Edit: The situation Room

He was tired of watching the depressing News about COVID-19 and the closed skateparks so decided to do something about it. And boy he did! During lockdown Michael Boxsell built a skatepark in his grandma’s old barn amongst kangaroos and metal scrap a little outside Brisbane. Michael and his friends welcomed the Slabzoo team and a handful of young rippers for a day of skating, fun & snacks galore!

Skaters from 5 to 30-something years old skates the DIY skate park, The Situation Room.

From rusty old shed to a private skate park

Kangaroos, long dirt roads and mountains in the horizon. We stopped to have a look around the bushy area. Did we go the right way? Not exactly a place you would expect to find anything skate related. But then! The sound of trucks on the coping. It was true then.

Michael and his high-school friend Sam Banney welcome us. They have been skating together since they were kids and are now spending quite a lot of time in The Situation Room.

- Man, if we had this park when we were kids, we would have gone to the Olympics, Sam laughs cheakily.

Michael is a boat builder by trade and that comes in quite handy when you’ve set yourself a task of building a whole indoor skate park. It started slowly, sam remembers. He helped clear out the building bit by bit.

- At first, it was just a narrow stretch of concrete you could skate, then a box and a quarter.

They slowly cleared the whole building to make room for quarter pipes, rails and kickers. Judging from the tricks being pulled off in the shed while we speak, the kicker has got just the right angle to launch tricks. And it’s not accidental, Michael adds:

- I rebuild the kicker three times, to get it just right.

Everyone joined in

Nick Law, a pro-skater and a mate of Michael, pulls up in his van, ready for a skate in the Situation Room along with all the rippers who are already in there living their best skate life. The temperature is building and all of a sudden the place is vibing. From 5-year-old skater girls to 30-something pro’s - you get the sense that age doesn’t matter when it comes to skateboarding. It’s about the feeling, the fun, about having a go and cheering each other on, regardless of age and skill level. Even Michaels grandma is stoked with the skatepark in her backyard:

- My nan always comes down here to show off the shed when she’s got visitors.

The situation room truly spreads the skate stoke across generations.