Did you get on the board today yet?

Philipp Nehren: No, unfortunately not yet. But I intend to skate at least for 15 minutes each day.

The skate park is open since August, and very well attended. Did you anticipate this acceptance?

Nehren: Yes. There’s quite a large scene in Bonn with very good skaters. The demand for a high quality facility was huge. The association is doing great work, we presented a conclusive concept and our aims were clearly defined. We could also rely on an excellent network which we have built up over 15 years.

Can anybody come to skate or is the facility only open to members?

Nehren: No, everybody is welcome. Only on Friday evening it’s „members only“. But we wanted to consciously create a place for everybody. Not only skaters. You can enjoy food and drinks in a unique atmosphere here too. Beside the 900-square-meter skate area we have a beautiful building in which we plan to organise several events.

Like for example?

Nehren: We want to offer skate yoga courses, concerts and poetry slam evenings, readings and a halloween party.

Skateyoga? What’s that?

Nehren: It’s similar to normal yoga, but the focus lies more on body parts which get used particularly in skating.

And from a sports point of view?

Nehren: The first large sports event takes place on September 30 - the „Titus Bonn 20 years anniversary Contest“. More information on partaking etc. can be found on the website of our association. Under the title „Early Bird“ we give parents and children the opportunity to try out skateboarding outside the normal opening hours. We are also planning a Girls’ Day and special offers for inclusion and integration.

How about the youth development?

Nehren: There’s a skate school for three years already. Children and Teenagers between eight and 15 years of age are learning the basics. We also had one almost 60-year-old participant who came with his grandson.

The facility isn’t finished yet, right?

Nehren: No, but there are specific plans. We want to build a bowl landscape and a pump track (special mountain biking tracks - the ed.). But we can only begin once the financing is sorted. Currently we are still looking for 140,000 Euro. A further extension is already necessary to relax the peak times at the weekends. Saturdays and Sundays mean particularly large numbers of visitors. We want to have the complex completed by 2020. That year, skateboarding will be an olympic discipline for the first time.

There’s a lot to do so…

Nehren: Yes, but with Jim Romer, the deputy chairman and my successor at the association’s top position, I have a very competent helper by my side. We managed to get a lot done and we’ll certainly achieve our goals in the future as well.

Original text: Gabriele Immenkeppel, Translation: Mareike Graepel