Last Hour at Tjernobyl

Background story To be a skateboarder in Gothenburg isn't easy. Summers are short in Sweden and if you live in Gothenburg you also have a lot of rain and heavy winds. However, there has been a few talented riders from the town. Mostly known back in the days would be Gorm Boberg, who rode for companies such as New Deal and Mad Circle. In 2005 the main indoor skatepark had to close because of rent increases and the city council didn't want to help out. In 2004 the planning of a big concrete skatepark commenced, which was supposed to be built in 2006. However, the people who lived in the area where the park was supposed to be built complained and did everything they could do to stop the park from being built. Luckily, one month ago the Swedish government stepped in and declared that the park should be built on the intended location. In the summer of 2005 a couple of skaters got tired of waiting for the "Action Park" to be built and found a empty area with some nice concrete. It was so messy and full of thrash that the skaters started to call it Tjernobyl, named after the nuclear factory that blew up in Russia in 1986. They decided to clean it up and skate on whatever they found there, like fridges and banks built by doors. After a couple of months skating there, they also tried to pour some concrete and build a low hip. The pouring wasn't the most successful, but gave the skaters some taste for what could be done there. During the summer of 2006 a more serious set of quarter pipes was poured there. At the same time the skaters contacted the city to see what the plan with the area was. The city then gave permission for the park to be there for at least two-to-three years more, until the new and planned action park was supposed to be built and ready to be skated. The area was supposed to be untouched until 2009 when a new highway would be built. During springtime this year, a lot of stuff happened at Tjernobyl; skaters started to take money from their own pocket, even a church contributed with cash and a lot of new obstacles were added. Just recently the Circa team did a demo there. Everything looked bright for the Tjernobyl plaza and everybody expected a really sweet '08 there. Unfortunately, some weeks ago the city decided to tear the park down; Its argument was that the surrounding area had become a dumpster where people left their fridges and other junk. So it looks like the skaters of Gothenburg has to spend next summer in the cobblestoned streets again. Contribute with your thoughts and support for the skaters in Gothenburg in the commentary-field. It will show the council of Gothenburg that the whole world cares about this issue.

Channel: Sports
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: christhelin

Length: 02:49
Rating: 4.69
Views: 6497

Tags: chris  christofer  dolly  fx1  skateboard  sony  thelin  

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