Skateboarding is so much more than just a sport. It’s a subculture predicated on community rather than competition, with an emphasis on self-expression and risk-taking.
The Charleston skate scene is strong, and the skate parks in Charleston today are the results of lasting community effort and dedication.
When skateboarding started to take off in popularity on the East coast in the 1980s and 90s, there weren’t any designated local places to skate (except the street, where you could end up in trouble with the cops). Fast forward to now, and there are multiple skate parks in Charleston — such as one of the most-attended Charleston county parks, SK8 Charleston on the upper peninsula’s Oceanic Avenue, and the DIY, community-run “Bridge Spot,” which is under Interstate 26 near Huger Street.
The story of Charleston’s relationship with skating is more like a full-blown saga, as local skate legend Hank Biering explained. “Charleston County has now basically embraced skateboarding — me and the people I skated with, we had to wait our whole lives for that to happen. We fought for that skate park our entire lives.”
The OGs and the Bieringville bowl
Biering and his friends began skating on Charleston’s streets, skating anything they could — jumping off stairs, going down rails, evading police — and honing their skills at the George Street pool, which he called Charleston’s “first unofficial skatepark.” Originally a reservoir from the late 1800s, it was converted into a municipal pool in 1933 and became a skate hub after its closure in 1974. It then was filled with dirt and demolished in 1991.
Once the pool was gone, skaters needed a new spot. Local skaters Henry Finch and Nancy Moore raised funds to commission skate park designer Tim Payne of (skateboard design firm) Team Pain to create the “Charleston Hangar” in North Charleston. Though it closed after less than three years, it was celebrated for its legendary quality and influence on East Coast skateboarding.
Biering said 28 days before the bowl was to close, he was the last local skater to hear the news — “Nancy knew I’d take it the hardest.”
Biering offered Finch $1,000 for the materials, and he and his friends volunteered to handle the demolition.
“It was basically a stack of $1 bills from like 1,000 poor friends,” Biering recalled. In 1993, the bowl was moved to Biering’s property on Johns Island, (a.k.a. “Bieringville”) where it’s gone through many iterations over the last 30 years — like refinishing with new, outdoor-treated material, constant repairs and the addition of commemorative markers for skaters who have died.
“Hank’s bowl” was in a state of semi-disrepair in 2021 when a $17,000 donation from the brand SkateLite and $5,000 from the local community restored it. Now, the bowl is still open to those who are able to shred it — there’s a Halloween bash and contest every year that attracts people from all over. But be warned, Hank’s bowl is pretty gnarly.
“Pro skaters will be traveling from New York to Florida, and they stop here just to see it — I’m talking the best skateboarders in the world,” Biering said. “This is intimidating to them.”
The new SK8 park
And SK8 Charleston — as Biering said, the park that he and his friends fought for for so many years — finally opened in 2017 after no shortage of controversy.
It’s important to note that $1 million of the $4.8 million project was raised by the local skate community, with Shannon Smith, a local skater, leading the charge with help from the nonprofit PourItNow. The skate community raised funds through art shows, punk concerts and bake sales. The city of Charleston matched the amount, and when the Oceanic Street site it decided on needed lots of work, then-Mayor Joe Riley stepped in and expanded the funding. The site then became a county park.
Steve Aycock, a photographer and longtime member of the local skate crowd, said the community efforts behind both SK8 Charleston and the Bieringville bowl “can’t be overstated. … Everybody that comes here (to the Bieringville bowl) contributes in some way,” he said.
The community-run Bridge Spot
The Bridge Spot is a concrete skate park located under the I-26 underpass. It’s a do-it-yourself effort that’s covered in street art and has a bit of everything for both beginners and advanced skaters. The Spot is run by community members Leigh and Vern (who asked for their last names to not be used). In 2012, they took over running the Spot which was started in 2009 by Trey Hankey, Jack Cox and Aaron Green.
Over the years, Vern, Leigh and their friends, many of whom are professional skatepark builders, have improved the park, adding high-quality obstacles. “The city allowed us to keep it, as in, they haven’t torn it down.” Vern said. “And people started coming from everywhere.”
Leigh’s been leading the charge in refreshing the space’s artwork throughout the years — the Bridge Spot embodies a DIY spirit that she explained is at the heart of skate culture. Sometimes you’ll catch an art market or a DJ set while skating at the popular spot.
“It’s a labor of love for everybody. Blood, sweat, tears and all of that. You’re doing a lot of really hard work, and paying for it, with nothing but the payoff of just having fun. It is really like a public service project in a lot of ways — often with the knowledge that the spot will eventually succumb to development or the city will crack down,” Leigh said. “But we do it regardless — it’s about having fun in a way that benefits your whole community.”
Leigh and Vern share that the park has fostered many intergenerational friendships and serves as a resource for local and visiting skaters, including children and students from the College of Charleston.
“We’ve watched kids learn how to skate here and then end up traveling the country and competing in contests,” Leigh said. “It’s been a great resource for people.”
Speaking of contests, Sept. 21 marks the second year that Bridge Spot hosts its annual contest in honor of Charleston skater Ben Bartowski who passed away in 2023. There’s a $1,000 cash prize and the $15 entry fee to skate goes towards suicide prevention. More: @bensfriendshope.
“It’s a way to get together and celebrate Ben’s memory,” Leigh said, with Vern adding how the skate community is a family: “After you’ve been in it for a while, you know people all over the world, and you’re friends forever from bonding over this thing. … It just brings people together.”
SK8 Charleston is a place to learn
For those interested in picking up skateboarding — there are tons of lessons to be had at SK8 Charleston, which features two bowls, a more than 200-foot-long snake run that funnels down into a 9-foot-deep pocket, and a 315-foot-long street course.
SK8 Charleston manager Joey Crawford said the world-class skatepark not only draws in visitors from all over, but also caters to all skill levels, including beginners as young as 5 years old to retirees.
“In the past year, we’ve taught hundreds of kids. Our instructors are amazing. It’s so cool to see (students) progress from learning to get on a board, to making connections with people, and absolutely shredding,” Crawford said.
He added SK8 Charleston team works to put on cool events, plus reinstate some on pandemic hiatus that the manager before him, Josh McFadden, established when the park opened.
On Aug. 30, for example, it’s the first monthly Ladies’ Skate night, with a performance by the local riot grrl band, Lefty Lucy. Plus, the park’s biggest contest of the year is coming up on Sept. 14., an all-day event with street and bowl contests and every skater’s favorite — cash prizes.
Contests and skating in general is an awesome way to challenge oneself, Crawford said.
“It’s totally different than say a team sport. It’s just you, and your movement. Skating makes you intertwined with the environment — and the world wasn’t designed for skating. You have to adapt and challenge yourself. It’s a form of therapy.”
Learn more about Charleston skateboarding on Instagram: @thebridgespot, @sk8charleston.
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