By the time Carpinteria Mayor Al Clark, Councilmember Wade Nomura, and Carpinteria Skate Foundation cofounder Jason Lesh had grabbed the big, red ceremonial scissors to cut the ribbon that would open the long-time-coming Carpinteria Skatepark, it was too late. The kids, restless after a long morning of listening to speeches, could not wait a minute longer. As though on cue, dozens of kids jumped on their skateboards and spilled onto the unblemished concrete park to drop in and be the first to grind the fresh coping.
The adults, many of whom had waited decades for this moment, rolled with it and cut the ribbon, making it official: Carpinteria Skatepark was finally open to the public.
You can’t blame the eager skaters. The freshly built park, designed by Dreamland Skateparks and built by California Skateparks — the same companies responsible for the X Games and Street League Skateboarding courses — is a dream come true.