Skateboarding: a community on wheels. Hal & Berni Hanson Regional Park, the latest addition to the Parks, Recreation, and Community Services branch of Loudoun County,  has been the latest center for skateboarders in the area. This park brings the high-end feeling of Tokyo’s skatepark used in the 2020 Olympic games right into Brambleton, as the same designer, Wally Hollyday, made both masterpieces. The nearly 20,000 square foot facility is the latest home for Loudoun’s skaters, bikers, and everything in between.

With one of the fastest growing populations in Virginia, Brambleton brings many ages to this park, including younger, elementary-aged skateboarders. “It just doesn’t even feel safe to me to allow them here,” junior Daniel Bartek said of the large number of children who frequent the park. “The amount of times I’ve seen an elementary schooler on a mountain bike almost slam into an infant on a 3 wheel scooter is way more than anyone should,” Bartek said. 

“The amount of times I’ve either hit, or almost hit, a kid is just insane,” junior Mario Ortega said. “Luckily, they’re only there until around seven or eight, once the sun starts to set and the [lights] turn on.” 

Once the lights are on, the sun is set, and the kids have been put to bed, the skating community can truly thrive. When so many people who share a common interest are put in one small area, it makes it a great place to make friends and join a new community. “I can just show up and basically talk to anyone I see, and then boom, you got another homie,” Bartek said. As this new park is situated geographically close to multiple Dulles South feeder schools, students from up to six different Loudoun high schools gather on an average day at Hal & Berni. 

With the large variety of students from different schools, the skatepark creates a community that grows together. “Watching the people I’ve skated with for years improve so much is always so cool to see,” junior Gabe Truesdell said.  “I get just as happy as they do when they land a new trick.” 

The staff actually respects the skaters and are truly there to help, setting it apart from other parks. The staff at Hal & Berni genuinely care about their job and the people at the skatepark, evident in how they will go out of their way to keep smaller kids safe as well as keep the things that don’t belong in the park, out of it.  “The staff gets better at spotting and removing stuff like that in the park, like the mountain bikes and hoverboard kids,” Ortega said. 

The olympic level layout, the strong community, and helpful staff make Hal & Berni Hanson Skatepark a clear choice for a hangout spot over other local parks.  The park is open from sunrise to 10 p.m.when the lights shut off.