‘When I’m skateboarding I feel like I fit in. It’s just like I’m flying and no one can touch me’
Long Live Livi, which celebrates Livingston’s skatepark, is premiering at the Glasgow Film Festival next week. Parisa Urquhart, who made it with Ling Lee, tells us more
Tell us why Livingston skatepark aka Livi is legendary among skateboarders around the world.
My uncle, Iain Urquhart, an award-winning Scottish architect, was working for the Livingston Development Corporation (LDC) in the 1970s. Along with his wife, Dee Urquhart, he was pivotal in nurturing the Scottish skate scene at that time, establishing and running the Scottish Skateboard Association and creating the first ever Scottish skate magazines.
Livingston, a ‘new town’ between Glasgow and Edinburgh, was in the throes of being built in the 1970s and it needed amenities. So Iain grasped the opportunity to propose a skatepark to the LDC. Iain’s architecture skills, knowledge of materials, attention to detail and dogged persistence made it happen. Iain and Dee made research trips to iconic Californian and European skateparks which our documentary shows 8mm footage of, including time with a very young Tony Hawk.
Iain was known not only for the pipe in his mouth but the measuring tape in his pocket. He was always measuring angles and sections of skateparks and this fed into his beautifully handwritten drawings of Livi. The bowl was ahead of its time – he designed and created a wooden ‘transition machine’, shown in the documentary, that successfully created the perfect angle and smoothness of the bowl. He also tweaked the design of the halfpipe to make it flat-bottomed, enabling skaters to have the chance to prepare for their next trick. This is what made Livi (known then as Rock ‘n Roll skatepark) a properly designed skatepark. The word spread about how good Livi was and skaters from around Europe travelled to Livi to experience it for themselves.
What put Livi on the map was Californian pro-skaters Steve Caballero and Mike Mcgill skating the park in 1982. Iain and Dee had a major coup and flew these boys over for a demo. The event was massive. Approximately 2,000 people flocked to Livi and the boys loved skating the park we show ‘never before seen’ 8mm footage of them in our film. Since then generations of skaters and pro skaters, like Tony Hawk, have travelled to Livi from around the world.
What happened to Iain and Dee Urquhart?
Tragedy struck – Iain who loved smoking his pipe, died of lung cancer two years after the park was completed. Dee was devastated. Things were so difficult for her she stepped back from the scene entirely and Kenny Omond continued the efforts to keep Livi alive by nurturing skate talent and running the annual Live Pure Fun gatherings.
How has it been allowed to fall into disrepair?
It has been nearly 40 years since Livi was built. The bowls were successfully resurfaced in the late 80s, coping was fitted and the smaller bowl was resurfaced more recently. But on the whole the original section is gnarly with a really rough surface, cracks, and holes. Money available over the years seems to have been spent on expanding the park but not much put into the iconic section. I haven’t been involved in the additional phases and resurfacing over the years but I am aware from speaking to local Livi skaters that it is crucial for skaters to be welcomed into the design and decision-making process to ensure what’s done works for skaters such as the Snagglerats.
The word spread about how good the park was and skaters from around Europe travelled to Livi to experience it for themselves
Who are the Snagglerats?
The Snagglerats are three local girls – Poppie, Rudi and Mac – aged between six and