Much awaited by local skaters, the skate park in Seton Park is nearly open for business for many to enjoy

Skateboarding gives kids a really positive outlet. It’s so much better than the alternatives of what kids could be doing nowadays.”

Jeremy Perez

Much awaited by local skaters, the skate park in Seton Park is open for business.

Outfitted with ramps, rails and a “bowl” – a concave 360-degree transition -- the only thing missing is an official entrance. Not that it has deterred truly committed skaters in the past.

In September, a group of skaters from the Bronx-based skate brand, Hunnydipnyc, gathered at the park to practice and film some tricks. Carlos Ramirez, a member of the group, said they first connected around 2019 through shared sessions at other locations. While their usual spot is the skate park at 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue, they heard about Seton’s reopening by checking the city’s skate park registry.

The Seton skate park is lined with street lamps, but the one on 181st Street has the additional benefit of overhead lighting, making night skating safer, which Ramirez said, is practical in colder months. Especially when darkness falls as early at 4 p.m.

Owner and founder of Hunnydipnyc, Luis Rodriguez, has been skating for over a decade. Run out of an art studio in the South Bronx where all their screen-printing is done in house, Rodriguez founded the brand in 2016. His team of skaters regularly appear in videos and occasionally, compete in events.

Rodriguez was glad the team could practice at Seton Park, though his first impressions were mixed.

“The roll-in is really hard to use, the quarter-ramp is hard to drop into, but the bowl is fire,” he said.

Jeremy Perez, a skater unaffiliated with Hunnydipnyc, grew up not far from Seton Park and remembers when he and his friends would skate on the flat ground where the skate park now is, formerly a rundown basketball court.

“The ground was terrible,” he said. “We could barely skate, but we tried to make the best of it. It was incredible to see the park’s transformation.”

Perez used to compete, but now mainly skates for its therapeutic benefits and tries to make time for it at least once a week.

He noticed the skating community has become more inclusive over time, with skaters ranging in age from toddlers to people in their 70s. He mentioned a fellow skater named Ian who frequents parks downtown and is about 65. Will Perez be skating in his 60s?

“I hope so,” he said. “If I’m still walking.”

Perez also spoke out against the stereotypes surrounding skaters.

“People think we’re reckless, that we’re rowdy, just out to destroy stuff,” he said.

“That we can’t get jobs,” his friend chimed in.

In fact, several of the skaters at the park work in high-level corporate positions.

For Perez, skateboarding is more about community, not just technical ability.

“We’re all going to fall, we’re all going to mess up a trick,” he said. “I think it’s just having the support from the community that’s the best thing about skateboarding.”

At the moment, Perez owns two skateboards, one cruiser and one for tricks. A board for a consistent skater, Perez explained, might need to be replaced every month. He praised brands like Hunnydipnyc and Leisure for hosting events and providing gear to kids, “who can’t afford $60 for a new board.”

Regarding the occasional complaints about skaters from neighbors in the community, Perez believes the negativity is misplaced.

“When you dedicate yourself to a sport, it keeps you off the streets.” he said. “Skateboarding gives kids a really positive outlet. It’s so much better than the alternatives of what kids could be doing nowadays.

As Seton Park continues to attract more visitors, Perez is looking forward to seeing kids from the nearby Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy (RKA), make it their new home base.

“There’s a lot of talent at that school,” he said. “Now they have a park of their own. It’s amazing.”

Ramirez, who lives in Dyckman, has already noticed families and younger kids starting to use the park.

“I saw a lot of parents teaching kids how to drop into the bowl last week,” he said. “It’s a good park to learn compared to more intense places like Chelsea Piers, which has a 13-foot wall.”