On Dec. 29, 2014, the groundbreaking construction of a new 18,000 square-foot skate park took place on Buckhorn Dr. in Lexington, KY. Plans for the completion of the skate park are said to be taking place by late spring or early summer.

This has been a plan since 2011 by Urban County Council member George Myers, who pushed for the skate park to be built after the city-run pool at the park was shut down in 2011. The skeleton of the skate park was put in place on February 4th, 2015.

After receiving clearance from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Burke Morris, the creator of  Dreamland Skateparks, began mapping out the skate park.

The designs of the skate park featured mini ramps, benches, stairs and a bowl that would be painted blue. The park is also wheel-chair accessible, making it inviting to anyone and everyone.

Senior Amaan Malik, a dedicated skateboarder, is really involved in the making of this project. He attends the meetings and gives input on the making of the skate park.

“We’re trying to raise a bunch of money for it, and my friends and I actually got to put our ideas together to see what we wanted in the skate park,” Malik said.

Skateboarding isn’t a new found passion for Malik, as it has been a part of him since a young age.

“I started skating when I was in the 7th grade,” Malik said. “I’ve always had a skateboard in my house, but 7th grade is when I began doing it consistently. My friends and I would always compete with one another to see who could learn the new tricks the best, and from then on we just never stopped.”

There aren’t many extravagant places to skateboard in Lexington, but Malik mentioned his personal favorite place to skateboard is in Newport, Kentucky, right beside the borders of Cincinnati.

“It’s basically under a bridge,” Malik said.

“After getting the OK from the city, a bunch of skateboarders built it themselves with Quickrete and cinderblocks.  There are eight foot tall ramps, and all kinds of things the skateboarders came up with themselves.”

Just like every sport, Malik has also had to deal with the stereotypes of being a skateboarder.

“People think that all skateboarders smoke, or do drugs of some kind. Nobody believes me when I tell them I have never done any of that—just because I’m a skateboarder.”

Aside from the stereotypes, Malik has many fond memories associated with skateboarding.

“The best thing about skateboarding is going on trips with your friends. Sometimes if we have a long weekend coming up, and there’s a competition, we get a bunch of friends together and go to places like Nashville and skate for the weekend. Those are the best times.”