Dropping in at Charm City Skatepark
Photos and text by Michael Ares
- Ian Merrell, 19, rides his skateboard inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Steven Jefferies, a 20-year-old visiting from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., rides his bike inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Aaron McVey, 12, looks up to his friends after jumping into the foam pit at the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- John Hock, owner of John’s Bicycle Repair located inside Charm City Skatepark, slides his bike on a ledge in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Dan Reinhardt, 33, of Frederick, rides his bike inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Dakota Cleveland, a 19-year-old visiting from Wellsoboro, Pa., rides his bike inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Jordan Oliver, 17, of Baltimore, rides the skateboard rink inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Skateboarders practice inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Chris Lannantuono, 26, of Baltimore, rides his skateboard inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Chris Lannantuono, 26, of Baltimore, does a 180 Boneless trick inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Nick Dicara, 13, left, and Skyler Hubbard, 11, right, ride scooters over a ramp inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Jake Ensinger, 17, of Dundalk, rides his skateboard inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- (L-R) Alex Flores, 14, Noah Wingard, 15, and Trent Harper-Jett, 12, take a quick break from skateboarding inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Austin Copeland performs a nose manual trick inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Skateboarders practice inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Toby Jones, a 14-year-old visiting from Ann Arbor, Mich., jumps into the foam pit at the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Bradley Baxter, 13, stands on the edge of a ramp with his scooter at the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Skateboarders practice inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Austin Copeland, left, makes his way down to the floor as Matthew Summers, right, rides down the ramp inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Skateboarders practice inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Skateboards stylized in many unique types of art fill the racks at the front office inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- The front office at Charm City Skatepark is filled with skateboards, shoes, and other stylish apparel. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Charm City Skatepark is housed in a warehouse at 4401 O’Donnell in Baltimore. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
- Dominic Martin, 18, of Baltimore, holds up two pieces of his broken skateboard inside the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Michael Ares / The Baltimore Sun)
Sitting with his bicycle on top of a 15-foot ramp, Dakota Cleveland, 19, adjusts his helmet with his sweaty palms. Taking a deep breath, he races down the ramp. Rising over the crest, he attempts to execute a back flip but instead falls into a sea of blue and orange foam blocks. Laughing to himself, Cleveland climbs out of the pit and continues to ride his bike throughout the halls of the Charm City Skatepark in Baltimore.
With a dream of providing a quality skate park for his beloved city, Jason Chapman, the creator of Charm City Skatepark, met with the city of Baltimore and around Baltimore County to try and gain support for his vision. When neither the city or county shared his dream, Chapman decided to create a skate park himself, constructing the park inside an East Baltimore warehouse 24-years ago.
Since then, the warehouse facility has hosted professional skateboarders such as Lance Mountain, Dundalk’s Bucky Lasek, and Baltimore’s own Rodney Jones. It continues to be an attractive place for contests and video productions for many skateboarders, bike riders, roller bladers and scooter riders in the community.