Page 39 - MIN VOS

A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 17 OcTOber 2017
‘Father’ of Parke Curason: George Forbes

By Linda Reijnders park gets about 150 visitors. George explains. He likes
JABURIBARI - For years “That is the average, it can to do sports himself, and he
I have been practicing be more in the weekend.” is always walking around to
sports at the actual only All nations and all ages help young and old. “I am
real sport park of Aruba. are represented, indeed a not somebody that sits in a
Parke Curason at Jaburi- multicultural all-generation corner making my money.
bari is a fenced park with park. The park he believes There are a lot of things we
covered basketball court, exists 14 years now, so he need to take care of to
football field, BMX racing was here from almost the prevent accidents.”
track, skateboard park, beginning. For George, his goal is
workout stations, kid’s play “The park at that time to continue making the
garden and a paved walk- looked amazing, every- people happy and see
ing/running/biking path of thing was new and in good the park fixed up. “I hope
750 meter. shape. More and more that the promised mainte-
It is located in the neigh- people are coming now, nance will come to reality
borhood Jaburibari and is George Forbes the Aruban people love very soon. It is very impor-
a popular spot for locals. sports more now and that tant as this park has a cru-
If you would like to ‘meet ing a kid pump his football come here every day and is good. Comparing to cial role.”
the locals’, join in on some or pointing out a bump in the connection with them the past it got better, that
basketball games and sniff the runway to a jogger. He makes me happy.” He ex- is why we need to focus BMX training spot
some ‘couleure local’, this even is concerned with the plains that for a day the on maintaining the park”, Jaymer Carolina, BMX-er,
is the place. But, for me, cars that enter and directs confirms the importance of
the extra cherry on the pie them to an available park- the park to his sport: “The
is the dedication of the ‘fa- ing spot. He is to most peo- park is my training field. I
ther’ of the park to his job: ple of the park ‘the face of train here 6 times a week
George Forbes. the place’ and many times from 5 to 7pm.”
we forget to thank people His club is called Rough Rid-
Face of the Place like him to stand out like ers Aruba where he rides in
You have people that just this. the 17-24 age category.
do their job and there are “But next season I am plan-
people that make a differ- 150 daily visitors ning to race elite, the pros.
ence in the way they do Aruba Today had a little It’s all about adrenaline,
their job. Forbes makes a chat with Forbes. “I work speed, style and also trying
difference when you visit here since 13 years and to work your way up to the
Parke Curason. I love everything about first place.”
He greets visitors, walks my job. I am supervisor Not only is the park a home
around to take off help- and security. The people BMX group Rough Riders Aruba with Jaymer Carolina (left) to BMX groups, also basket-
ball teams, football groups,
skateboard fanatics, little
children, bikers, runners
and walkers find their way.
And after all it is also a so-
cial gathering spot.
Like Daniel Tromp says: “This
park allows me to practice
my sports, BMX, and there-
fore I can race abroad. But
this is also where I meet my
friends.
The park is in high need of
maintenance and I hope
this will be done soon and
the government takes her
responsibility in this.” This
opinion is shared by Sharit-
za Henriquez who likes to
walk in the park.
“There is a lot of lacked
maintenance like the work-
out stations.” For George
this is nothing new, he sees
his park every day and
is concerned about the
state of it.
“I welcome more and
more people every time
which is positive, but we
need to fix things.”

Parke Curason is open dai-
ly from 5am – 8:45pm. q