When Gary Sharpe shared his dream to build an extreme skating park with his wife Pam, she was a little hesitant. "My first thought is that he was crazy," said Pam. "He's a risk taker and I'm not." Calling Gary, who has lived in Hilton all his life, a risk taker is like calling Babe Ruth an okay hitter. Sharpe has enjoyed skateboarding, BMX bike riding, ski jumping, snow boarding, bungee jumping, ice hockey and car racing to name a few. While in high school at the Aquinas Institute he built a 26-foot ramp at his family's Manitou Road home. Now at 38 years old, as a product safety engineer at Xerox, and with two children, Sabrina (12) and Randy (7), Sharpe still continues to see how fast he can travel, and how far he can jump. Sharpe was one of the pioneers who brought snowboarding to Swain and he has been clocked traveling 68 miles per hour on a luge board. There are few risks that Sharpe hasn't taken in his life, and he has the bumps and bruises to prove it. As a teen, Sharpe broke his wrist ski jumping as he attempted to beat his friend's record (which he did by almost 30 feet). He fractured his ankle skateboarding. He dislocated his shoulder riding a BMX. Sharpe seriously dislocated his back playing ice hockey on a frozen pond and severely tore his groin playing soccer. So, looking back on it, his idea a few years ago to build an indoor extreme skating park wasn't that far-fetched. His dream became a reality last September when he opened Extreme Sports Park, at 40 Stace Road in the lakeside community Charlotte. The facility, which is next to School No. 42, is 10,000 square feet with concrete dips, bowls, wooden ramps and verticals. Extreme Sports Park is home to New York's only 24-foot wide concrete bowl, according to the owner. The park is built for skateboarders, roller bladers and BMX bike riders. It is designed to challenge skaters, bikers and bladers who aspire to be high-ranking amateurs or even professionals in their respective sports. Sharpe said the idea for the park came from the X Games and the resurgence of extreme sports. Sharpe said he became motivated to follow through with his vision when he saw outdoor parks like the one at Parma's Community Center emerge. Sharpe provides a supervised environment for riders. Regulation pads (under 18) and helmets are required for all participants. While this is not always popular with the kids, Sharpe knows from experience the importance of protective gear. Skateboard pad and helmet rentals are available. "The kids that come here are not always crazy about the pads, but they respect me and know that I've built this for them," said Sharpe. In addition to open skating, the Extreme Sports Park hosts competitions and exhibitions. Private lessons are available and the surface can be booked for private functions. All riders are required to register with the Sports Park. At that time a photo ID is taken and people can ride for $10 Monday through Friday and for $15 all day Saturday and Sunday. In addition to skating and riding, Sharpe is looking to host events that will attract people to the park. The park will host a freestyle BMX demonstration featuring X-Games gold medallist Dave Mirra on June 6. Interested individuals can get more information on the Extreme Sports Park by calling (585) 663-6890 or going to the web site at extremesportsparkonline.com. |
