Grab your boards, the Carcross skate park is now open

Corinne Carvill remembers hearing kidstalk about building a skate parkon the hill behind the RCMP in Carcrossmore than 20 years ago.

Those kids are now adults, some with children of their own, and on Saturday they joined close to 100 people to celebrate the grand opening of the Carcross skate park.

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"It's a beautiful thing," said Carvill, the career manager for Carcross/Tagish First Nation (CTFN).

The skate park features a variety of ramps and rails, a halfpipe, a bowl and a pump track.

CTFN Elder Winnie Atlin gave the park its Tlingit name: Yaanat l'oon gooch, whichmeans "look out hill."Visitors and skaters have a perfect view out over town, all the way to the mountains that encircle the community.

'It's just amazing'

On hand to celebrate the openingwas a number of skaters and BMX riders from Whitehorse's Skate for Life Alliance. Kids of all ages registered for clinics with the pros, learning everything from how to improve on the basics, to mastering the latest trick.

"It's just amazing to see this come to fruition," said CTFN Chief Andy Carvill during his welcome speech to the crowd.

The project is the result of years of collaboration between the First Nation, the local advisory council, the Yukon government and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor).

The park cost just under $450,000, with the majority coming from CTFN and CanNor, and additional funding from the territorial government and the Carcross Recreation Board.

The CTFN Land Management Board donated the land. Local Whitehorse businesses donated skateboards, scooters, protective gear and a BMX bike, all of which can be signed out from the Carcross Learning Centre to use in the park.

But Chief Carvill made sure to emphasizethe idea came from, and was completed, by the people of the community.

'Leave your mark'

CTFN citizens designed the park's logo and other art, and local youth were heavily involved in the design and construction of the park over the summer.

"They were really quite passionate about being out here and getting the art done," said Susannah Beckett, the capacity director for CTFN.

It's up to you to decide what will make your community great.- Sierra Van der Meer, Regional director ofCanNor

Facilities like this "make people healthier.They give youth and children an outlet to be able to spend their time," said Sierra Van der Meer, the regional director for CanNor.

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"This is your park now," she said to the youth in the crowd on Saturday. "It's up to you to decide what will make your community great."

Chief Carvill invited everyone to pick up a can of spray paintand cover the concrete bowl in art and graffiti.

"Make it your park, your design," he said. "Leave your mark."