One of the UK’s most eagerly anticipated urban sports events is gearing up for its fourth edition, and looking to build on the rapidly growing success of recent years.
The Urban Rider Games 2018 will take place in Swindon’s only indoor skate park, the ATBShop Skate Warehouse, on 30 March.
Allowing extreme sports stars from the worlds of skateboarding, scooting and BMX to demonstrate their talents, last year’s event saw around 500 participants and spectators descend on the park for 11 hours of action.
Over 120 competitors from Wiltshire and its neighbouring counties, London, and other parts of the UK took part in the 2017 edition, with over £3,000 in the prize fund.
The event started in 2015, after three young men, aged between 17 and 21, were found sleeping rough by Swindon’s Oasis skatepark.
As January temperatures dropped, urban sports enthusiasts from the park spoke to extreme sports retailers ATBShop, to see what could be done for the trio.
The shop, along with the charitable organisation StreetGames Swindon, helped to get the three rough sleepers back into housing, where they have all remained, with regular employment.
The three were all bonded by their love for extreme sports, and the desire to raise awareness of the value of Swindon’s skate park facilities and their community led to the founding of the Urban Rider Games.
With the Oasis Skatepark having fallen into disrepair, a trend seen in skateparks across the country, the founders also started a petition to encourage Swindon Borough Council and other councils to recognise the value of the facilities. Since its launch in 2015, the petition has gained over 1,000 signatures, including that of world-famous skateboarder Tony Hawk.
2018’s event will see a continuation of last year’s success, when a number of new categories were included, including the UK’s first female-only scooting competition.
Among the participants were some of the biggest names in the sport, including world scooting number one, Jordan Clark.
The Urban Rider Games 2018 is currently looking for sponsors. For more information, visit www.atbshop.co.uk/urbanridergames
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