It’s a blue-sky afternoon at Powhatan Springs Park on Wilson Boulevard, not far from Seven Corners. Skateboarders of all ilks are practicing their ollies and kickflips, navigating the undulating bowls, rails and quarter pipes with varying levels of ease, while a few youngsters find their bearings on scooters.
In this tight-knit community of enthusiasts, seasoned skaters offer tips to “grommets” (novices) and the intergenerational camaraderie is free flowing. “Whether you’re 10 or 65, all the skaters help each other,” says veteran boarder Paul Meyers, who gives occasional lessons here—in some cases to folks old enough for AARP membership.
He’s especially stoked about the $1.8 million renovation completed in 2019 that expanded the park’s repertoire of old-school and street elements. The refresh was badly needed (the original facility, opened in 1999, was crumbling) and intended to “reignite the passions of the skate community,” says Robert Capper, a program manager with Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation. It has.
In addition to athletic fields and a rain garden, the concrete jewel of the park is a three-part, 1,700-square-foot skateboarding area that incorporates elements of bowl, street and surf style.
Bowl skating originated on the West Coast in the mid-1970s when a pervasive drought presented the area’s burgeoning skate culture with a new kind of terrain. Californians were restricted from filling their pools, so boarders used rounded pool floors with challenging depth gradations to create their own brand of recreation.
Street skating rose to prominence in the 1990s in areas where skate parks didn’t exist. In the absence of dedicated facilities, boarders took to urban streets and plazas to perfect their tricks on curbs, benches and metal railings.
Surf-style skating emerged around the same time, with boards designed for weaving turns (similar to surfing) on wide open flats, slopes and inclines.
Brendan Andreas, 11, likes that Arlington’s skate park offers variety. “This is actually my favorite park because you can skate for a long time and not get bored,” he says.
Like many who frequent the park, he picked up skateboarding during Covid and was hooked. He’s suffered a few broken bones since then, says his mom, Katie, but those setbacks haven’t dampened his love of the sport. He once skated eight hours straight.
In 2021, skateboarding made its debut as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo games. Northern Virginia has yet to produce any competitors of that caliber, though it is home to two internationally ranked skaters—Aaron Pike of Annandale and Quinn Harbin, who hails from Falls Church.
“It’s not an easy sport,” says another parent watching her child from the sidelines, “but if you love it, it’s worth the bumps.” Just don’t forget your brain bucket. For the uninitiated, that’s skater lingo for helmet.