THE STORY OF USZ
E N D ETALJERE T _cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_B ESKRIVELS E FR A _cc781905-5cde-3194- bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ S TAR T T I L N U.
Our community arose in the parking lot at the Brande halls in the spring of 2017, we started because of desire and a curiosity within track/ramp construction. The fire and spirit of the teenage years had to be breathed back to life. The local support was huge, so a board was formed. USZ WAS NOW REALITY!
The months passed, the number of members increased and the desire to drive grew at rocket speed. The ability to expand and embrace we strengthened day by day. Training quickly became a fixed tradition, and from tradition to fixed days of punctual training.
In just a few months, we had established an enviable association with a check on things and a membership that boomed, dues, rules, board meetings, finances...you name it. Something we never thought we would have to deal with, but you learn as long as you live, in those months we lived a lot...
By now we couldn't count on two hands how many events we had held in the parking lot just this one summer. Big events with Pro workshops, small events in the form of exhibitions and competitions, something that gave us more blood to the teeth! There was more to this than just having fun and building up. We got so close to the children, the young people and their parents, we could feel a greater support than we had dared to hope for.
Autumn came with more wet and increasingly darker days, our little skate adventure came to a standstill more and more. The regular training sessions became too dangerous due to rain on the ramps, oldboy Thursdays and fun in the evenings too dark. We were always ready to welcome our loyal members, but much of the time had to face the fact that skating and the Danish weather could be challenging, even with inventive ideas with tarpaulins and work lamps.
The Brande halls' parking lots would soon be packed with cars, the indoor activities were about to begin. We had already withdrawn our loan agreement from the area several times due to the success of USZ. So our skate park in the heart of Brande had to be dismantled and closed.
We had the desire to run the plant! As well as more. USZ had risen from the ground and in our minds we could not just fall again so easily. A rainy day in November, a Thursday evening, late in the evening we (the construction team) again had to stop a cozy oldboys sesh due to weather and darkness. Exhausted, we sat again and talked through the memories and what we had really achieved in just six months. A mixed team of craftsmen with the ideas in order, the ability to lift in a bunch, knuckle down and enjoy was transformed into a team that saw no other way out than to resurrect USZ somewhere else.
"THOSE WHO HAVE THE ABILITY HAVE THE DUTY TO US"
The very next day, Friday, we parked in front of Mylius Erichsen vej 93. There were some old production halls which we knew were empty, as we had been lurking on the spot since childhood. An area we ourselves used as teenagers to play roller hockey and do tricks. The dream could come true here.
In order to live out the childhood dream and secure USZ for the skaters of the future, we quickly seized the chance and picked up the phone. A meeting with the landlord was arranged and we struck without discussing risk and budget plans, we had an uncontrollable urge to create and a drive no one could stop.
Funding…
Something we hadn't worked on much in recent months. But with innovation, which is part of our DNA, we got a bike race and an art exhibition on our feet. On a Saturday in October 2017, our members, friends and families cycled. A total of 98 participants had previously found their own sponsorship per kilometer driven, on this day USZ brought in DKK 78,000.
The following month, on a Saturday in November, we held an auction in connection with an art event in the city. Six artists associated with Brande painted six unique gable paintings on the spot that day, a help to Urbanstreetzone which showed that we also dared to be creative, gave us a total of DKK 66,000 more to build for.
From Grassroots to Pioneer.
We were well aware that we had to do something that had not been done before. Think differently, don't just build the easy flat skatepark, but think bigger and more audience-friendly, with room for all levels and accommodate the community around street sports, a sport that is incredibly malleable to our advantage and became our advantage. With free hands and 100% user involvement, we transformed 1000 square meters into our dream in 63 days. A skate hall that we thought Denmark was missing.
Første år steg vores medlemstal, fra 98 til 366. Pladsen blev trang, og i alle ugens dage var filled with training and the weekends with events. Vi havde holdt to Danmarksmesterskaber i scoot og blading, det var første gang i historien, at de events var lavet udenfor storbyerne.
But we lacked more space…. a suggestion came promptly "we will knock down the wall", and everyone answered in unison "we will". And one Saturday in september_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf158gård_20 vi løs på opgaven med kæmpehammer og maskiner. Muren indtil hal 2 bliver knocked over and we can start the build.
Ikast Brande kommune støtter os med 110.000_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_kr. til bygning af ramper, og vores kasserer indsamler 220.000 kr._cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_from foundations and local sponsors. Vores byggefællesskab går i gang med at bygge, og i løbet af to måneder står hal 2 klar._cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_
Vores medlemstal er nu steget til 1700 medlemmer. Vi er_cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_Denmark's largest skate club, and we are located in Brande. More than 7,000 volunteer hours are spent on construction. De frivillige består af børn, unge, gamle, drenge,_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_girls, men and ladies. Der blev sovet i hængekøjer under ramperne, der blev sovet på ramperne og vores fællesskab blev født.
Vores medlemmer kommer i dag fra Ikast-Brande kommune og resten af Danmark, Spanien – Tyskland – USA – Netherlands – France – Lithuania – Romania – Bosnia – Norway – Sweden – Finland – Australia – England and Scotland.
And now we again lack space. The thoughts are still big and we are ready to expand the USZ and childhood skate spot to take the whole area and in total 9000 m2, as well as spread our activities to the cities of Ikast - Brande municipality.
But we don't just be physically bigger. Vores rammer og fællesskab er også de rette til at skabe et sted, hvor man kan være, vokse som menneske_cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_and get help getting started. Our outside world already perceives us as a unique powerhouse, precisely because of our community and belief in people, and we make things succeed. We can really unfold that in larger physical settings.