Recreation Recreation RAMPIN’ UP

Local Seeks Support For More Skate Features In Town

WITH THE NEW SKATE PARK IN BOYD PARK BEING CONSTRUCTED IN THE NEAR FUTURE, THERE IS NOW ANOTHER SKATING FEATURE IN EAU CLAIRE. Chris Johnson, owner of Passion Board Shop and a member of Eau Claire’s Parks and Waterways Commission, helped put a small skate bank along the bike path near the Eau Claire Police Department – but he isn’t done just yet. Back in 2013 when the Lakeshore Skate Park opened, there were also conversations with the then-Eau Claire Parks and Recreation about installing 10-12 small skate parks spread all over town. The idea was to ensure that no matter where you live, you’d have access to a skate park. That conversation unfortunately never came to fruition due to budgeting issues. Johnson figured that if the city couldn’t have skate parks all over, it could at least get some things people could skate on. This sparked his idea for the skate feature on bike paths. “My idea was inspired by a mix of the Sculpture Tour and the workout stations based around town,” Johnson said. “I figured if we could have pull-up bars and stuff right off the bike path, why couldn’t we add some skate features as well?”

The first bank installed across from the police station is a “guinea pig” of sorts for this idea. Since there are no concrete plans to produce more features, this was a way to show the city how much citizens appreciate the idea. Johnson hopes that these features will be a safer and legal way for skaters to get together to “street skate,” which is finding an obstacle like a ridge, stairs rails, or street obstacles to skate and do tricks on. “This first one is just a plain bank because I wanted to pick something to be super low-budget where we can hire local concrete workers to complete it,” Johnson said. “These things are small budget, but still good for wheel sports, and can be accessible for everybody.” Johnson wants these features to feel sort of like the Sculpture Tour by painting each one with a different mural, giving each community a feeling of ownership and pride for their feature. “This is a progressive idea for this city,” Johnson said. “Eau Claire is a progressive city, but we typically look at an example of what other cities are doing, and then we follow suit. We don’t tend to be the first ones to do things. But in this case, we actually are the first ones.” Johnson said the best way to get more of these features is to reach out to City Council members and the Parks and Recreation Department about how much citizens use and appreciate the piece. –Sawyer

Hoff

Hot Girl Walk?

words by sawyer hoff

YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING, WHAT IS A “HOT GIRL WALK?”

While there isn’t a concrete definition, it involves walking with a certain confidence and swagger. There is a new trend on TikTok to do “hot girl walks” with friends to get outside and meet new people This is what prompted Sammi Costello, GM of the Eau Claire Express, to start a new walking group called “Eau Claire Girls Who Walk.” The group only started a couple of weeks ago, but they’ve already had two “hot girl walks,” and will have more every Wednesday until cold weather hits. “I saw a TikTok of these girls in Hoboken that just wanted to get people in their 20s and 30s together and outside walking,” Costello said. “I was like, ‘Oh we can definitely do that in Eau Claire.’” Their goal is to walk around different parts of Eau Claire since there are many trails and outdoor spaces to explore. They’ll announce on Instagram where they will be walking before each group meet-up. While it may seem like only women can go on “hot girl walks,” that’s not necessarily the case. As long as you show up with no judgment and with a fun vibe, Costello said anyone is invited to walk. Check out their Instagram, @eauclairegirlswhowalk.