Spot Checks

SPOT CHECK: Onboard Skatepark

Onboard indoor skatepark is a Sheffield staple. We’ve got the inside knowledge from the main man Tom below, but first, here’s what the locals think of it.

Photos by Adam Lievesley

“I like flowing around jumping from the bowl to the rhythm. My favourite thing to ride is the bowl for sure ?” –Storm

“The main thing I like about Onboard is the ongoing good vibes, been to so many skateparks in the UK where I find everyone seshes in their groups but the skatepark remains quiet and slightly awkward, whereas at Onboard everyone is riding together. So you can actually feel a bit of a session going down every week where people are sending it and there’s always a big cheer when someone gets something sick! The thing I like to ride the most is definitely the alley-oop 360 gap from the first box to the bank on the side, can could ride that damn gap all day.” –Fergy

“What I like about Onboard is that everyone who works there is nice and welcoming, the whole vibe there is super chill. I reckon what I like to ride the most is the ledge, just because it’s high to hop on and kind of short on the down part which makes it more of a challenge for tricks.” –Fraz Hill

Q&A Onboard Skatepark

– How long has On Board been there? How did it all start and who started it?

We first opened the doors in the summer of 2012. Amy Cooper and the Cooper family wanted to have a lifestyle change and to do something for the community, so they decided to open a skatepark. After the loss of her father, Amy wanted to do something charitable to honour the youth work her father had done throughout his life.

The first goal was to create a safe space for everyone and anyone to come and practice whichever sport they wanted, in particular BMX. In Sheffield there is an awesome skatepark which had been around for years and years before Onboard called ‘The House.’ This skatepark was and is a skaters park and did not allow BMX, meaning there was always a big desire for an indoor park for all kinds of bike riders in Sheffield.

– When did the revamp happen and why is it designed the way it is? Who built it?

The revamp happened through the summer of 2018, we were super fortunate to receive a grant from Sport England to have the park rebuilt. The main goal was to make a skatepark that catered to all abilities and all styles including street style aspects while still being a park with some big ramps.

We had a bowl in the original park and did not want to lose that, so a bowl was a must when we were redesigning it. The park was designed and built by Ant Ramsey at Art Ramp Parks, all the guys killed it. Everything rides perfectly with loads of inventive gaps and transfers for those that dare. We are often told how good the bowl is, so yeah big shout out to them!

– What are your favourite parts of the park?

Its gotta be the bowl!

– What does the future hold for the park? Any changes or upgrades?

For now I think we just want to concentrate on getting reopened and back into the swing of things after the lockdowns we have all been dealing with. There are always things in the pipeline, especially around the education projects we do (we deliver alternative provision for young people that are struggling in main stream education) for the future and we are always looking to make improvements.

– Any thanks to any people or businesses involved in running the park.

A big shout out to Sport England for the funding the rebuild, to Waller BMX for bringing new riders to the park on a regular basis and keeping the scene and community rolling and just a huge thanks to all the awesome staff that keep the machine running.