Tears from heaven.
That is how Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson described the rain falling on the heads of those gathered Monday at Shields Park for the official opening of the recently completed Schurman-Grubb Memorial Skatepark.
The tears of joy, he said, were from all of those, gone too soon, who have supported the skatepark over many years, most notably the park’s namesakes, Todd Schurman and Zach Grubb.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this galleryBoth boys were active in the skate community helping with fundraisers to build the skatepark.
“I remember Todd being so embarrassed having to carry baked beans across the park for an event,” Nicholson said.
But sadly, neither would get to use the skatepark. Schurman and Grubb died in the spring of 2010 when they were hit by a vehicle as they were riding double on a bike down U.S. 31 in the early morning hours just south of Seymour city limits. They were both 17.
Monday would have been the day Grubb turned 28, a detail Nicholson did not let pass as he, family and friends of the boys and the local skate community came together to remember and honor them during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Trying to hold back tears, Nicholson said the day was a positive day in the city’s history.
“We’re here today to celebrate the completion of the Schurman-Grubb Memorial Skatepark,” he said. “We’re here to look forward to the positive impact it can have on youth in our community.”
Without somewhere to go and something to do, kids can find themselves getting into trouble, he added.
“I believe idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” he said.
Like other communities across the state and country, Seymour continues to battle drugs, but Nicholson said the skatepark can actually help in that fight.
“Several of these kids have called me over the years and said, ‘Matt, we’ve got a problem with a pusher at the skatepark. We’ve got a problem with users at the skatepark. How do we fix it?’” Nicholson said.
Those using the park reached out and asked for extra police patrols, he said.
“They want to protect this place,” he said.
Helping him cut the ribbon on the third and final phase of the skatepark Monday were Melissa Schurman, Maranda Schurman and Draiden Blair, Todd’s mother, sister and nephew.
“It means the world to us that the boys who love these sports have a place to go now,” Maranda said. “Todd and Zach both would have spent every waking available moment here because that’s what they loved to do.”
The Schurman and Grubb families, including Todd’s father, Raymond “Big Todd” Schurman, who passed away in August 2019, and Zach’s father, Brian Grubb, who died in May 2019, had continued to be involved with efforts to raise money and finish the park since their sons’ deaths.
Nicholson said both boys, their fathers and others in the skating community who have passed away are deeply missed.
“They may not be here physically, but I guarantee they are here in our hearts,” Nicholson said.
For Nicholson, who ran B2 Bikes and Boards before becoming mayor, completion of the skatepark has been a very long time coming with plenty of obstacles and setbacks along the way. He recalled being a teenager when discussions about the park began.
“Back in the mid-1990s, I sat in the back of council chambers and listened to somebody pitch the idea of a skatepark,” he said. “I remember hoping at that time that somebody from the city would grab the idea and go, ‘Hey, there’s more to life than bat and ball sports, something besides your traditional sports.’”
When he was younger, Nicholson was heavily involved in BMX biking.
Maranda said seeing youth use the completed skatepark makes her and her family happy.
“This was their dream from the beginning of the entire process,” Maranda said of her brother and Zach. “It’s a dream come true for them and us to be able to give these kids a place to do what they love.”
The Schurman-Grubb Memorial Skatepark is not built for skateboarders alone, but for BMX bikers and younger kids on Razor scooters. Although not as popular anymore, Nicholson said it’s also available for in-line skaters.
Although she didn’t know Todd or Zach, Stacy Findley, director of the Seymour Parks and Recreation Department, said she is glad to be getting to know those who will use the park now and in the future.
“I’m really excited that I was able to come in and be part of this process,” she said.
The first phase of the skatepark was built in 2013, and the second phase was completed in 2015.
The third phase of the skatepark was constructed by Hunger Skateparks of Bloomington at a cost of $100,000. It is being paid for from $12,000 in donations from the community and $88,000 from the city that will come from a capital improvement bond in the works.
New features added to the park in Phase 3 include a mini ramp bowl, two big down ledges, two radius ledges, two more rails and a pyramid, adding around 4,000 square feet of new skating surface.
In total, the entire park cost around $250,000 and took seven years to build.
Kyren Dalzell agreed having the skatepark finished is a dream come true.
“It’s awesome, man,” he said. “I love it all. The whole park is smooth, and everything is skateable.”
Like many others, he waited many years for the day to come.
“I thought it was never going to get finished, but I’m glad that we got it done,” he said.
Daniel Brown also is impressed by the park’s new features and layout.
“I love the placing of all the ramps and rails,” he said. “So many new tricks to do now.”
He never gave up hope that one day it would be finished.
“At some point, we all donated as much as we could, and I knew it was a matter of time,” he said.
As a parent, Findley said she has nothing but love and admiration for the Schurman and Grubb families.
“Unfortunately, what you went through as a parent, no one should have to go through, and I think the skatepark is the least that we can do,” she said. “It doesn’t bring your boys back, but hopefully, their memory will live on forever.”
Findley also was involved with building the skatepark in Columbus.
“I got really close with the skate community there,” she said.
She has felt the same love and connection with skaters in Seymour.
“There has been so much community involvement and engagement,” she said. “A lot of people were involved, and that’s how it should be. Skateparks are a great community asset that provide an amazing quality-of-life experience. What I’ve noticed is how much people gravitate toward skateparks and want to be part of them.”
She would like to see the parks department begin holding events and programs at the skatepark and possibly advertise them in other communities, too, to attract out-of-town visitors to the park. Already, people from Franklin, Columbus and other places have visited.
“I hope this is the beginning of something great,” she said.