On 19 January, the Bill Waterston Skate Park in central Ararat will host its first Skate Park Leagues (SPL) event as part of the 2025 Melbourne Metro Series.
The grassroots competition will bring up to 600 participants to the park to showcase their skills in skateboarding, BMX, and scootering, all taking place on the ramps and rails of our facility.
SPL is all about celebrating skate park culture and creating a positive space for young people of all ages and abilities to shine, whether competing or cheering from the sidelines. Launched in 2007 in partnership with the Victorian Skateboarding Association, SPL now runs over 100 events a year across Australia.
The League is open to young people and is free of charge, giving youth a platform to showcase their talent. It also offers a national pathway to excellence: if a participant finishes in the top three places of each age division on their Skate Park Leagues state league ladder, they'll qualify to take part in the Australian Skate Park and Skateboarding League National Championships.
Skate Park Leagues has over 6,600 active members and delivers over 180 events nationwide each year. Annually this represents over 65,000 people attending or participating in YMCA Action Sports events across Australia.
The Bill Waterston Skate Park received a significant upgrade in 2018, principally to its concrete skate bowl, which now sits at 2.4 metres deep at its lowest point. The bowl includes hips (bends in the curved surface, creating a middle ridge for skaters to jump or grind over), a spine (two quarter-pipes connected back to back), and three sections with two oblong-shaped bowls.
"I'm very excited to see the display of skill and energy that the SPL competition will bring to the Bill Waterston Skate Park," says Ararat Rural City Mayor, Cr Jo Armstrong. "There are some enormously talented skaters, BMXers and scooter-riders amongst our community's young people, and this event will give them the chance to meet and mix with other skate fans from all over the state - and put their skills to the test!"
Image: A scooter enthusiast at Ararat Rural City's Bill Waterston Skate Park.
