used for intervention and positive social impacts. Hear more about Brandon’s organization Healthy Life Recovery and how they are using skateboarding as a means to battle addiction.
With so many amazing projects going on across North America, it is important to remember that even the small parks have a major impact! Check out the video below and allow lead designer Kanten Russell to break down the inspiration, process and rationale behind the newest skate spot in Escondido California. The stacked crew from Sk8Mafia show us what’s possible in the new space. Thank you to everyone involved in making this spot and video recap possible.
The newest (and largest) skatepark-pump track combination in Georgia is nearing completion and set to open this summer!
Located in C. Jay Smith Park in Newnan GA, this regional facility will be home to over 30,000 sqft of rideable terrain – complimented by playgrounds, restrooms, a splash park and a variety of other support amenities.
A direct result of the dedicated advocacy by a handful of local youth, parents and community leaders, the park features an expansive street/plaza section, competition-level bowl, various obstacle and transition elements, and one of the Nation’s few integrated site-built concrete pump tracks! All features were informed by close consultation with local users and community members (thank you to Vinylite Records for providing their venue for the design workshops) – resulting in a compelling beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain assortment that is delineated by artistic floor patterns of colored concrete, stamped textures, and sculptural elements throughout the park
It is safe to say that the park will not only be a prized amenity for local residents but a sought-after destination for skaters and riders from across the Nation. Stay tuned for details on the Grand Opening event anticipated to be hosted mid-summer!
With female participation in Skateboarding rising to unprecedented levels over last decade, groups like Calgary-Based 100% Skate Club have been carving out safe space for women, non-binary, queer and beginner skaters in public skatepark. We want to take a moment to celebrate them and we look forward to all of our future collaborations with this amazing community driven group.
Over the past 2 decades, New Line Skateparks has had the privilege of not only building a sustainable Skatepark Design/Build firm but has had the honor of partnering with countless Non-Profits, NGO’s, grass roots organizations and advocates who are pushing for positive social change through skateboarding, programming and skatepark development. The projects we have participated in have spanned the globe as well as, a diverse cross section of geography, cultural/social demographics, socio-economic and political conditions. Through relationships with world-leaders in the social-skate community, these projects have become an avenue for New Line to extend our vision of Building Skateboarding and Building Community on a scale we could not have predicted.
New Line is excited to announce a formalized partnership with the amazing crew at the Concrete Jungle Foundation! This announcement is built on the foundation of a proven working relationship through the successful completion of projects in both Angola, Africa and most recently, Kingston Jamaica. Through the course of both of these projects, New Line provided conceptual and technical design support along with guidance and direction through the construction process. Led by the capable Concrete Jungle Crew, our teams were able to navigate unfamiliar build environments through close working relationships with local specialists and community volunteers. Upon the completion of the skateparks and through support of CJF’s renowned Edu-Skate program, the parks now act as a hub for locally-operated community programming and outreach.
As we move forward to our third project together in Peru, New Line Skateparks has committed to the ongoing support of CJF projects for the next three years. Through financial contributions, continued consulting and construction support, along with a series of internal fundraising events and initiatives, we hope to play even a small role in supporting the Concrete Jungle Foundation as they continue to make a global impact with their unique approach to skatepark and program development.
We are humbled by the opportunity to get to work with this incredible organization and look forward to witnessing their continued impact world-wide.
For more about the upcoming project in Peru and how you can support:
