"More People, More Buzz, More Money" courtesy of Skateboarders

It's hard for some people -- especially those from an earlier generation -- to see skateboarding as an important business matter for our county. But the experiences of Chris Cantwell, who has become the informal spokesperson for Manatee County's skateboarders, helps illustrate how skateboarding has both economic potential and regional community relevance.

Before he became involved in design plans for the Riverwalk Skate Park, which is part of Bradenton's $6.2 million Riverwalk development, Cantwell was lobbying on behalf of Sarasota's Payne Skate Park. He's pictured here (in white T-shirt) along with Dan Giguere, a schoolteacher who founded the nonprofit Sk8Skool, which uses skateboarding to teach kids about accountability and responsibility.

Cantwell's role at Payne Park was to help lead a group of parents to take over the skate park, which had been run (at a significant loss) by the city of Sarasota for years. Since the parents took over last year, traffic at Payne Park has more than doubled, Cantwell says, and user fees have dropped from $8 a day to $5 a day. Skateboards are for sale there now, concessions are sold, free wi-fi is available, and after-school programs are now being offered courtesy of Sk8Skool.

A handful of local businesses have signed on as sponsors, although Cantwell and other parents are still looking for a big investor who can really liven up the park.

Why did Cantwell originally become so involved in Sarasota's skate park? Because Bradenton doesn't have a high-quality park that satisfies experienced skateboarders. Rather, it has "modular" parks that Cantwell refers to as "rinky-dink." He oughtta know; Cantwell, 35, grew up in Manatee County and has been skateboarding since he was 13.

He's now optimistic that Bradenton's new skate park will draw families and adult skateboarders from Sarasota to Bradenton, rather than the "vice versa" that has been going on for the past decade. And that means "more people, more buzz, more money" for Bradenton (to coin a favorite phrase from Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton).

Here's one of many YouTube vides of the Sarasota skate park, which give us a glimpse at the possible future of the Riverwalk Skate Park: