Saint-Lys Skate Park construction & inaguration: a story told in images

November 15-23, 2002

Above, upper left: Saint-Lys Skate Park inaguration Jam Session on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002. Above, upper right: M. Jean-Jacques Magnaval, "le Maire Adjoint de Saint-Lys" shakes David's hand with Andree and Guillaume in the middle. David just skated the park for the first time after a week of non-stop building. Above, lower left: Pierre Labadie, one of the best Toulouse skaters, over the spine. Above, lower right: Manoel Battut, president of TSS (Tolosa Street Skating) sliding on the funbox wall.

Above, upper left: Frank Fleouter, BMX rider & chief builder, surveying the layout. Above, upper right: skate park construction behind the COSEC gymnasium. Above, lower left: France Orlane Bouchard with Guillaume. Above, lower right: day one of construction began with the cement still being poured.

Above, upper left: During construction we brought in movable funbox, inclined plane and jump ramp for neighborhood kids to have fun on. These remained a part of the finished park, offering a complete range of modules for all skill levels. Above, upper right: David assembling funbox with helpers (module building workshop participant on bike). Above, lower Left: Frank Fleouter, chief builder, and Fabien Koudoyor, chief designer. Above, lower right: Partners in crime! (left to right) David, Fabien and Frank take a moment to pose during their "work in progress."

Above, upper left: Three members of TSS (Tolosa Street Skating), an agressive inline skate association with some of the best skaters in the region are talking about the park. Above, upper right: two-year-old Guillaume Weimer on his "Bobby Car" amid the activity (between a quarter ramp and the funbox's trick ramp inclined plane reception). Above, lower left: sideways, Frank, chief builder on the frame of a quarter ramp. Above, lower right: sideways, a view taken from standing on one quarter ramp looking at the spine, the funbox and the other quarter in distance.

Above, upper left: From behind a quarter ramp, looking across a green field at the church tower in downtown Saint-Lys. Above, upper right: Slightly different view of the same quarter ramp. Large 'hip' module, as well as movable funbox and ramp seen in background. Above, lower left: View of completed spine, funbox, quarter ramp in background and small, movable modules. Above, lower right: A day or so before the park is completed. Barriers are to keep anxious riders and skaters back.

Above, upper left: David, trying out the skate park on Saturday, November 23, 2002, the day of the skate park's inaguration. Above, upper right: Local BMX rider and volunteer builder on trick ramp. Above, lower left: Bad picture of skateboarders on movable jump ramp and funbox. Above, lower right: Guillaume, TCB (takin' care of business)..

Above, upper left: Happy BMX rider on Saturday, park inaguration day. Above, upper right: Let the Jam begin! 'Hip' module on far left. 'Faux' spine on the end of big funbox. Above, lower left: Christophe doing signature move above spine. Above, lower right: Andree Weimer, skate park co-creator and French wife of David with son, Guillaume.

Above, upper left: David on skates doing 180 transfer from 'faux' spine to trick ramp incline. Above, upper right: Guillaume near quarter ramp munching chips. Above, lower left: BMX friend "Futzi" on funbox. Above, lower right: David on skates on funbox. Riders getting used to the park.

Above: David doing a 360 over funbox.

Above, upper left: Fabien on the spine. 'Hip' in background. Above, upper right: Frank on his bike checking out the park from atop the funbox. Above, lower left: T.V. camera man from TLT filming the Jam session for a special broadcast. Above, lower right: Great BMX rider on the 'hip.'

Above: Christophe Canitrot, semi-pro rider, former Marlboro man and founding co-owner of "Twentyvelocross," a Toulouse-based BMX bike manufacturer. Christophe is on the spine, working on a hop- swivel- roll backwards trick.

Above, left: Frank welding funbox wall slide rails. Above, upper right: Guillaume getting in line for skateboarding on movable modules. David working on 'hip' in background with skateboarders and riders helping. Above, lower right: Patrick Vilchez, BMX rider and main organizer of the Saint-Lys skate park, drinking coffee. He, representing the BMX rider community, worked with Monsieur Magnaval, the ajutant mayor for sports for the town of Saint-Lys. We probably couldn't have done it without him.

Above, left: Fabien unloading bundles of structural support beams. School kids in the building behind him eager to see the skate park built. Above, upper right: Frank Fleouter and Guillaume Gomes, a Saint-Lys skateboarder and volunteer builder, finding shelter on a rainy Thursday during construction. Above, lower right: BMX rider "Futzi" and Frank working to fix a broken pedal on Frank's bike.

It was a real adventure, one we wouldn't trade for the world. Too many people to thank and more good then we can describe.

This skate park is a rock. The wood is double-treated: exterior usage wood, impregnated with preservative from the factory and sprayed with a creosote-like substance after assembly on-site. All modules except for the smaller, movable, practice modules are anchored solidly into the cement. All modules are fastened together using Torx, anti-rust wood screws from 3 to 8 inches in length. All metal rails and metal plates were treated with industrial rust-remover and painted with outdoor long life anti-corrosion black paint. All guard rails were secured with galvanized brackets and extra-long Torx screws. SOLID.