Village native works to bring skate park to T-burg

When Daniel Woodring, director of Skate of Mind, returned to Trumansburg to take care of his grandmother in her last two years of life, he rediscovered his love of the village he was born in and decided to stay.

“I fell in love with Trumansburg again after being here with my grandma,” Woodring said. “My family has been in Trumansburg for many generations, so naturally, I wanted to share what I love with the town I love. I wanted to help them have a skate park, … so that’s what I do.”

Before returning to Trumansburg, Woodring built skate parks all over the United States. Having moved every year of his life, Woodring has shared his love of skateboarding and skate parks with as many people as he could reach throughout his travels.

“Skate of Mind is a nonprofit organization of skateboarders dedicated to sharing the mental health benefits of skateboarding as a form of environmental awareness that is accessible with personal-progression-oriented activities that bridge socioeconomic boundaries,” Woodring said.

Woodring’s ultimate dream is to have a native and perennial nursery with a skate park snaking through it in an earth skills educational village setting, combining all of his favorite things to share with his community. For now, Woodring is focused on the first step: raising funds to build a skate park for local youth.

“Our mentorship nurtures life skills that skateboard culture and ecological volunteerism have to offer, with comprehensive and actionable templates for success,” Woodring continued. “We provide fiscal sponsorship and ongoing assistance to emerging community advocates and organizations with a vision to foster their creation and their maintenance of local skate parks, environmental and social volunteer programs with mutual support in their communities.”

To raise more donations for the proposed park, Woodring is holding a Root Down Live Music Skate Jam fundraiser on Sept. 3 on Duddleston Road in T-burg starting at 10 a.m. It will feature performances by Vicious Fishes, a four-piece band made up of friends from Trumansburg (facebook.com/theviciousfishes) and local musical artist DJ R.O.C.K.M.A.N. (facebook.com/vmoney48/) spinning old school and nerdcore selections.

Food vendors TBA will offer food and beverage at the event, with hopes of raising money to put toward the eventual skate park.

“A skate park is something that residents have been interested in off and on for a long time,” said Trumansburg Mayor Rordan Hart. “The village is happy to consider new recreational facilities of all kinds if the funding and location make sense for the community.”

Woodring initially wanted to build the skate park under the village water tower, but noise complaints caused the Town Board to vote against that location in the past, creating the need to find a new, viable location for the planned park. Locations throughout Trumansburg are currently being considered, with the future location to be announced once officially selected.

“I personally think that a skate park in Trumansburg is a fantastic idea,” said Sequoia Valoy, owner of Boxy Bikes in Ithaca. “Owning a business that deals with pedal-assist ebikes for rental and purchase makes me appreciate alternate forms of transportation and what they provide to the community. Skateboards are not only a wonderful mode of transportation; they are portable and can be taken anywhere with you and are also a great form of exercise.”

Valoy spoke to additional benefits of skateboarding.

“Skateboarding also allows people to push past anxiety and fear and stressors; it’s so beneficial for mental health,” Valoy said. “I am a skater myself. I met Dan through the Ithaca Skate Park; he’s a fixture there and he is such a helpful and informative person. He skates there and teaches local youth things about skateboarding, and he is a great resource to our local youth. Skate parks are so beneficial to the communities they’re in and the kids that enjoy them.”

Although there is no current proposed location for the Trumansburg skate park, Woodring is scouting possible locations to build the structure that he believes will be an asset to the community he loves. He is utilizing a stand at the Trumansburg Farmers Market, as well as his website and social media, to raise awareness about the project and solicit donations to fund it.

“We built a ramp and had it up at Grassroots,” Woodring said. “It was wonderful. I taught new things and introduced new people to skating. The kids really enjoyed it. I believe skate parks are the town commons for today’s youth.”

Information about Skate of Mind, the proposed park and donations can be found at skateofmind.org, facebook.com/skateofmindinc and facebook.com/Trumansburg-Skatepark-101418632671990/.

Trumansburg Connection appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.