Shaw community finds connection through skateboarding

WASHINGTON — A local park is bringing together people from all different background who share a common love for skateboarding. Shaw Skate Park is located in Northwest D.C., not far from Logan Circle. It's one of the reasons residents there love where they live. 

Skaters at Shaw Skate Park say they love the space.

"I think it's the best park in the city because it has a lot of everything, different obstacles and a lot of different space. There's a nice flow to it," said skater J.T. 

Skaters can use the space for tricks, or to just coast along.

"When you get speed it's kind of fun because it's like wind blowing in your face and it's fun. It's like in a car," Zaida said. 

Skateboarders young and old, those who just started skating, and those who have been doing it for over a decade, all say Shaw Skate Park is the place to be. 

"I like how freeing it is, and to learn tricks you have to be really dedicated, so it feels good when you finally nail something," said Zayan. 

You might even run across a legend. Tony Hawk visited back in 2021.

J.T. was there when it happened. He snapped a picture with Hawk.

"It was like a dream come true," he said. "If you skate, Tony Hawk is like a god in skating. Meeting him was crazy."

But skateboarders say it's not just the new renovations that make the park special, it's the community it creates. 

"We connect in some sort of way," Zaia said.

No matter your age or race, everyone here has something in common. 

"It's one of the only public spaces where you get people of all ages — like I'm 32 — and it's not weird for me to be next to an 8-year-old or a 50-year-old, all sometimes trying the same thing, and then the 8-year-old is the best," said Daniel Baldwin.

It's a park full of concrete and metal, but it feels like home. 

"The skateboard is like the common language across everybody that comes in here," J.T. said. 

For more information about Shaw Skate Park, click here.