Skateboarding OSP trooper raises money for skate park

SILVERTON, Ore. (KGW) – Instead of cracking down of skateboarders, one state trooper joined the fun and is even trying to help skaters get a new place of their own.

Oregon State Police Trooper Nic Rumsey’s pretty darned good, riding a skateboard. He skated a lot growing up in Hood River. Then he put it down for a while.

Trooper Rumsey explained, “I took 9 to 10 years off, got my career started, started a family and now that my kids are starting to grow up I’d like to introduce them to what I grew up doing.”

Before starting at OSP, Rumsey was an officer in Independence for eight years. He’d skateboard there occasionally, community policing kids.

“I’d get out and I’d borrow a board and I’d do tricks with them and they’d always be, ‘Oh wow a skateboarding officer!’ So it was always fun to kind of surprise people like that,” Rumsey said.

Now, it’s no surprise he’s giving back to that community and nearby Monmouth where a skate park is growing into more than a dream.

The trooper joined up with others, who’ve come up with an awesome design. “And it goes into kind of a smaller bowl into another place where we have kind of a transition into more of a street style skateboarding,” Rumsey said.

Supporters are fundraising to help the city make it happen. The 12,000 square foot park is no small undertaking. They need to raise about $250,000.

So the trooper has been taking his own time, in uniform, to help raise money with other good people.

Rumsey said, “There’s stereotypes for everybody including skateboarders so, the stereotype that everybody’s out there causing problems, getting in trouble doing drugs at the skate park really isn’t true.”

Trooper Rumsey spent some time connecting with people at the Silverton Skatepark then he got back down to business, skating in the bowl and hanging the edge.

Nic Rumsey is happy to do it, to give kids like he used to be a place to go ride.

The skate park is likely a few years out but with help from their community, Trooper Rumsey believes they will reach their two hundred and $50,000 goal.