My – Your – His – Her – Their & OurPark

By Nora Malamidou

Ok, let’s face it; 6 grades of myopia since the age of 6 makes a bookworm out of a person, but certainly not a skate expert. I’m not the right person to write about half pipes and ramps; I have always been the nerdy observer, secretly admiring the kids with loose pants who rise up in the air effortlessly and land back to the ground smoothly; I am a mere spectator of the outcome, I am seeing it the easy way. Backstage, behind the perfect kick flip, the coolest people on earth have fallen a thousand times, crashed, have been hurt, wounded; yet they got up, they kept on trying, they remained stuck in an obsessive loop until they made it. And this is why I couldn’t skip this story, although I’ve already started and quit 6 times (and by reaching three sixes in a single paragraph, I can tell it’ll be a killer piece). Because this story is not just about a skate park, but about will, effort, about the stubborn spirit to make it. That’s the trick in storytelling, skating… and that’s the trick in creating OurPark. Just keep rolling.

The real story, the one of actions and not words, goes back two years ago, when some people saw something else in the chaotic Athenian urban space we all curse: a creative pattern; a way to make our lives better, healthier, extroverted, more expressive. This is how the idea became a plan and the plan became the first skate park of Athens. It all started with the birth of OurPark: an organization formed towards the development of unused public spaces, but also as a space of expression for young professionals in the city, as Konstantina Karydis, a member of the OurPark founding team told us. Konstantina says that she is Athenian, Greek, European, but originating from the island of Kos and the mountains of Peloponnese. We can also assume that the psyche of the greek landscape, rural and urban, is probably carved in her DNA. She talked to us about all the team did to offer Athens its first skate plaza; to offer us Athenians, our park.

Trick 1.  Basic learning: Boardslide over the idea.

Q. How did you come up with the idea of a skate park?

OurPark is an idea that was formed gradually over the course of a two-year period. The initial concept was to organize an outdoor event in the space of Athens old airport, towards supporting the creation of a metropolitan park in that area. In the course of some months and while the team was formed the concept developed further towards creating an organization that will support the development of unused public spaces into open multifaceted parks without spending public funds. Our philosophy is to use our skills to benefit personally by benefiting the community and really, turn crisis to an opportunity. OurPark skateplaza is our pilot project. Athens was one of the few capital cities with no organized space to skate and now there is one!

Q. How many times did you “crash on the pavement” on your way to realizing OurPark?

Many!! But never seriously, just like when you are skating. You crash all the time but you fall in ‘style’, you get up and you try the trick again until you succeed. In OurPark’s case the two main difficulties were firstly to overcome the huge bureaucracy involved in the municipality and secondly to secure the necessary funds in Athens of 2010-11! Nevertheless we managed and I must say that all the players involved were open and supportive to this pilot project. Together with our stubbornness and persistent patience, well, we succeeded.

Q. What was your best ‘trick’ to persuade people that Athens needs this park?

I wouldn’t call it a trick. The very fact that we were cooperating closely with the skaters’ community in Athens was a big asset. And the fact that there was no such park in Athens was a factor. Then again, our proposal was strong; to create a park, construct a skateplaza, make a ‘dead’ public space come to life, and all this with private funds, is something that you don’t let drop.

Trick 2. Hard practice: Flip 360º from skate to art & back

Q. 8 reasons you are into sk8?

Personally, I have hardly skated in my life!! But that is not the point, really. I am into skate because it represents a vibrant aspect of the city culture. It takes people outside their flats and into the street, to socialize, exercise, compete, explore the city, to have fun! In OurPark you really sense this and that is what I like the most I think.

Q. What hides beneath the surface of the street and into the soul of the street life culture?

As I have come to know it a bit…probably I would say the ‘pulse’. Is about being ‘out there’, I guess, experiencing the city rather than sliding through it. Or, to turn it around, is about skating through the everyday reality of the city and experiencing differently our common terrain, which is the city, rather than keeping it as the ‘background’ of ones life.

Q. Can OurPark act as an ambassador of street culture and street art?

OurPark can work as a facilitator. Anyway street art is part of the street culture. But in OurPark we can provide a space of expression. Bring the two together and create let’s say a graffiti project in the Park. We aim to create a vibrant park where people from different environments can meet, create, enjoy.

Q. Is OurPark a getaway from the dark side of the streets?

Certainly is much safer. In OurPark people can skate without the hustle and the dangers that can be found on the street. And they can do it as much as they want. This means that the level increases as well. And above all it means that the skate-community of Athens has, now, a space to freely develop any kind of activities they want…training events, parties, competitions. Something that certainly can’t happen on the street.

Trick 3. Advanced difficulty. The Darkside Grind.

Q. Who is the OUR in OurPark?

For one, the OUR represents I would say, all the visitors of the park. It represents the skate community, the kids in the schools around the Park. If you are asking whether it also represents OUR team, I wouldn’t say that we are that possessive. Although we do feel a bit proud that we managed to realize such a project, that two years ago was only utopic.

Q. In times like this, when financial conditions push us back into our shelter, is the creation of parks in the city a luxury or a mandatory element?

Certainly not a luxury. It offers a different scenario. I don’t even know if such a project would have been acceptable before the crisis. Now it was because we took for granted that the public sector has no money, but asked their cooperation and we brought together public, private and non-for-profit sectors towards a public benefit project; and everyone has to gain from this. In a way, OurPark is a proof that things can happen, if you become more creative, cooperate and think outside the box.

Q. How does an activity park can work as an antidepressant?

Again, in many ways. The simple fact that kids lets say have a space to go and enjoy themselves safely rather than being at home is important. And it is free as well. And not just the actual everyday use of the space for skate but any kind of activity or event whether it is a skate contest or a music event. We take the public character of the park seriously. All these I hope provide an alternative exit to the admittedly very gloomy situation in Athens.

Trick 4. Next level. From Impossible to Incredible

Q. There is a documentary on the making of the park, titled “A street dream come true”. What more do you expect from this dream?

Many things! The project is far from over. Ideally we want the park to be self- sustained. And we want it to be multi-faceted, meaning that, taking skate-culture as a starting point, we wish the park to become a hub of activities and events. We want to make it a meeting point.

Q. What’s your next bet to win on creating more parks like this in Athens?

The big bet is to succeed in our goals as far as the pilot OurPark is concerned. Beyond this, we have already had discussions about creating more parks not only in Athens but also in other cities in Greece. The other bet is to secure funding from interested companies. The project is strong and the benefits multiple, but still this is a challenge in Greece, today.

Q. What does the street soul and the greek soul share in common?

Two things come easily to my head. Exploring. And the need to interact outside the house!

Stay in the loop with OurPark at their website and Facebook page.

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