I built the Kitchen BMX Skate Park in 2011 to give back to my community and provide kids with a safe and supervised place to ride BMX bikes, skate boards, and roller blade. We’ve had over 5,000 kids come and ride the park since it opened, and we have many local riders that call it their “home” park.
I am very proud of the park. My family and friends helped me build it. It’s the largest indoor park in the Midwest and one of the five best parks in the world. It has a foam pit and resi section for novice riders to perfect their tricks safely and not get hurt. My family and friends help me run it and we always try to make everyone feel welcomed.
My community has always supported me when I was competing around the world, and it always felt so good to come home. I suffered a life threatening injury during a practice run in 2012. I have been doing a lot of my recovery at the park. It’s ironic how I built the park to help other kids, but ever since my accident, my community and the riders have been helping me with words of encouragement, love, and support, and have given me the strength to get better and return to competition.
The Kitchen Skate Park has been a positive place for Extreme Sport athletes to have a venue of their own. We have mentored many young riders and made many new friends. I feel very fortunate to be able to call South Bend home, and I am very happy that I built the Kitchen BMX Skate Park in my hometown.
