Day 163: Perform mid-air tricks at the Mike Blankenship Skate Park

A graffiti-coated wall offers the only splash of color at the city-run Mike Blankenship Skate Park. The rest of the west-side park is pretty much just blande concrete and steel — and that’s the way they like it at this rough-and-tumble outdoor skateboarding  facility. About the size of two basketball courts, the slightly sunken fenced-in park offers a dozen or so dramatic features, including a five-foot “pool” area and various raised transitions, to challenge rookie skaters and veterans alike. The obstacles have been given nicknames by local skaters. There’s “The Hip” area, ‘The Twinkie,” and “The Extension,” which is a big wall that I wouldn’t dare climb with mountain-scaling gear let alone try to race atop on a skateboard like I saw a dozen or so exhuberant, sweaty youth attempt on Sunday afternoon. We found only males from about ages 8 to 28 at the park, except for a few nervous moms watching from the bleachers. And while most of the skaters sported Vans or similar cool-looking sneakers, only a few wore any kind of safety gear despite official warnings that all riders must wear helmets. “I’ve only broken four things in 15 years, so that’s not bad,” said a 27-year-old skater I met at the park who says he attends three to four times a week. Attendance is free. The doctor visits after skating here are not. The park, located next to the James Messer Fields, is open most days from sunrise to midnight, so long as the lights are on. — Mark Hollis

LOCATION: Jackson Bluff Road at Appleyard Drive