A Tour Through Chesney Skate Park

By Cameron Manthe

Chesney Skate Park, an often overlooked spot in Central Topeka, is a park with metal features and plentiful flat ground. This skate park is usually the quietest in the area as many local skaters prefer the larger, concrete alternatives. The obstacles here are great for practicing tricks on due to being on the smaller side of offerings found around town. Let's go through some of the elements that make up Topeka's most recent skate park.

Quarter Pipes:

The main quarter pipe is a free standing ramp about four feet tall. Due to the back and forth structure of the park as a whole, it is a great starting point for a line or can be used as a turn around to change direction. It is fairly mellow and does not reach full vert. 

Quarter Pipes Offered at Chesney Skate Park
Photos by Cameron Manthe

The second ramp could be considered a quarter pipe or a launch ramp depending on your skill level and how you intend to use it. For beginners this ramp is a great opportunity to get used to the non-linear feeling larger quarter pipes give off. It has no coping but can still be used for learning various stall tricks. If you are feeling like getting some air you can also hit it with some speed and launch out of it.

Small Handrail Next to
Euro Gap at Chesney
Photo by Cameron Manthe

Rails:

This park features two hand rails that are low and easy to get on to. They are an excellent tool for getting comfortable sliding or grinding down obstacles. It offers a wide rail and a narrow rail, giving you options depending your skill of balancing while grinding. At one point there was a flat bar, but it was unfortunately stolen a few years ago.

Grind Box:

There is one lonely grind box located here. It is a fairly standard full metal box with angle iron coping and plenty of run up. It can also be used as a manual pad as it is decently wide. It is attached to the middle section of ramps and cannot be moved. 

Grind Box Located in Chesney Skate Park
Photo by Cameron Manthe

Banks and Euro Gap:

Main Bank at Chesney
Photo by Cameron Manthe

This park has several banks to choose from, most are  essentially the same. Besides the large bank located on the opposing side of the park from the main quarter pipe. This main bank is used to gain speed for skating the center area of the skatepark and also as a turn around point for lines. It also directly leads to the launch ramp allowing you to gain plentiful momentum to launch over the mid section to the smaller banks on the other side. 

The euro gap is relatively small and narrow. Having a rail on one side and a drop off on the other makes it somewhat difficult to skate, however it is a smoother experience compare to the euro gap at Rip-On Skate Park

This is essentially all that is offered here except for plentiful flat ground around the rest of the park. It can be a wonderful place to try new things and become more confident in your skills in a relaxed environment. So make sure to stop by for a quick skate session next time you're in the area.

Sources:

Shawnee County Parks and Rec

https://parks.snco.us/facilities/facility/details/chesneyskatepark-142

Google Maps

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iW3mZu9CGdStJvVbA

Photos by Cameron Manthe