Various denominations: Plaza de la Iglesia Mayor, Plaza de la Constitución, Plaza de Armas, Plaza del Recreo and Plaza de la Reina defined during other historical periods one of the most central sites in the City of Tinajones. The current Agramonte Park, foundational point from which the urban fabric of the former Villa de Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe (founded in the 16th century) was structured, we could also call it today the Park of the Skaters.

Every day, different generations of people from Camagüey come together there who take advantage of the fresh and welcoming nature of this open-air space to satisfy their needs for socialization and recreation. From very young children -who even “train” their first steps in the park- to grandparents who come to share with their friends or the rest of the family stay in the place that, unfortunately, it has also become a kind of rink.

In detriment of its values ​​as a public area belonging to the Historic Center of the city -and, specifically, to its oldest segment, declared a World Heritage Site in 2008- a considerable number of children and adolescents use the site daily to practice their skills in a sport for which there is no adequate facility in Camagüey.

“Only Havana, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus have skating rinks. However, in various national competitions in the categories for children, our province is at the same level as those that do have a place with ideal conditions for training,” the head of the discipline’s technical commission, Roylan Lopez Ramos, told this website.

We talked with him -who is also a professor at the Cerro Pelado Sports Initiation School (EIDE)- last week, when the Polyvalent Rafael Fortún brought together boys who love skating to show off their skills in that place and, at the same time, Over time, the teachers will talk to them about the importance of developing the practices taking all possible precautions and without damaging the built heritage.

“Our intention is that these types of activities are carried out regularly, so that both the students of this sport at the EIDE and the boys who have learned it self-taught and practice it in the streets can carry out their exercises in a safe and organized manner, without committing indiscipline”, argued López Ramos.

Organizing the meeting was also Raydel Griñán Legrá, a specialist from the Heritage Department of the Office of the Historian of Camagüey City (OHCC), who valued the need for both groups -those mentioned by Professor Roylan- to relate and establish links in favor of the growth of skating as a sports discipline in the province, and, at the same time, of citizen education.

“The main objective of this event is to carry out pedagogical work with them so that they know the importance of safeguarding heritage, and thus take it into account to carry out their activities,” argued Griñán Legrá.

Both institutions, the OHCC and the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) are currently strengthening their alliances to channel new talents and minimize the social indiscipline that today is committed in public places of the Historic Center such as Agramonte Park and the Jose Marti Park.

In this sense, the competition in the Multipurpose Room was the first experience. Other initiatives will be generated from upcoming agreements that the aforementioned organizations intend to sign, to contribute to the protection of the architectural values ​​of our city, which “constitutes an exceptional example of traditional urban settlement” -as the reasons for us to receive the condition of World Heritage Site.

Néstor Basulto, Liubel Pérez, Brian Martínez, and the brothers Yonathan and Yordan Tomas have long wanted their own space to skate and share with their friends and family. “We come to these places because we don’t have a place to do it, and many times they scold us; but what we need is a park or a track to be able to perform all our tricks without worrying about hurting younger children or older people.

“They have also told us that we are causing damage to the parks, and we know that it is not right; but the solution is to create a space for ourselves”, they explained when talking to this digital portal.

That the Agramonte Park and other public spaces stop being the only places in the Camagüey city where children and young skaters carry out their sports practices; and that the social indiscipline that threatens the conservation of our Historic Center does not continue to spread, depends essentially on factors such as collective awareness, citizen education, institutional will -and the management of the necessary resources- so that in this portion of Cuba , (one of the first towns founded by the Spaniards on the Island) the old Plaza de Armas is not today the park for skaters.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García