Skateboarder Warren Stuart
With 20 years experience, skateboarder Warren Stuart is a prominent figure in the local scene. He runs www.hkskateboarding.com, which played a key role in the development of the Mei Foo Skate Park. He also organizes competitions, such as the Quiksilver Skate Jam, and hosts professional skaters.
HK Magazine: Skateboarding – art or sport?
Warren Stuart: Both. With street skateboarders, most skate to express themselves so it is like art in motion. However, contest skaters have a more gymnastic approach and they practice daily for glory.
HK: What is the reaction of the Hong Kong public to skateboarding?
WS: It is pretty much the same as most places around the world. Despite increased exposure and the cheesy mainstream appropriation, the general public still view skateboarding as a menace and disregard it as a childish activity. But skateboarding is here to stay so they better deal with it.
HK: You had an influential role in the building of the Mei Foo Skate Park. What hoops did you jump through to achieve this?
WS: With the recent increase in skateboarders, the government felt the need for a park owing to the damage in popular spots such as the Immigration Tower courtyard and the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. By the time the website was established, we had become a medium of communication and the people in charge of building parks involved us with the design. In the beginning it was hard. It was like trying to explain the importance and purpose of baskets in a basketball court – why you need two not one - to a builder who knows nothing about basketball. The original plan for the Mei Foo Skate Park was like a design from the 1970s: just a bunch of concrete waves. It is easy to spot a lack of user-involvement with the previous attempts at skate parks in Hong Kong. The Chai Wan and Lok Fu parks are a waste of space. A lot of money was spent to make them beautiful, but they failed in their functional purpose.
HK: Did you have any problems with the development of the park?
WS: The authorities had no idea how to manage the skate park. Their approach was similar to managing a swimming pool. The original plans featured diagonally placed ramps that “flowed” into each other to utilize the maximum width of the park for speed. However, someone high up wanted to segregate the park into four skill-level zones. As a result it is like a public pool, where you have the baby pool, kids pool and main pool. Another blunder is the outrageous amount of fencing and gates. It is almost as if they are fencing in dangerous animals. When Mei Foo opened, someone at the LCSD decided the areas underneath the ramps were dangerous and boxed them up. This turned them into ‘hot boxes’ and made the ramps extra loud. As a result, nearby residents began to file complaints about the noise. To dampen the noise they filled the ramps with foam and rubber, but this turned them into rusty, water-retaining sponges.
HK: What is the worst injury you have ever had?
WS: I don’t know which is the worst as I’ve had so many - sprained ankles, wrist injuries, fractured ankles, torn tendons and hamstrings. But each fall reinforces the desire to skate. It feels great to roll fast, catch air, slide on stuff and perfect tricks.