There is an art in the way the young rider eyes the lines of a new park, inspecting the edges and curves, the transitions, as they race internally through the motions, connecting one trick to another before ever dropping in.
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They picked up confidence with every fresh scuff mark on the coping on Saturday, as the region's star riders - Taj Wolfenden, Poppy Starr Olsen, and a small band of mates christened Cessnock's new regional skate park on Mount View Road.
The park was a hive of activity as locals of all ages turned out to make their mark on the obstacles that have been in the planning process since 2018 and were officially unveiled at the weekend by Cessnock City mayor Dan Watton and Hunter MP Dan Reopacholi.
"Young kids need a big facility to progress," long-time local rider Tony Atkinson said.
Mr Atkinson was a sponsored rider in his prime, at the peak of street skating culture in the early '90s, and now skates parks around his home at Heddon Greta, teaching the breaks to his daughter.
"I think, once it is in your blood, you've always got it," the 52-year-old said. "You can battle a trick for hours and hours and won't make it, but the moment you do, it's the best feeling, and you want to keep on going, doing it again."
Mr Atkinson had been waiting for the council's skate facilities to open at Mount View Park and was impressed with the quality at the weekend.
"The bowl is something that this area needed," he said. "We didn't have a big bowl in Cessnock. You can draw a big crowd of professionals."
The $2.2 million project was designed and built by Melbourne-based international skate park builders Convic and has hand-finished transitions designed to local rider specifications.
"It's about making the right park to fit the right community," Convic spokesman and rider Matthew Popek said at the weekend. "When you design in a community like this with a well-established skate scene and some really good high-level riders, a competition bowl will fit."
As Newcastle's skating prodigy, Taj Wolfenden, posted the park's first 540, finding clear air above the head-high coping at the side of the bowl, he said the region's latest park passed muster.
"It's fun," he said. "It's pretty cool that they have the street section where the beginners can practice and then the bowl where you can learn some bigger tricks."
Grundy's Skateboarding owner Russell Grundy, who arranged for the region's top riders to break in the new park at the weekend after opening another at Rathmines in recent weeks, said he was impressed with the design.
"They've built something that matches the Olympic standard," he said. "It really tailors to anyone who is going from first starting out to the seasoned pro."
"Kids are spending their time at skate parks, and having something with such size that can cater to so many people using it at once is really great."
Cr Watton said he was pleased to see the facility open.
"Sports infrastructure plays a critical role in promoting community health, physical activity, and connection, and this skatepark will allow more people to take part in sport, whether they're training competitively or just for fun."
The federal government provided about half the cost of building the park, through its Our Communities program, and at the weekend, Mr Repacholi said he was pleased to see the project come to life.
"It's projects like this that bring our communities together and encourage healthy, active lifestyles," he said.
