Teens want to save Lake in the Hills skate park

When 13-year-old Ali Tawoosi found out less than two weeks ago on Facebook that Warp Skatepark in Lake in the Hills was going to close June 12, he felt a call to action.

Ali, of Hoffman Estates, has been frequenting the struggling Lake in the Hills indoor facility for only six months, but said it’s become like a second home to him.

He and his young buddies have started a grass-roots “Save Warp” campaign. They are asking people to donate money, and even tried to call a local radio station to get the word out, Ali said.

“If Warp really does close, I’ll lose a lot of friends,” said Ali, an avid skateboarder since age 5 whose nickname is “Ollie,” after the skateboarding trick. “The owner (Rob Mutert) gives a lot and doesn’t ask for anything back. We really need the money to save Warp.”

Mutert, of Woodstock, said his decision to close Warp was all about finances.

“It’s due to the bizarre economy we are living in. We struggled like everyone else, but the last five months have been brutal,” he said, adding he didn’t know why things have been so tough lately.

Owning Warp since 2003 has been “an amazing journey,” Mutert said. He is grateful for the kids’ efforts to save it, but he doubts anything but a last-minute sponsor will work, he said. “Without corporate sponsorships, facilities like this don’t fly,” he said.

Mutert said he is behind on rent, but declined to say exactly how much money he needs to keep the skate park open. His lease runs out June 30. Reports of him needing $100,000 are incorrect, he said.

Warp’s clientele has an average age of 14, but ranges from little kids up to 50-somethings, Mutert said. The skatepark hosts skateboarding contests and also offers all-ages music shows.

Mutert said his goal was always to provide a positive, safe environment for kids, and teach them respect for other people’s property. “I always tell them: ‘The only people who give skateboarding a bad name is skateboarders,’” he said.

Parent Laura Durden, of Barrington, said she was always at ease knowing her son Jason, 14, was supervised at Warp.

“(Jason) goes to some of the outdoor parks, and he comes home and tells me of kids who smoke there, do drugs there,” Durden said. “Warp is a place where he can go and get serious about skating. It’s been a great experience, I hate that they are closing.”

Jason, Ali, and many others among Warp’s young skateboarders hoped that professional skateboarder Chaz Ortiz, 17, of Carpentersville, would come to Warp’s rescue. Many posted messages to that effect on Warp’s Facebook page.

But Chaz’s father, Mark Ortiz, said the family feels it has done everything it can for Warp. “Through the years we brought a lot of national attention to that park. We brought Gatorade (competitions) to that park, we brought national sponsors’ attention,” he said.

Eighteen-year-old Miles Canevello, of McHenry, who has been skating at Warp since age 10, said Warp lost a bit of its luster when it moved from Woodstock to Lake in the Hills a few years ago. “When it was in Woodstock, it was the teenager place to hang out. I was one of the little kids,” he said.

But still, Warp always remained a place where everyone is welcome — and gets along.

“I only heard of one fight that happened at Warp,” said Canevello, now an instructor there. “It’s always been a place to go skate and not worry about anything.”

As for the “Save Warp” efforts by Ali and his friends, “It’s really heartwarming,” Canevello said. “I go there every day, and I didn’t think the kids cared about it that much.”

Despite Warp’s imminent closing, Mutert said he is looking ahead with plenty of plans.

This summer, Warp instructors will offer skateboarding lessons through local park districts, which Mutert hopes to keep up year-round. He also wants to open a retail shop, possibly in Barrington or Woodstock, to sell skateboarding and adventure sports gear, and his new brand of headgear, Four25.

Who knows, Mutert said, he might even open a winter-only indoor skatepark somewhere else.

Warp Skatepark will host its last competition, the Gatorade Free Flow, on Saturday, June 11. Registration is $15 at register.gatoradefreeflowtour.com or the day of the event at Warp Skatepark, 9244 Trinity Drive, Lake in the Hills. Warp’s website is warpskatepark.com.

For more information or to donate money, stop by or call (847) 458-4066.