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Local skate park to make several changes

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Tucked away in the plaza by Dazzles Skating Rink, Clayton Appliances and Fayetteville Fun Bowl off of Ga. Highway 85 is Cloned Skate Park, a playground for skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX riders eager to defy gravity and perform dazzling tricks. Or at least learn to.

The park, the brainchild of Fayetteville resident Rob Potter, has been open since 1999 and has grown into one of the more popular parks in the metro Atlanta area. Packed with quarter-pipes, half-pipes, box jumps, stair sets and handrails, visitors to Cloned Skate Park can attempt all sorts of stunts while punk and rock music blares around the park. Over the years the park has progressed, adding more and more obstacles for their customers. Potter admits that the park progressed maybe too much and may be too difficult for most of his customers, which is one reason that Cloned Skate Park will be undergoing a massive renovation the week of Aug. 9.

The other reason for the renovation is that the park is merging with Bicycles Unlimited, the popular bicycle store and repair shop located in Peachtree City. Not only will Cloned Skate Park have a new park design both inside and out, but it will also feature a full service bike and repair shop inside as well as the current stock of skating, skateboarding and bicycle equipment and apparel. The park will be divided with skating inside and biking outside, although skilled athletes will have no limits on where to ride. Unique to the Cloned Skate Park will be dirt jumps outside for BMX riders.

Potter plans to re-open Cloned Skate Park Aug. 13 with a bang. There will be a lock-in that night that will feature bands, contests, refreshments and all night access to the new equipment. There will also be an enlcosed area upstairs, with air conditioning, open for parties.

Potter, who is also track director of the William L. Davis BMX Facility in Peachtree City, is looking to grow Cloned Skate Park and the sports that can be played there. In addition to offering lessons in biking, skating and skateboarding at the facility, Potter has contacted owners of all the other skate parks in the state and is hoping to start a Georgia Skate Park Association, so that the states’ blossoming extreme athletes will have competitions to participate in.

“It will be coming at some point in the future,” said Potter. “All of the other owners have been very receptive to the idea and agree that something like this is long overdue.” Potter hopes to get the association as organized as the local BMX track, which has lots of activity and hosts several statewide events a year.

Potter, a Fayette County High School graduate, is very excited about all of the changes coming to his skate park. After graduating from Southern Polytechnic University, he worked as an engineer for TDK before taking a job in HVAC engineering in Atlanta. Always interested in riding BMX and having been involved in the sport for years, Potter decided to shed the long commute to work and back and take a risk on the park. At the time it opened, Cloned Skate Park was the only skate park in the Metro Atlanta area at the time. Now there are more parks but Potter and his clientele feel that Cloned Skate Park is still the best.

“I know a lot of these kids on a personal level,” said Potter, who described the feel of the park as laid back. “They know me as a rider because I get out there and ride too.”

For more information on Cloned Skate Park, visit www.clonedbmx.com or phone 770-460-4333.