Howard County rippers and groms stoked as long-awaited Columbia skatepark opens Friday

The Baltimore region’s newest skatepark opens Friday afternoon in Columbia’s Blandair Regional Park, and skaterboarders are stoked.

Skaters like Gary Smith are excited. The owner of Vú Skateboard Shop, with locations in Hampden and Pikesville, spent most of his 36 years of skateboarding skating in parking lots or driving miles to dedicated parks.

That’s all changing. Smith called it amazing to see new skateparks continue to pop up, especially those with the added bonus of no entrance fees or registration cards.

“Now you just show up like you would to play baseball or football,” Smith said. “I think it’s fantastic.”

Howard County officials, with Gov. Wes Moore, will unveil the 15,000-square-foot skatepark Friday afternoon alongside other new amenities in the west area of Blandair Regional Park off Oakland Mills Road. Officials said when the skatepark broke ground last year that it would support a variety of wheeled sports, skill levels, terrain preferences and riding styles.

A county spokesperson did not respond to a request for more information Thursday.

At the September groundbreaking ceremony, county officials boasted that the Blandair skatepark “is set to become a premiere, destination-level rink in Howard County, with its modern concrete architecture thoughtfully integrated into the site’s sloping topography,” the county said in a news release.

In addition to the skatepark, the Blandair improvements include six lighted pickleball courts, two lighted basketball courts and the addition of more than 100 parking spaces. There are also improved walkways.

Now, nine months later, the concrete is ready to shred. The Charm City Skate Park skateboarding team will kick things off with a demonstration.

“In our 32 years of doing demos and events, this one is pretty cool because we get to ride on the newest concrete park in Baltimore at-large,” said Jason Chapman, owner of Charm City Skate Park.

Chapman, whose Canton park offers skaters an indoor space, said the Blandair spot is necessary to help the skate community thrive.

“If you can reach one person [through skateboarding], you will change a life by giving them a place to go,” Chapman said.

The Baltimore-area skateboarding community has had to do more with less for years. Too few skateparks meant skaters had to find creative ways to ride or travel out of state.

The Blandair skatepark joins a handful of others in Howard County, including the Columbia Skatepark at the Columbia SportsPark, the North Laurel Skatepark, Centennial Park North skatepark and one at South Branch Park in Sykesville. The Columbia Skatepark charges admission.

Smith recalled needing a registration card to to use the Bowie Skatepark in Prince George’s County. He’s glad those times are changing but does have one request as more parks are built: add shade structures.

Blandair’s got it. A shaded section with seating looks over the park, offering skaters some relief from the hot sun.