The new Decoy Bowl in Newton Abbot, Devon UK is now open. We spoke to the guy who made it all happen, Mr Kye Forte…

Can you describe how the bowl came about?
We have been campaigning for the skate park for over 5 years, we have had the trails on site for over 10 years so the skate park is just an addition to the facility. Planning permission and consent were probably the biggest hurdles we had to get over, not to mention the fund raising.

Is the bowl absolutely what you wanted or did you have to compromise any?
We originally drew up a bigger design, kinda our ideal skate-park, it got cut back to what was realistic within our budget & space. But the final outcome is amazing, loads of lines. The company that we choose Gravity, were really keen to work with our group so we got the best end result we could.

I noticed the concrete is slightly rough its not super smooth. Is it just for bikes?
When the builders were on site, they really listened to our comments, the main thing was that we didn’t want it slippery. They didn’t over polish the surface, meaning it stayed grippy, there’s no need for slippery parks! We are going to let skateboarders use the park, but it is a predominately a bike park. All the money raised was by the same riders who have kept the trails dialed for all these years. It’s funny to see who comes out the woodwork when a free skate-park suddenly appears.

What about lighting so its rideable at night?
There’s no lighting on site yet, so for the time being it will only be open during daylight hours. Perhaps that will be part of phase two?

Decoy is well know for its trails scene. Are you concerned that the bowl may take away from the trails. Like will more people ditch riding the trails in favor of the bowl?
The bowl will steal riders away from the jumps, but the the true builders/riders will session the trails come spring time, there’s no substitute for the jumps. We fenced off the trails as part of the project also, so hopefully we can-have more of a structured set up there as well encourage some new riders to come up.

How was the money raised for the bowl?
We raised the money by applying for grants, fund raising, myself going to endless meeting with various council members just straight up arguing the cause. Luckily for us Nikki Toms who works for our local council really got behind the project, she helped set us up as a club so we were eligible to receive funding, filled out forms, all sorts. we really can’t thank her enough, she made the park a reality.

Now Decoy has a race track, trails and a bowl. Everything besides a water park! Are there any future plans for the place?
I would like to continue the bowls development, perhaps add some new section over the next year or two? Maybe a street section that resembles all the spots around the area? That way we could ride street hassle free. There are loads of plans, who knows!