History of Trackside

The Trackside Story

Beginnings

The story of Trackside begins with a frustrated Police Captain, a group of citizens, and local skate enthusiasts who dedicated themselves to finding a suitable location for the large contingency of teens who grind, kick flip, and tail slide their way through the busy streets and sidewalks of downtown Apex each day.

Weary of telling the kids to move along and frustrated that there was no place they could go, Captain Jacques Gilbert began holding weekend skateboarding events for the kids, often drawing more than a hundred teens and adult skateboarders. Local business owner Kyle Denis of Apex Outfitters and Jeremy Johnson with I Don’t Care Ministries shared the same vision, finding a place for local skateboarders to ply their craft as a part of the community. The interest was there, the drive was there, and the critical mass was here. What was needed was a permanent home in downtown Apex where the kids could learn, teach and just hang in their own space.

Finding a Home

In the meantime, Apex Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Director John Brown was also grappling with a challenge. The most recent citizen park survey had ranked teen activities as the number one priority in Apex and he wanted to do something about it. He had the space at the Hunter Street Park and fellow town employee Captain Gilbert was on a mission. The next step was to get the vision on paper and mobilize everyone with the same common goal.

So, in the fall of 2013, 25 skateboarders ages 5 to 50 got together at the Community Center to draw their vision for the Apex skate plaza. A product of CLH Design, the 3D modeling of the skate plaza that you see here is a culmination of those early drawings, refined by Team Pain, professional skateboarding consultants who have been hired to make dreams become reality.

Skate Plaza Amenities

Designed by Team Payne, located between and named after the 2 rail lines that run through downtown Apex, the Rogers Family Skate Plaza at Trackside is a 13,000 square foot, 4 tiered skate plaza which mimics street skating conditions and also includes competition skateboarding elements. The Mayor and the Apex Town Council unanimously and enthusiastically supported funding the initial phase of construction to build the four concrete tiers of the skate plaza. Construction began in the fall of 2014 with Trackside opening in 2015.