By Scout Nicholson / The Jambar
Youngstown Skatepark Association is rolling into Lincoln Park in Youngstown with a DIY skate park on the East Side and plans for a professionally built skate park downtown.
The organization was founded in 2024 by Zack Felger, Youngstown State University alum who graduated in 2023. The organization’s mission is to create a free public skate park in Youngstown as a safe space for recreational action sports.
“[YSA] was the brainchild of myself and two of my best friends growing up. We all grew up skateboarding together in the area and went to skate parks together,” Felger said. “Compared to what the area was like back then for skateboarders to now, it’s rather lackluster in terms of opportunities for kids to have a place to actually recreate.”
In the early 2000s, Felger said Youngstown’s skating scene was lively, with skate parks such as Wedgewood Ramps Skatepark in Austintown and Section 8 Skatepark in Hubbard. He said there used to be skate ramps at random locations, even churches.
Felger said Youngstown has fallen behind in terms of having these recreational spaces compared to bigger cities such as Columbus and Cleveland.
“[Youngstown’s] kind of behind the wheel … a little bit in terms of trying to get some of these free recreational opportunities for our community,” Felger said. “We’re trying to really get Youngstown on par with places like Cleveland, Columbus [and] places throughout Ohio that do have free public skateparks.”
YSA purchased portable ramps in February to host pop-up skate park events in the area. The organization has hosted 12 events so far.
“We really started off by getting some grant funds to purchase a set of modular, portable skate park ramps that we’re able to go around the community and set up in different city parks,” Felger said. “We can increase accessibility [and] bring a free public skatepark into any neighborhood throughout Youngstown where there’s a city park available.”
The DIY skate park at Lincoln Park came as a way to give the community a skate park now, rather than waiting five or 10 years for a professionally built one. Felger said this project could cost anywhere from $750,000 to millions.
Since YSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Felger said a majority of its funds come from sponsorships and fundraisers.
YSA will host its largest fundraiser to date Nov. 21 at Westside Bowl with live performances, basket raffles and a mini ramp. The organization raised around $2,000 last year, and Felger said he hopes to triple that.
“It’s arguably our most important event to where it really provides us the funding necessary to move all the way through the next fiscal year,” Felger said.
To learn more about the YSA, those interested can visit its website.