Olney Manor Skatepark became free and unsupervised for the public beginning in April.

Olney Manor Skate Park features 14,400 square feet of concrete obstacles. The 90-foot by 160-foot park consists of a 10-foot-deep bowl, Hubba ledges with a stair handrail, quarter pipes, Fun Box with flat bar, manual pads and Pyramid Ledge.

In years past, Olney Skatepark charged a fee every day after signing an extensive waiver on your first visit. An $80 pass could be purchased for the year as well. Helmets were required regardless of age and pad were required for riders under the age of 8.

Freshman Riley Hughes is a frequent skatepark user. “This way the skatepark is so much more convenient for me and my friends. Instead of spending our money on the skatepark, we only have to pay for the bus now,” Hughes said.

The City of Rockville Skatepark has been free and unsupervised for five years now, but the skatepark is not as taken care of as the Olney Skatepark is. The ramps at the Rockville Skatepark are wooden and deteriorate over time whereas Olney is all concrete. This provides skaters with a safer environment.

“I prefer the Olney Skatepark because I consider myself an old school skater and Olney features more tranny and bowl-like obstacles, which typically are only made from concrete,” freshman Waldy Marroquin said.

Tranny is short for transition, which means skate obstacles that are more curvy and round as opposed to the sharp corners and box-like obstacles that come with street skating.

The newly free admission to the Olney Skatepark is convenient for many, but it also draws crowds. The skatepark sees about 40 people per day, which is much more than last season when only about 20 people went per day.

This is a positive change for the skate community in the area because it provides more options for aspiring skaters.