Greenport skate park celebrates Go Skate Day with photo contest

The Greenport Skate Park will hold its first ever photography contest on National Go Skateboarding Day, which is Saturday, June 21, from noon to 4 p.m. Photographers are invited to the Greenport Skate Park to take pictures of the skaters. Cash prizes of $500 for best portrait, $500 for best action photo and $250 for the runner up of each category will be awarded.

Rena Wilhelm, who is spearheading the park’s renovation, met photographer Simon Velu through a mutual friend. She was already considering a photography contest, but after connecting with Mr. Velu, she became truly inspired.

“I had this mutual introduction from one of our roller skaters, who introduced her photographer to me. The guy is mind blowing,” Ms. Wilhelm said. “The photographs are just insane, and the composition is amazing. I commented on his Instagram, and he ended up reaching out to me. He said, ‘I always wanted to do something at the skate park. I wanted to take photos.’ So I had this great conversation with him.”

Mr. Velu had also been considering a photography project centered around this type of sport, so when Ms. Wilhelm asked him to put the word out, it seemed like a natural fit.

“I’ve always wanted to do a skate shoot — something creative with skaters — where they can do tricks. I have all my photography stuff on my Instagram page, and I shot with a mutual friend of Rena’s who is a model. I guess Rena must have seen it pop up on her feed, and she followed me,” said Mr. Velu. “I messaged her, and then she responded with, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve been manifesting this idea, and I can’t believe how this conversation is playing out.’”

With Sound and Skate off the table for this year, Ms. Wilhelm already had the kernel of this contest in mind for Go Skate Day. 

“I was already trying to find a way to bring photographers out to capture the best parts of the people who skate our park, and the park itself, and then in an effort to get people and skaters to come out. Maybe they would get excited if they knew that they would be featured in one of these photographers’ photos, right?” said Ms. Wilhelm. “[Simon has] got a bunch of photographer friends that he’s letting know. And then we have our regular people who have always kind of shown up to our events, photographers from all across Long Island.” 

In the past, the skate park has enlisted the help of other local artists to raise money for the renovation. At the Sound and Skate festival last year, the organization provided extra-large canvases to painters for them to create bespoke art pieces for the festival. Though Sound and Skate is not taking place, the group still wanted to involve the artistic community.

“We’re just hoping to engage a different creative expression at this event,” said Ms. Wilhelm. “This year, we’re like, ‘Okay, let’s maybe try something a little bit different and highlight photographers [this time].’”

Mr. Velu, for his part, is content to participate in whatever way is most helpful.

“I’m just happy to be a part of it. Happy to meet a whole new community of people that seem very close knit and supportive of each other,” he said.

For more information, visit greenportskatepark.org/national-go-skate-day.