Join us as we create a new high quality, all ages friendly, indoor skatepark in Portland!
We are looking to bring a new, high quality, indoor skatepark to Portland Oregon. Portland is a city that is known both as a skateboard destination, and for its months of unrelenting rain, yet we only have one small indoor space to skate.
Portland needs more than this.
We are ready for a large, indoor riding facility. Portland is ready for Stronger Skatepark.
The idea to build a skatepark has been something I’ve been thinking of for many years, and in May 2015 after my visit to Seattle’s “All Together Skatepark” I started looking seriously at the idea. During my visit to Seattle I was reminded of the fantastic opportunities an indoor park provides for the community and I’ve been working hard to bring a similar facility to Portland.
Stronger Skatepark will provide:
The park design will include:
The business itself is already partially funded by private loans, this campaign is to fund the ramps themselves. A basic street course and mini ramp will cost $25,000. If we are able to reach our stretch goal of $50,000 it will allow us to build a small bowl instead of a mini ramp!
Kickstarter is an “All or Nothing” platform, meaning that if we don’t reach our goal of $25,000 no one will be charged and the park will not be built. Thats why it’s critical that we get as many backers as early as possible in the campaign, and that if you believe in the project you share it with others!
To learn more about the work we’ve done so far, visit our website, www.StrongerSkatepark.com. There you can find links to our social media pages, sign up for our newsletter, and read more about the mission of the park.
The name Stronger Skatepark was inspired by the Gungor Song “We are Stronger.” The song describes the strength that is inherent when different people band together. My goal with Stronger Skatepark is to create a place where anyone can get involved in skateboarding and the community. Kids, parents, teens, adults, people who have skated for 30 years, and people who are stepping on a board for the very first time will all be welcome. We will also other types of riders including, scooters, bikes, roller blades, and roller skates.
I’ve been working on this project for over a year, starting with dreaming up ideas, then researching feasibility. Last year I created a very detailed business plan and shared it with a few trusted individuals who gave helpful feedback.
Then I started searching for funding. Funding is a very real challenge for a business with no history, and I was very fortunate to find an investor who believes in the vision I had. I am also investing thousands of my own dollars, but its still not enough to cover the entire cost. Thats why I’ve come to Kickstarter to seek out funding for the ramps. I’ve received positive feedback from both within and outside of the skate community, and believe I can minimize the risks associated with starting a new skatepark by planning well, and creating a high quality experience with attention to details.
Standard Membership
Members are the backbone of the private skatepark, they are the people who are riding the park regularly. We will sell annual memberships for $100.($80 for our Early Bird Reward in this campaign).
Annual membership benefits include
Unlimited Membership.
Unlimited membership means you pay once per year or month to skate any open sessions or special sessions you qualify for, it also includes all the benefits of the Standard Membership. Unlimited Membership will be available both as a yearly membership as a monthly plan if you are riding seasonly. During our Kickstarter Campaign Unlimited Memberships will cost $600 for one year. There will never be a lower price for an unlimited yearly membership than this Kickstarter Campaign.
Rewards are what you get in return for backing our campaign.
Each reward has a minimum amount you must support us at to receive that reward. You can always give more than the minimum if you desire!
Our first reward is a sticker pack sent to your home. The other rewards include sessions at the park, and memberships. Back us today, and then come ride when we’re open! Come experience the ramps you helped build!
If you aren’t a rider there will be an option in your post-campaign survey to gift you session(s) to someone else (we will track it all digitally) or to donate your sessions to our “Pay it Forward” program.
The “Pay it Forward” program will be a wall in the skate shop with certificates for pre-paid sessions. Its our way of making the park assessable to all income levels. Anyone who can’t afford a session may take a certificate and use it to ride! If you want to help kick off our “Pay it Forward” program then you can choose the option to donate sessions or “Pay it Forward” so someone else can have a chance to ride!
We have an early bird reward for One Month of our Unlimited Membership for only $60! Only 25 of our very early backers will receive this killer deal!
We also have a $30 reward that is designed for non-riders, if you donate at this level or higher, your name will be added to our tree of supporters. We will be painting a beautiful mural on the wall of the park of a tree with supporters names on the inside of the tree. In addition to the mural, a percentage of this reward tier will be used to plant real trees here in the Portland area through local not-for-profit, Friends of Trees. As skaters we all need to be Friends of Trees! We wouldn’t have our boards or our ramps without them! Thats why we’ve chosen to give back in this way.
For $100 you can skate the park before we are open to the general public! Get a full-day of access for yourself and one friend during our invite-only soft opening! This will be limited and the park will be very quiet during this first week! Its a great chance to film! You’ll also be gifted some snacks and beverages during your visit to keep you fueled while you shred!
For $500 you receive pair tickets to our pre-grand opening party! It will be a fantastic evening celebrating Stronger Skatepark! A catered event, with live music and a chance to mingle with all the people key to making this project happen!
Backing at $1000 will get you an entire day of the park to yourself. These sessions will take place once the ramps are completed and we are working on finishing the details around the park. Bring up to 10 friends to skate the park before anyone else!
We are working on more rewards that will be added throughout the campaign! You can change what tier you back the project at until July 12th if you decide you want a different reward!
Allison Waters – Owner and Founder
Stronger Skatepark is the Vision of Allison Waters, a 30 year old Mother, living in Southeast Portland alongside her husband Ace, their 5 year old son, and their four rescue dogs. She’s been skateboarding for 18 years. Allison worked in a large indoor skatepark as a teen. After high school she earned a bachelors degree while also running a local non-for-profit children’s program. Since moving to Portland four years ago, she’s worked as a nanny, and as a coach with Skate Like a Girl Portland. Allison is passionate about making skateboarding accessible for all people.
Scott Everly – Lead Ramp Designer and Builder
Scott resides in Portland, Or with his wife and 2 boys. A transplant from the east coast he has been a skateboarder for 32 years and a ramp builder 28. As one of the premiere wood builders in the country his skills have been used by discriminating clientele such as Vans, Dew Tour, Hot Wheels, Adidas, Red Bull, and USSA. In addition to building he has experience in all phases of production from consulting to designing to logistics. Scott prides himself in meeting the needs of all his clients as well as providing riders with progressive terrain no matter what skill level or discipline.
Graphic Design by Aubree Hollman
Video Editing and Music by Ace Waters
Logo Design by Satchell Drakes
Artists Rendering of Skatepark by Rachel E.S.
Thanks
Thanks to everyone has supported me so far in this endeavor! Those who have given me free feedback and advice, those supporting financially, and my friends and family for having patience while I work all the time! -Allison Waters
The largest challenge after funding will be finding a suitable space. There are several spaces we are interested in and don’t expect this to be a major challenge, but working out lease details on a large space as a new business can be tricky.
The other challenge is actually completing the building of the ramps. We have an excellent ramp designer and builder, Scott Everly, as the lead on the build and expect it to go smoothly once we are in our space. We hope to be open by September, but estimated October just in case we run into any hiccups along the way. We don’t want to open our doors until we have our amazing space completed and ready to share!