Visiting the new Don Hartley memorial skate park
The new skate park at Kensington Park at Knight and 37th in Vancouver. The Rasta red, gold, and green are part of the memorial to Don Hartley - also known as Don the Mad Carver RIP.
That’s an opinion I heard today from someone who wrote in to the Province newspaper about how upset she was to see the paper’s story and photos of people at the new park skating without helmets.
“What disrespect to Hartley!” said Rochelle Hepworth of Port Coquitlam. “So I’m back to asking — how much more than a death will it take for some skateboarders to protect their brains?”
That’s a tricky one. I wonder if the helmet-less guys feel like they are disrespecting The Mad Carver. What are their reasons for not wearing one?
Personally I would wear a helmet and I would make my kid wear one too. He would choose to wear one on his own, anyways. I would advise others to wear one, but ultimately it’s a personal choice. In my opinion, not wearing a helmet is a bad idea.
But is it disrespectful to Don Hartley? I don’t know. What do you think?
Don Hartley memorial at the new Kensington Community Centre skate park on Knight and 37th in East Vancouver
Don Hartley was a famous local skate boarder known in skater circles since the 1970s. He died a year ago, at 52 after a collision at a Canada Day skate competition at Seylynn Park in North Vancouver. He was not wearing a helmet, though he usually did. He wore a helmet during the competition, but had taken it off on his way out of the skate park. I learned the info about what happened – along with a mass of condolences to his sons and family – from the Wall of the Rest In Peace Donald Hartley Facebook Page
Our first visit to the new skate park
It was glorious. The sun was blazing and people of all ages were riding in the bowls. Toby circled the edge of the park on his BMX – not finding a lot of opportunity to go into the bowls with so many skaters there.
I asked one of the skaters about the etiquette of riding a BMX in a skateboard park. He was taking a break, on the grass, near where I sat on my lawn chair. He said the skaters didn’t mind, as long as the BMXers watched out for the skaters, who get the worst of it in collisions with bikes
In any case, I’ve been scanning great reviews of the park and its retro-California style. More reports to come…
The new skate park opens officially on Saturday, July 17, will officially open from 11am to 1pm.
“The event will include a ribbon cutting, cake, skateboard demonstrations by local skaters and a helmet giveaway. The Vancouver Skateboard Coalition and Concrete Powder skateboard magazine will also be hand. The park is located at 37th Avenue at Knight Street, east of the Kensington Community Centre,” reads a press release from the Vancouver Parks Board.
I’m so stoked that the skate community got together to honour Don with the beautiful memorial record and coloured pool tiles at the new Kensington park. Carver Don was a legendary skateboarder who influenced so many of Vancouver’s skateboarders it’s difficult to find a professional skateboarder from the lower mainland that doesn’t have a story about how he inspired them personally. He was also a dedicated father, wonderful community building neighbor, an accomplished DJ, and career postie (mailman). His untimely death affected and brought together hundreds of people to honour his memory at several memorials around the city.
The way he lived was very unique. He was said to approach people wearing skate shoes and start talking to them about skateboarding even if they confided, “hey, I only bought these shoes because they look cool, I don’t actually skateboard”. He loved skateboarding that much. He was also deeply rooted in the music scene. As a DJ and general advocate for enjoying a better life through good music, he would share mixed tapes, playlists, and even his own personal music player with anyone he though could use a boost. He loved music that much. He brought together his neighbors, many of whom claim that hey would have known noone on their block if Don hadn’t brought them together for BBQ’s and backyard gatherings.
The news articles I’ve read in the Province and The Courier have refered to Don as a skateboarder who died while not wearing his helmet. They’ve completely missed the point. They’ve missed the amazing story behind the man who’s death tore a hole in the fabric of the Vancouver skateboarding community. Reducing Don to a posterboy for helmet awareness is insulting and negative. It’s proof that the people reporting (or ranting) didn’t know Don.
He would want us to focus on how he lived, not on how he died.
Don Hartley would not feel disrespected by anyone skating that park. The simple fact that you are skateboarding is honouring his true memory.
Thank you Erik. Well put, in all respects. The new park is definitely a celebration of what Don loved. People who skate there without helmets are making a bad choice (in my opinion) but not an insult to Don’s memory.