‘We’re all lifelong skaters’: Crews upgrade Myrtle Beach skate park with new, safer skate bowl

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The Matt Hughes Skate Park in Myrtle Beach is getting a newer and safer upgrade for skating enthusiasts.

Back in the 90s, the skate park and all of its features were mostly metal. Now one of the last remaining pieces of that era, a metal ramp, has been removed and being replaced with a brand-new skate bowl.

Jason Denton, a skater and parent who brings his son to the park every day, said it always made him nervous seeing his son on the old ramp.

“You’re holding your breath so they don’t slip, but this is gonna be really good for them because they can kind of gradually get up the bank or even roll in on the one side,” Denton said. “It’s gonna be a really good learning curve for them to use this new bowl.”

But it’s not just any skate bowl.

Pennsylvania-based 5th Pocket Skateparks is building a skate bowl that’s made out of geofoam and concrete.

Jesse Clayton, one of the owners of 5th Pocket Skateparks, said the skating bowl will be safer for skaters, but it will also be a design that appeals to those of all skill levels.

“You want it to be a safe design for beginners but also interesting enough for people who are really experienced and that’s really the kind of philosophy we take to designing stuff,” said Clayton.

Clayton and his crew also know what works best for the design of the skate bowl since they’re skaters themselves.

“There’s a lot of subtlety in the skate park design and I think it really requires that level of experience,” Clayton said. “Not just how to place and finish the material but also functionality and how to design it so that it actually works.”

Clayton said the timeline for the project is about two weeks.

He said that includes his company finishing the bowl as well as the city of Myrtle Beach putting a railing around it.

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