KUTA BEACH SKATE PARK LET THE CHILDREN PLAY

CHEYNE HORAN’S RAINBOW BRIDGE

Sometimes dreams take time. But thanks to Afandy Dharma Fairbrother, the Kuta Skateboard community, the Halfway Boardriders Club and the Bupati Badung Government folks, this dream has finally come true. After years of pushing for it, now a well designed skatepark smack dab in the middle of Bali’s most popular beach has sprung up. For Afandy, a self taught skatepark designer who is leading the project, the light bulb went on when the decision to re-develop Kuta Beach was first proposed. “Why not make a very special community place for the kids on the beach,” Afandy proposed, “A healthy, outdoor, fun place for kids to play and grow strong, to get them away from their phones, a place for surf training but also a place for all skaters and all the promotions and events that this park will bring to our beach?” The Bupati bought it and got to work on Afandy’s design right away. A durable, safe and handsome park that does not disrupt the beauty of Kuta Beach, it features something for all skill levels. Bowls, quarter-pipes, rails, benches, everything a skater would want. And with plenty more ambitions ahead. “It is not officially opened and dedicated yet, but the future will bring a clubhouse, a skate shop with rentals, full time monitors that will sweep and keep the park free of sand and debris for safety, full time security, night lights so we can stay open until 10pm and even a skate school. We will even be implementing a non-profit program for disadvantaged kids where we will be able to teach them and provide all the equipment needed for free. Again, this is more than just another skatepark, this is a community gathering space that we feel will be the pride of Kuta”. Starting out as a kid that had nothing more to skate than a small ledge on the side of the road, Afandy has been dreaming of this since childhood. His begginnings were humble. Like any child with a dream, he became fascinated with skateboard park design believing that someday he would build one himself for he and his friends. By the time he graduated to 3D programs and absorbing everything he could find on Youtube, he began to collect park designs from all over the world. He taught himself how to draw the same way and was soon designing the dream parks of his mind. “It was a lot of fun and it was the aspect of skating I was most interested in. Not just skating, but creating the experience as well. And now that it’s here, on our beach, I cannot wait to see all the good it can do. And I am hoping everyone else will join me in this philosophy”.

With innovative programs already in place for disadvantaged kids, including free equipment to use, the Kuta Beach Skatepark will not only provide health benefits to the young, but also promote their youthful dreams. Who knows, we may be looking at a future Rio Waida.