YMCA Skate Park in Encinitas is home to the top professionals

If it is your dream to skate with the best skateboarders in the world, head to North County San Diego, where on any given day you’ll be airing, grinding and skating right next to the X-Game pros.

The Encinitas Ecke YMCA is home to many skate pros and boasts of great weather year round. So if you’re into name dropping to your buddies the best place to start is here.

The 37,000 square-foot skate park is home to the Vert ramp designed by Tony Hawk. Hawk has been a figure head in the industry for years and was the first skater to land a 900 in competition, at the X-Games.

These days you can find him watching his kids practicing their skating skills.

Along with the super-sized Vert ramp and mini-ramps, Encinitas YMCA offers plenty of quarter pipes, slider boxes, bank ramps, hips, handrails, stairs, euro-gaps, two cement pools as well as a beginner street area.

This skate park really does have something for everyone, including the name dropping ability. The banner that greets skaters as they walk in is congratulating Shawn White on his Olympic gold.

He has been known to show up to hang with his bros often pulling up in his Ferrari.

Perhaps, you want to see Pierre-Luc Gagnon, check. How about Danny Way, check. Or maybe Bucky Lasek, check. Or even, Big Air-famers, Adam Taylor and Rob Lorifice, check, check. If you are real lucky you may even run into Blink 182’s front man Tom DeLonge. His new skate company Macbeth often sponsors contests held at this YMCA Park.

The park is open seven-days-a week. It’s best to call for skate sessions. Members skate for $5 bucks and nonmembers pay double. Be sure to bring all your protective gear.

If you want to skate make sure you bring your knee and elbow pads as the YMCA requires all to be fully protected with pads and a helmet. No exceptions.

The YMCA is fully supervised and staff members are on the alert. They do not tolerate foul language, obscene graphics or abusive behavior. This makes it perfect for parents to drop off their skater dudes and not worry about what is going on at the skate park.

For more information the Ecke YMCA skate park visit their website; http://ecke.ymca.org/programs/skate-park.htm or call them at 760-942-9622.

To get there exit Highway 5 at Encinitas Blvd., head East make a left on Saxony Road and it’s on your left.
You can see the park from the freeway and boasts a gnarly ocean view.