Documentary feature
Breath of
Fresh Air.
In 1990s Wasilla, Alaska, skateboarders facing complaints, police citations, and a proposed ban took their case to City Hall—and spent four years helping raise the money for a park of their own.
The story
Skateboarding in Wasilla
Street skateboarding was rapidly overtaking vert skating in the mid-to-late 1990s. During the same period, Wasilla was among the fastest-growing cities of its size in the country. As both the town and its skateboarding community grew, skaters moved through business parking lots, sidewalks, streets, and school grounds because they had nowhere else to go.
Property damage and conflicts with local businesses gave the skaters a bad reputation. Police issued citations, complaints accumulated, and a law banning skateboarding was considered. At one point, skateboarding-related issues generated more complaints to the local police department than any other issue. Alaska’s long winters left only a short summer season to skate, but the city still had no dedicated place for them.
Building the park
Taking the case to City Hall
A group of young skaters organized and brought the issue before the Wasilla City Council. Local skateboarders filled City Hall, with more waiting outside for the chance to be heard. After repeated meetings, the city agreed to provide half the cost of a skate park if the skaters could raise the other half themselves.
The fundraising took roughly four years. The completed park became Wasilla’s most-used public facility, while complaints about skateboarders nearly disappeared. The documentary also follows the neighboring town of Palmer as its skaters begin a similar effort, placing Wasilla’s story within the broader struggle communities face when young people have to fight for a legitimate place to skate.
Film information