Eighteen-year-old Reese Salyers stands on his scooter at the edge of a large ramp at an indoor skate park in Steamboat Springs. Loud pop music blares as he contemplates his next trick.
“Imma bouta T-bog the vert,” Salyers said to a friend next to him. “These (ramps) are a little steep, but I'll see if I can do one. They're really cool.”
T-bogging the vert is a trick he’s practicing. He has to barrel up a 10-foot wall, hang in the air, and grab the back of his scooter.
Salyers tries it a few times before joining some of his friends at the community table off to the side. Tonight, he’s here for more than scooter lingo and trick practice — he’s at Sk8 Church. The group holds open skates on weekdays, but on Mondays and Thursdays, Sk8 Church has a service where local youth can eat a home-cooked meal and hear about God.
The teenagers each grab a Bible and start flipping through pages to find the scripture they’re going to discuss — Proverbs 16:9. The verse talks about trusting in the Lord’s direction and plan, something that’s at the top of all of their minds. Due to increased costs, Sk8 Church may have to close its doors for good, unless it gets funding before Aug. 1.
“We've all thought what the plan could potentially be for Sk8,” said Jason Bongiorno, a Sk8 Church board member, as he shared the verse with the teens. “This could potentially be the end of this chapter in this home here for Sk8.”
Sk8 Church was founded more than 20 years ago by two skaters — Buck and Tara Chavarria — who moved to Steamboat Springs from Southern California. They started by doing outreach to youth at a local outdoor skate park and would bring food and tell them about Jesus. As Sk8 Church grew, they got enough money to build an indoor hangout spot a few years later.
Sk8 Church’s mission is to create a safe, sober space for youth to hang out and learn more about Christianity in an approachable way. Liana Torres, Sk8 Church’s interim executive director, said anyone is welcome to attend, even if they do not skate or believe in God.
“People will come not hearing about Jesus and the Bible, never opening a Bible,” she said. “But they come here and they see other skaters who do open their Bibles and do talk to each other.”
That’s exactly why Sk8 Church is not run out of a traditional church building. While the indoor skate park has flashing lights, loud music and graffiti, the walls are still decked out with crosses, a giant Jesus, and other Christian symbols. For those who don’t skate, there are video games, a pool table and plenty of couches to sit down on and catch up with people.
Every week, up to 140 middle and high school students might show up, Torres said.
“Sometimes these kids are going through things and have broken homes,” she said. “We incorporate the ministry in to help navigate whatever issue that they might be going through…we like it to be people’s second homes.”
With a sport like skateboarding, Torres said, youth are more likely to isolate themselves and put headphones on rather than connect with each other. When they’re going through a rough patch, that lack of connection can be detrimental.
“Nobody checks in on you, there's no team,” she said. “There's no coach to say, ‘Hey, how's it going?’”
Torres sees the opposite at Sk8 Church. Kids are always talking to one another, asking friends to take a video of their new trick, or discussing their faith.
“When I see a kid just find their place here…this is what we're here for,” Torres said. “It gives me the spark and it gives me the desire to keep going because even that one kid is worth all of this.”
Sk8 Church is the only indoor skate park in Routt County, and one of seven in Colorado. It’s a crucial social space for youth who do not participate in a winter sport, or cannot afford one. They also need somewhere to hang out during the cold, snowy months.
But Sk8 Church’s rent roughly doubled in 2023 and it's now on the verge of closing. The organization is trying to raise $150,000 by Aug. 1 through donations and grants to stay open.
“It's really hard to even think that (Sk8 Church) might disappear,” Torres said. “We'd lose the safety net for the youth in Steamboat.”
Torres believes this could also impact young adults, like 27-year-old Ezra Tebbenkamp. He said Sk8 Church is unlike other hangout spots in town.
“Steamboat offers a lot of activities, but it doesn't feel like they're always very cheap or accessible,” Tebbenkamp said. “Having a space to be able to walk into and there's entertainment and you can spend time here and it's not boring was pretty big for me.”
Tebbenkamp will listen to the sermon, but he’s not a believer. Still, he does not feel judged, and said he continues to show up on faith-based nights because he likes skateboarding with his friends.
“It's a massive outlet for me,” he said. “Any of the people that you see are coming on a weekly basis, it's like our dojo or like our therapy session.”
For other youth, Sk8 Church has also helped them reconnect with God. Reese Salyers said he went to church occasionally growing up, but now this space has given him the chance to grow both physically and spiritually.
“I read my Bible every night,” Salyers said. “I try to come down here as much as I can for all the late-night skates, where we have a little, almost like a youth group session.”
Salyers hopes Sk8 Church can raise the funds to keep going so other youth can have the same opportunity he does.
“To lose the environment would be detrimental,” Salyers said. “I don't know how any of these people would function without having this.”
This story is part of a collaboration with Rocky Mountain PBS.
