Young Skaters Call Local Park Home

The screech of wheels against concrete, the thump of a skateboard roaring up wood ramps, the occasional yell of anguish loosed as a trick goes awry.

From afar, the activity at McVicker Skate Park in Lake Elsinore looked like a bunch of guys skating around a sprawling square compound.

But up close, the amorphous crowd became more: a group of different people united by one cause, to shred.

One of the park attendants, Garrett Elliott, 21, said that on any given night there were a variety of different age groups and skill levels working the ramps.

Elliott described the group of kids that ride in the park as a "close family."

"Most kids come here on a daily basis," he said.

Skaters said the thread that pulled them together was their desire to train and hone their craft.

Freddie Sheppard, 11, said he has only been riding seriously for a year. Still, the rambunctious youngster has set his sights high.

Sheppard said his dad was involved with the Dew Tour, a national action sports competition that features amatuer and pro riders duking it out for a cash prize and the accolades that go with it.

Sheppard wants to become the youngest rider on the tour, at age “14 or 15.”

He was there with his new Go Pro video camera, an impressively small device that riders strap to their helmets or boards to catch their action. Sheppard is recording his tricks and stunts, and the boy returns to McVicker often to add to his footage collection.

One of the younger skaters at the park was 7-year-old Dillinger Gallardo, who said he has already been skating for 4 years and enjoys riding at the park because the ramps are just the right size for him.

Like Sheppard, Gallardo to wants to be a professional skater, and said he "rides every day" to stay practiced.

Nick Petersen, 23, is the veteran of McVicker, having skated there since it opened in 2000.

He said the jumble of ramps and concrete "feels like home."

“I have skated it for so long and I still haven’t run out of things to do.”

Also riding was Nick De La Cruz, 15, who has been skating for 4 years and said the park was a big reason why he continued.

“The first time I got on the board I did an ollie," De La Cruz said. "Since then, I moved here and saw this skate park and haven't stopped skating since.”

McVicker, 29355 Grand Avenue, is open Wednesday through Sunday in the afternoon and evening. It features ramps, boxes and rails designed for BMX bikers, skateboarders and scooter riders.

Entry is free for Lake Elsinore residents and $5 for those coming from out of town.

Visit this page to see a full park schedule and read more about the safety requirements for riders.