Nestled in the basketball courts at P.S. 256 was a wooden ramp that had the NYC Parks and Recreation logo on it. What was it doing there? A group of young teens happened to be skateboarding by and used it as a skateboard ramp. And the empty basketball court gave them plenty of room to practice their skateboard tricks. Are there skateboarders in Bedford-Stuyvesant? It’s more common than you think. June 21st besides being the first day of summer was also National Skateboarding Day.
This particular group of skateboarders, in celebration of the day, stumbled across this park by coincidence, as they were passing by from another park. The group is a mixture of friends and others that just decided to join in.
17-year-old Enlil Washington usually skateboards at a local park near Fulton Street. He has been skateboarding for about two years now.
“I also skateboard around (downtown) on Court Street and on the Lower East Side,” said Washington.
Washington feels that skateboarding gives people something else to do and he likes the idea of the ramp being there.
Washington and his crew demonstrate some of the skateboarding tricks. Washington points to one of his friends and says he did the gnarly tree. Washington then lists other tricks such as the heel flip and the kick flip.
During his two years as a skateboarder, his most serious injury has been a twisted ankle.
At press time it’s unknown for how long the ramp will be there.