The Skateparks of Chicopee - Part II (Ray Ash)

For the second installment of this series, we are looking at a skatepark whose design, obstacles, and lack of upkeep is truly dumbfounding and somewhat sad. 

Ray Ash Skatepark

Arcade Street

If you look at the photo above, you will notice there was at least 5 other people in the park when it was taken. This is a true rarity. It is almost always abandoned, for a good reason unfortunately. I will put up with a lot wrong in in a skatepark, but this place is pretty close to being completely worthless, even for me. If this park was literally in my backyard, I might skate it sometimes. But like I said, it's not a total waste - it achieves a unique, top-notch shittiness that most parks couldn't accomplish if they tried. This does give it some appeal in my eyes. Take for instance, this thing - the most wondrous, awe-inspiring obstacle of them all - something I like to call "The Pit".

THE PIT!

Front noseblunt in "the pit".

This extraordinary beast, believe it or not, is probably the most worthwhile thing here. The 'ramps' are about 2' high and pretty much just half-painted concrete jersey barriers. This setup is kind of interesting because you can get creative with it: slide, grind, or ollie into it perhaps? Attempt to skate it like a bowl somehow? Get some speed and launch outta there? Of course there are terrible cracks and random uneven patches of pavement around the whole thing which adds to the sketchiness and challenge. Oh and this one corner. Fun stuff:

Nearby, you have what I assume is supposed to be a spine - really it's just 2 ramps whose backs face each other. They are the same type as the ones found in the pit. There is a little gap in the middle of them that's usually filled with trash. The biggest problem here is the cracks at the bottom of this are especially bad, which makes skating this not a very fun experience. 

Elsewhere we have this…interesting…pyramid-type setup. 

It has 2 very needlessly long concrete banks that lead up to a small platform that's close to 4' in height. The bottom of these banks, of course, are marred with the same cracks as everything else here. My personal suggestion is using these banks maybe as a slanted manual pad on the lower parts, or as a bank-to-bank hip transfer of sorts, as there is a gap between them, which varies in size. It takes a stupid amount of effort, is inconvenient and difficult, etc. but it is a way to make them worthwhile. Otherwise you're headed for this atrocity:

True atrociousness.

                                 











Nothin' like pushing up a big ol' bank only to hit a giant crack right before a 6-stair, ay? You know that kid is stoked on it. At least it doubles as a trash receptacle. I think the last couple stairs are waxed and might grind on a good day. The other bank brings you towards a quarter pipe that is around the same height. 

The transition is pretty mellow and weird-feeling. It looks like someone tried to fix up the bottom of it, but a big crack remains - though it is more tolerable than its brethren. 

The rest of this park is pure, empty space; and even there the pavement is not very smooth, lots of sticks and leaves everywhere, etc. Other than the sketchy/challenging novelty aspect of it all, this park honestly doesn't have much for redeeming qualities. Still - go skate it! Think of it a super-exaggerated East Coast style spot.